Dr. Tom Simpatico is the founder and CEO of MHISSION Translational Systems, LLC. MTS is a spin-off corporation of and partner with the University of Vermont College of Medicine and recently became a partner with the Oracle Corporation. Starting in 2001, Dr. Simpatico and his team have created a suite of tools and technologies called the MHISSION System (an acronym pronounced “mission”) that more effectively connects targeted populations with a constellation of treatment and service options. This innovative system uniquely uses cutting-edge technologies to create new paths for information exchange and interoperability among treatment and service providers, outreach agencies, law enforcement, corrections, veterans’ groups, and other entities that typically operate in isolation.
In addition to serving as MTS CFO, Mr. Dugan is the Founder, President and Managing Principal of Dugan, Colthart & Zoch, P.A., a New Jersey-based certified public accounting firm engaged in the practice of public accounting, tax planning and preparation, estate planning, forensic accounting, business valuations, litigation support, business succession planning, and management consulting services. The firm is registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).
Mr. Dugan is a graduate of Fairfield University with a BS in Accounting and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Bergen County Estate Planning Council.
He is former president of the Harrington Park, NJ Board of Education.
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Colby Kelly provides strategic counsel for brand development as well as a full range of marketing communications services focusing on institutions in the public health, education and social justice sectors. She is expert in brand positioning and message development, adept at orchestrating and integrating web content, social media, traditional media, advertising and events to build impact. She specializes in partner engagement across federal, state and regional organizations to target audiences. During two decades working in television communications, Ms. Kelly developed and executed national communications strategies to leverage the power of PBS and cable documentaries working with Bill Moyers, the Skoll Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and many other producers and funders to promote social change and government policy on issues including mental illness, addiction, end-of-life care, Alzheimers disease, obesity, bullying and chemical pollution. Most recently, as Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications at Childrens Health Fund, Ms. Kelly developed and executed media strategies leading to millions of media impressions through coverage and op-eds in such diverse media as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, CNN, Good Morning America, the Washington Post, NPR and the Colbert Report.
Dr. Tom Simpatico is the founder and CEO of MHISSION Translational Systems, LLC. MTS is a spin-off corporation of and partner with the University of Vermont College of Medicine and recently became a partner with the Oracle Corporation. Starting in 2001, Dr. Simpatico and his team have created a suite of tools and technologies called the MHISSION System (an acronym pronounced “mission”) that more effectively connects targeted populations with a constellation of treatment and service options. This innovative system uniquely uses cutting-edge technologies to create new paths for information exchange and interoperability among treatment and service providers, outreach agencies, law enforcement, corrections, veterans’ groups, and other entities that typically operate in isolation.
Developed by nationally recognized content experts, this dynamic and intuitive decision-supported ecosystem improves outcomes and reduces costs. It has been used in several New England states to support jail diversion and re-entry and veteran services and in the greater Chicago area to support linkage between the Cook County Jail and over 100 community mental health centers. Dr. Simpatico trained at the University of Chicago and specializes in public health, human service care systems, serious mental illness, substance abuse services, correctional health, veterans’ services and public policy. From 1988-2003 as part of the Northwestern University Medical School faculty he served in a series of administrative positions for the Illinois Mental Health Authority including five years as Metro Chicago Bureau Chief for the Illinois Department of Mental Health. In that role, he created and directed a number of programs that have significantly helped to integrate community mental health services with the Cook County Department of Corrections/Cook County Jail.
In addition to his leadership of MTS, his current appointments include:
Dr. Simpatico is an active researcher and teacher. His was the recipient of the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Featherfist Humanitarian Service Award. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and past president of the Vermont Psychiatric Association.
In addition to serving as MTS CFO, Mr. Dugan is the Founder, President and Managing Principal of Dugan, Colthart & Zoch, P.A., a New Jersey-based certified public accounting firm engaged in the practice of public accounting, tax planning and preparation, estate planning, forensic accounting, business valuations, litigation support, business succession planning, and management consulting services. The firm is registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).
Mr. Dugan is a graduate of Fairfield University with a BS in Accounting and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Bergen County Estate Planning Council.
He is former president of the Harrington Park, NJ Board of Education.
