Devika Bhushan, MD, is a pediatrician and public health leader on a mission to drive health innovation, resilience, and equity. As California’s Acting Surgeon General (2022), Dr. Bhushan was a key public health advisor to the California Governor, and led policy and practice innovation at a statewide level by co-leading the launch of the ACEs Aware initiative. Her expertise spans trauma-informed systems, stress and resilience, mental health, and gender and health equity — with work published in The Lancet, Pediatrics, NPR, and The Los Angeles Times. Dr. Bhushan trained at Harvard and Johns Hopkins, and serves as a senior advisor to entities that aim to advance health, innovation, and equity — including the Weitzman Institute's Prescription for Play program. She also leads efforts to advance evidence-based tools for well-being and to destigmatize mental illness through a newsletter and YouTube channel/podcast called Spread the light with Dr Devika B. Dr. Bhushan is an immigrant, a parent, and a first-generation Indian-American.