Dr. Everett is the next president-elect of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) where she has previously held numerous roles including: trustee-at-large on the APA Board of Trustees, chair of the APA Task Force on Healthcare Reform 2015, chair of the Scientific Program Committee of the Institute on Psychiatric Services, Assembly Representative, and chair of the Council on Healthcare Systems and Finance. She has also served as president of the Maryland Psychiatric Society.
Dr. Everett has recently become the Chief Medical Officer at the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. She was the Division Director of Johns Hopkins Community and General Psychiatry, Bayview Campus in Baltimore, and associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD for ten years. Her area of research is the health behavior of individuals with long-term mental illnesses. She is also a past president of the American Association of Community Psychiatrists.
From 1999 to 2003 she served as the Inspector General to the Office of the Governor in the Department of Mental Health in Virginia. During this time, she completed over 80 inspections of Institutions operated and licensed to provide mental health services in Virginia. She has been engaged in a number of international projects which have included consultation with the Ministries of Health, Department of Mental Health in Iraq and Afghanistan on the implementation of mental health services in these countries and has been published widely in academic journals.
Currently a VCH Director for Vancouver Mental Health and Substance Use; Monica is an avid advocate for clients. Her portfolio includes all of Vancouver Tertiary and Acute psychiatry (VGH &UBCH) and Vancouver mental health & substance use Community services of VAMHI, ACT, AOT, VGH Outpatient department, SAFER and Community Link Program. Monica has over 20 years of experience in Health Care that include: Front line nursing in a variety of settings, management positions in Residential Care and Acute Mental Health and Addiction services. Her current focus includes improving patient care in the Psychiatry setting and involving Family and Consumers in Clinical Practice decisions. She is the Director lead for the Vancouver Mental Health and Substance Use Redesign which is transforming mental health and substance use programs and creating greater access for all Vancouver Adults.
Paul Saarinen is president of Fourcubed, a Minnesota-based digital gaming company. He has over 15 years of experience in digital data aggregation, analytics, data visualization, online strategy, social marketing, and interactive planning and strategy. He most recently led marketing at Optum’s internal startup incubator and is also the co-founder of Kaaria, a startup developing product solutions for newborn and pediatric applications; and Miinome, the first member-controlled, portable human genomic marketplace.
He has been a co-founder or principal in four technology startups in medical tech, social media automation and online engagement and established two international digital strategy practices. Paul has presented at numerous conferences on big data, social-environmental data integration and healthcare, has been quoted in television, digital and print news media, and has contributed to published books and papers on the future of digital marketing and advertising. He became an advocate for improved diagnosis and access to mental health services after his father lost a lifelong battle with clinical depression in 2013.
Dr. Huszti is the Chief Psychologist at CHOC Children’s Hospital as well as the Director of Training for the Psychology Training Program. In this role, she has been instrumental in helping to launch and activate CHOC’s Pediatric Mental Health Initiative. Dr. Huszti has been practicing at CHOC since 2002. Under her leadership, the Pediatric Psychology Training Program has been expanded by 300% with trainees recruited from across the nation. Dr. Huszti oversees a staff of 17 Licensed Psychologists who provide services at CHOC Children’s in Orange, CHOC Children’s at Mission Hospital and the Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Dr. Huszti completed her Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Family Therapy at Texas Tech University in 1987. She completed her Internship and Fellowship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC). She was an Associate Professor at OUHSC and was the Director of the Pediatric Psychology Program for 5 years. Dr. Huszti is also an avid researcher and has served as a Principal Investigator on a number of federally funded research projects with a focus on adherence, as well as federally funded training grants to increase the number of psychologists with expertise to work with vulnerable children. Her areas of interest include pediatric psychology, adherence, consultation and liaison, techniques to help reduce pain, and individuals with hematologic disorders. Furthermore, Dr. Huszti has been successful in securing federal, state and local grants and contracts in support of Pediatric Mental Health Services at CHOC Children’s.
Mayor Darrell Steinberg is one of the most respected political leaders in California, having most recently served as President Pro Tem of the California State Senate from 2008 to 2014. His more than twenty-year career in public service also included six years in both the State Assembly and on the Sacramento City Council. Over the course of his legislative tenure, Steinberg forged difficult agreements to usher the state from a $42 billion deficit to a surplus budget, implemented groundbreaking mental healthcare legislation, strengthened the state’s foster care system, improved K-12 education standards, and made historic investments in California’s water and transportation infrastructure.
While his resume lists achievements in multiple areas, advancing mental healthcare policy has always been among Steinberg’s top priorities. Some of his most well-known contributions include Proposition 63 (2004), which provides over 2 billion dollars per year for mental health services in California, and SB 946, a groundbreaking law that ensures insurance companies cover treatment of children with autism and related disorders and SB 82 which infused significant funding into the the expansion of crises care facilities and mobile units.
In January 2015, Darrell established the Steinberg Institute which is dedicated to advancing sound public policy and inspiring leadership on the issues of mental health. Since its inception, the Institute has worked tirelessly to bring awareness and solutions to what he calls “the under-attended issue of our time.” Most recently, the Steinberg Institute, in partnership with the Senate President pro Tem, Kevin de Leon, succeeded at securing a $2 billion bond (No Place Like Home) to provide permanent supportive housing to those who live on the streets with a serious mental illness. Moving forward the Institute will focus on prevention and early intervention; creating incentives to enter and stay in the mental health profession; and, working with business and technology leaders across the country to create innovative solutions that will serve to improve the mental health system of care.
Having gained the respect and trust of providers, decision makers, business leaders and advocacy organizations across the state, the Steinberg Institute stands ready to move forward in our efforts to ensure issues of the brain are equal to issues of the body.
Leila has a B.S. in Neuroscience with a minor in Psychology, a M.B.A., a M.A. With Distinction in Counseling and Psychology, and is also a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. As a business professional, Leila has an extensive background that includes managing complex projects, maintaining CFO-level duties for the largest portion of a $220M+ federal grant, and being a consultant to high profile clients that include professional athletes, celebrities, and chief executives. As a therapist, Leila has passion for what impacts us as human beings and how to use that knowledge to navigate the human connection landscape. Leila is also a published writer, active mentor and community volunteer, and frequent public speaker. As a multi-hyphenate, her exposure to multiple platforms enables her to cross-pollinate best practices in nontraditional ways to achieve maximum success in each endeavor.