Colby Kelly provides strategic counsel for brand development as well as a full range of marketing communications services focusing on institutions in the public health, education and social justice sectors. She is expert in brand positioning and message development, adept at orchestrating and integrating web content, social media, traditional media, advertising and events to build impact. She specializes in partner engagement across federal, state and regional organizations to target audiences. During two decades working in television communications, Ms. Kelly developed and executed national communications strategies to leverage the power of PBS and cable documentaries working with Bill Moyers, the Skoll Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and many other producers and funders to promote social change and government policy on issues including mental illness, addiction, end-of-life care, Alzheimers disease, obesity, bullying and chemical pollution. Most recently, as Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications at Childrens Health Fund, Ms. Kelly developed and executed media strategies leading to millions of media impressions through coverage and op-eds in such diverse media as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, CNN, Good Morning America, the Washington Post, NPR and the Colbert Report.
Ms. Kelly specializes in integrated strategic communications planning to build brands for nonprofit and for-profit companies that promote the public good. At Children’s Health Fund she marshaled high-impact web design incorporating rich media for story-telling, escalated social media tactics, brought new energy to traditional media relations, enhanced institutional communications, envisioned strategic events and implemented an advertising strategy to build brand awareness and increase revenue. CHF was selected to be one of 6 US charities to benefit from Red Nose Day, and Ms. Kelly led the CHF team working with NBC to garner primetime coverage for two years running as well as segments on NBC Nightly News, the Today Show and other visibility.
At Columbia University, Ms. Kelly was a branding consultant to the deans of the Mailman School of Public Health and the Graduate School of Journalism. Ms. Kelly provided marketing expertise to launch the Mailman School’s groundbreaking new MPH curriculum and guided strategy to advance the School’s institutional reputation including starting Columbia Public Health magazine and producing a global public health conference that brought together 125 thought leaders from 33 countries. At Columbia School of Journalism, she provided strategic counsel to reposition the School brand during a time of great change in the media.
Ms. Kelly first worked with Dr. Simpatico in 2009 on the PBS program MINDS ON THE EDGE: Facing Mental Illness, producing a national engagement campaign as a catalyst for policy reform in criminal justice and health care systems. She secured and leveraged partnerships with 12 leading mental health advocacy organizations and professional associations resulting in hundreds of screening events across the country, and planned and managed high-profile events including a Capitol Hill legislative briefing keynoted by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.
Following a senior management position at PBS flagship station Thirteen/WNET in New York in the 1990’s, she founded Kelly & Salerno Communications serving a broad range of non-profit and media clients including Bill Moyers, United Hospital Fund, the Skoll Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The After-School Corporation, National Park Service, New York Public Library, and dozens of PBS documentary producers. Her campaigns garnered hundreds of millions of media impressions.
She graduated from Brown University with honors and began her career as press secretary to Commissioner Henry Geldzahler at the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
Mark J. Heyrman, JD is Cinical Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. His principal responsibilities involve teaching effective advocacy to students of the Law School's Mandel Clinic through supervising these students in litigation and legislative advocacy on behalf of persons with mental illness. He also teaches Law and the Mental Health System and, with the other clinical teachers, Pre-Trial Advocacy and an Intensive Trial Practice Workshop.
Mary Hauser has over 40 years of addiction and behavioral health field experience including directing prevention, intervention, treatment and research programs. She is adjunct faculty at multiple universities and serves as a consultant at the state, federal and inpatient/outpatient program level. Ms. Hauser has a Masters Degree in Psychology and has lectured and trained extensively around the country. Since 1999, Ms. Hauser has been the Vice President of the Addiction Services Division at Dominion Diagnostics.
Dr. Lamberti is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He is Director of the Schizophrenia Treatment Research Program where he oversees research and education related to community care of adults schizophrenia and other serious mental disorders. He is also Chair of the Research Subject Review Board for Social and Behavioral Sciences.
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Mark Larson is Vice President for Policy at the Center for Health Care Strategies. Previously, Mr. Larson served as commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access from 2011-2015. In this role, he was responsible for oversight and management of Vermont’s publicly funded health insurance programs serving more than 200,000 Vermonters. He led the development and implementation of Vermont’s health insurance exchange and played an instrumental role in planning for Green Mountain Care, Vermont’s proposed universal health care program.
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Judge Steven Leifman serves as Associate Administrative Judge in the Miami-Dade County Court Criminal Division and Special Advisor on Criminal Justice and Mental Health for the Supreme Court of Florida. He has been at the forefront of a public policy movement in the criminal justice system to reduce the number of people with mental illness in prison, and to develop alternative approaches that offer treatment and support for recovery.
Dr. Maruti is a psychiatrist with sub-specialty in Addiction Psychiatry from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and has developed research expertise in risk assessment, quality improvement, and outcomes measurement. Prior to attending medical school he worked in a variety of research and development positions in biotech and health care consulting for almost a decade.
Kellie Meyer is the President of Kellie Meyer Training Solutions founded in 2011. In 2003, she was part of a team from NAMI Indiana (National Alliance on Mental Illness) that developed a program for prison personnel to have a better understanding of mental illness, and to improve communication and interactions with offenders. The results were striking. “Use of force” among those trained decreased by 70 percent.
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Robert Pierattini, MD is Professor of Psychiatry & Chair, Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont College of Medicine. He is the Physician Leader of the Psychiatry Service at The University of Vermont Medical Center.
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David E. Smith, MD specializes in Addiction Medicine, the psycho-pharmacology of drugs, new research strategies in the management of drug abuse problems, and proper prescribing practices for physicians. He is the Founder of the Haight Ashbury Free Clinics of San Francisco, a Fellow and Past President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), Past President of the California Society of Addiction Medicine, Past Medical Director for the California State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, Past Medical Director for the California Collaborative Center for Substance Abuse Policy Research, and former adviser to the Betty Ford Center. Current appointments include Chair of Adolescent Addiction Medicine at the Newport Academy in Southern California and Medical Director for Center Point drug rehabilitation centers. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, San Francisco.
Dr. Robert L. Weisman is Senior Medical Director of Adult Ambulatory Services in Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center and Director of Clinical Care for the New York State ACT/FACT team serving mentally disordered offenders in the community. For their work with Project Link, Dr. Weisman and his colleagues received the 1999 American Psychiatric Association’s Gold Award, and the 2009 NAMI New York State Program Award. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, member of the American College of Psychiatrists and Board Certified in both General and Forensic Psychiatry.
Kevin Casey is currently the Network Homeless Coordinator for VA New England Healthcare, overseeing a full continuum of services for Veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness throughout New England. He also coordinates the Veterans Justice Program, which includes both prison reentry and jail diversion services for eligible Veterans throughout New England. Mr. Casey has over 40 years of experience in human services, and over 22 years of experience teaching on the graduate level. He is currently an adjunct professor at Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. In 2014 he received the Meritorious Service Award from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans as well as the ICARE award from VA New England Healthcare.
Mark J. Heyrman, JD is Cinical Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. His principal responsibilities involve teaching effective advocacy to students of the Law School's Mandel Clinic through supervising these students in litigation and legislative advocacy on behalf of persons with mental illness. He also teaches Law and the Mental Health System and, with the other clinical teachers, Pre-Trial Advocacy and an Intensive Trial Practice Workshop.
Heyrman is a member of the mental health committees of the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association. He was member of the board of Mental Health America from 2004 to 2010 and chair of its Public Policy Committee from 2007 to 2010. He remains a member of that committee. He is past president of the Mental Health America of Illinois, a current member of its board and chair of its Public Policy Committee. He also is a member and immediate past chairperson of the Illinois Mental Health Planning and Advisory Council and founder and facilitator of the Mental Health Summit. In 1988, he served as executive director of the Governor's Commission to Revise the Mental Health Code of Illinois.
Heyrman has been actively involved in the clinical legal education movement. He was one of the founders of the Clinical Legal Education Association and served on its board for seven years. He has worked to use the accreditation process to encourage law schools to devote more of their resources to preparing students to practice law ethically and effectively.
Mary Hauser has over 40 years of addiction and behavioral health field experience including directing prevention, intervention, treatment and research programs. She is adjunct faculty at multiple universities and serves as a consultant at the state, federal and inpatient/outpatient program level. Ms. Hauser has a Masters Degree in Psychology and has lectured and trained extensively around the country. Since 1999, Ms. Hauser has been the Vice President of the Addiction Services Division at Dominion Diagnostics.
Over her tenure at Dominion Diagnostics, Ms. Hauser has exclusively focused on aligning Dominion’s science and service model with the unique, ever-growing needs of addiction medicine. She was a leading instrumental voice in the development and clinical application of Dominion’s Scientifically Accurate Medication Monitoring (SAMM)® and Comprehensive Analysis of Reported Drugs (CARD)® reports and trend data that offer next-generation clinical insight into medication adherence and patient self-reported drug use to support assessment, treatment planning, and outcomes in a number of medical specialties. Further, Ms. Hauser assembled a world-class team of thought leaders to represent Dominion as its Scientific and Addiction Advisory Board.
While in Milwaukee at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Ms. Hauser was the oversight Vice President of the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. She was a founding member of the Board of the Wisconsin Alcohol and Drug Certification Board. At The Miriam Hospital and Brown University Medical School in Providence RI, she began a nursing home and assisted living center psychiatric consultation service as well as serving as the Executive Administrator for Psychiatry, Behavioral Health and Research. She has served as adjunct faculty at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and Keene State University in Keene, NH and as a consultant at the State, Federal and program level.
Ms. Hauser has a Masters Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin and has lectured and trained extensively on a variety of topics related to the field of behavioral health including supporting continuing education for addiction and behavioral health professionals.
Dr. Lamberti is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He is Director of the Schizophrenia Treatment Research Program where he oversees research and education related to community care of adults schizophrenia and other serious mental disorders. He is also Chair of the Research Subject Review Board for Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Dr. Lamberti received his MD from the University of Missouri, and completed his psychiatry residency and a neuropsychiatry fellowship at the University of Rochester. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and Board Certified in General Psychiatry. Dr. Lamberti's career is dedicated to developing new treatment and rehabilitation strategies for adults with schizophrenia and other severe mental disorders, especially those at risk for repeated hospitalization, arrest and incarceration. He has written and lectured widely on community-based care for adults with severe mental illness, with a focus on preventing relapse and promoting recovery.
Dr. Lamberti and his research team have conducted numerous clinical drug trials evaluating novel medications for treatment of psychosis and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia and related disorders. With funding support from the National Institute of Mental Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and local sources, he has also led development of the Rochester Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (R-FACT) model. For their work with in developing the R-FACT model, Dr. Lamberti and his colleagues received the 1999 American Psychiatric Association’s Gold Award, the 2002 New York State Community Health Improvement Award, and the 2009 NAMI New York State Program Award. Dr. Lamberti is also a recipient of the 2004 APA Van Ameringen Award for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, and the 2005 Margaret Van Horn Award for Distinguished Service in Psychiatry.
Mark Larson is Vice President for Policy at the Center for Health Care Strategies. Previously, Mr. Larson served as commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access from 2011-2015. In this role, he was responsible for oversight and management of Vermont’s publicly funded health insurance programs serving more than 200,000 Vermonters. He led the development and implementation of Vermont’s health insurance exchange and played an instrumental role in planning for Green Mountain Care, Vermont’s proposed universal health care program.
During Mr. Larson’s tenure in Vermont, the state developed leading-edge innovations in delivery system and payment reform and he now brings this expertise to his CHCS work with other states on the State Innovation Model and Delivery System Reform Incentive Program. In addition, he plays a key role in the DHCS Academy, which provides comprehensive training for managers in California’s Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), and other CHCS Medicaid leadership training efforts.
Previously, Mr. Larson was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 2001-2011. During his term as a state representative, he served as the chair of the House Health Care Committee, vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and co-chair of the Vermont Commission on Health Care Reform, among other responsibilities. In addition to his state public service, Mr. Larson worked for more than 20 years as a program administrator, consultant and trainer helping states develop effective responses to domestic violence and interventions for domestic violence offenders. In these roles, he has worked extensively with correctional and criminal justice systems, child protection and human service programs. As Vermont’s Medicaid director, he was selected as a fellow in the Medicaid Leadership Institute, a unique leadership training program for Medicaid directors coordinated by CHCS and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Mr. Larson earned a bachelor’s degree in religion and sociology from Bucknell University.
Judge Steven Leifman serves as Associate Administrative Judge in the Miami-Dade County Court Criminal Division and Special Advisor on Criminal Justice and Mental Health for the Supreme Court of Florida. He has been at the forefront of a public policy movement in the criminal justice system to reduce the number of people with mental illness in prison, and to develop alternative approaches that offer treatment and support for recovery.
In Florida, he has been a passionate and tireless change agent. Judge Leifman oversaw the groundbreaking report "Transforming Florida’s Mental Health System," which was prepared by the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Criminal Mental Health Project. He is chairman of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida’s Mental Health Committee, co-chair of the Miami-Dade County Mayor’s Mental Health Task Force and he serves on a statewide task force with Governor Crist and state legislators to improve Florida’s mental health system.
Judge Leifman is providing leadership on this issue nationally. He is co-chair of the Council of State Governments/ TAPA Center for Jail Diversion Judges’ Criminal Justice/ Mental Health Leadership Initiative, and member of the National Leadership Forum for Behavioral Health. He was recently honored by the U.S. Supreme Court as the 2015 recipient of the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence.
Dr. Maruti is a psychiatrist with sub-specialty in Addiction Psychiatry from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and has developed research expertise in risk assessment, quality improvement, and outcomes measurement. Prior to attending medical school he worked in a variety of research and development positions in biotech and health care consulting for almost a decade.
Kellie Meyer is the President of Kellie Meyer Training Solutions founded in 2011. In 2003, she was part of a team from NAMI Indiana (National Alliance on Mental Illness) that developed a program for prison personnel to have a better understanding of mental illness, and to improve communication and interactions with offenders. The results were striking. “Use of force” among those trained decreased by 70 percent.
Kellie continued to work heavily in this area making improvements along the way, establishing new partnerships and realizing substantial positive results. In 2006, this work was recognized by the Indiana Department of Correction, and was honored with “Unlocking the Mystery of Mental Illness” award.
While serving as an adviser to the IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police) in Alexandria, V.A., Kellie helped to establish policy enhancing officer safety as related to mental illness and has additionally consulted with the National Institute of Corrections. She developed special housing units and re-entry programs for veterans and developed programming for offenders to better understand behaviors and end of life issues as they worked as companions for patients at the end of their lives.
Kellie has designed training and educational conferences for various state agencies, communities, and not-for-profit organizations. She has worked extensively bringing key stakeholders together for numerous causes and initiatives, has served as a board member or advisor for several nonprofit agencies, and has an extensive fund raising background.
Kellie holds a bachelor’s degree in French and theatre from Indiana State University and a masters’s in executive development for public service from Ball State University.
Robert Pierattini, MD is Professor of Psychiatry & Chair, Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont College of Medicine.He is the Physician Leader of the Psychiatry Service at The University of Vermont Medical Center.
Dr. Pierattini is a graduate of Washington and Jefferson College and received his M.D. degree from the Yale University School of Medicine. He completed a Residency in Psychiatry and a Fellowship in Psychopharmacology at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vermont. He is an active clinician, with a focus on mood and anxiety disorders. He has also served as past president of the Vermont Psychiatric Association, member of the State Board of Health, Chair of the Board of Vermont Managed Care, and as part of numerous organizations addressing mental health policy in the region.
David E. Smith, MD specializes in Addiction Medicine, the psycho-pharmacology of drugs, new research strategies in the management of drug abuse problems, and proper prescribing practices for physicians. He is the Founder of the Haight Ashbury Free Clinics of San Francisco, a Fellow and Past President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), Past President of the California Society of Addiction Medicine, Past Medical Director for the California State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, Past Medical Director for the California Collaborative Center for Substance Abuse Policy Research, and former adviser to the Betty Ford Center. Current appointments include Chair of Adolescent Addiction Medicine at the Newport Academy in Southern California and Medical Director for Center Point drug rehabilitation centers. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, San Francisco.
Dr. Smith is the Founder and Publisher of the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, which has been published since 1967. Additionally, he is co-author of the textbook "Clinician's Guide to Substance Abuse" and co-author with Dr. Daniel Amen of the book "Unchain Your Brain", which provides practical tools for addiction patients and addiction professionals.
Dr. Robert L. Weisman is Senior Medical Director of Adult Ambulatory Services in Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center and Director of Clinical Care for the New York State ACT/FACT team serving mentally disordered offenders in the community. For their work with Project Link, Dr. Weisman and his colleagues received the 1999 American Psychiatric Association’s Gold Award, and the 2009 NAMI New York State Program Award. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, member of the American College of Psychiatrists and Board Certified in both General and Forensic Psychiatry.
Dr. Weisman also serves as Co-Director of the Charles E. Steinberg Memorial Fellowship in Psychiatry and Law, at the University of Rochester. He has presented internationally and written on community care of justice-involved individuals with behavioral health disorders and on management of violence risk within this population. He regularly conducts training seminars on topics relative to prevention of workplace violence for a variety of audiences including medical, psychiatric, corporate, and criminal justice professionals. Dr. Weisman is the principle forensic psychiatric consultant to the Rochester Police Department and regularly consults to federal, local law-enforcement and legal agencies. Through grant funding from the University of Rochester, he has developed training interventions for front-line correctional professionals interfacing with mentally disordered individuals.
He also provides forensic consultation nationally specific to individual risk assessment and violence mitigation to medical centers, criminal justice agencies and commercial industry. Through funding from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Dr. Weisman created the Safety and Violence Education (SAVE) training curriculum, utilized by healthcare agencies across the nation.
In addition to serving as MTS CFO, Mr. Dugan is the Founder, President and Managing Principal of Dugan, Colthart & Zoch, P.A., a New Jersey-based certified public accounting firm engaged in the practice of public accounting, tax planning and preparation, estate planning, forensic accounting, business valuations, litigation support, business succession planning, and management consulting services. The firm is registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).
Mr. Dugan is a graduate of Fairfield University with a BS in Accounting and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Bergen County Estate Planning Council.
He is former president of the Harrington Park, NJ Board of Education.