|
Dear Behavioral Health Colleagues,
On behalf of the CBHA Board of Directors and members, I am excited to announce the addition of a new team member, Dr. Devika Bhushan, CBHA’s new Senior Health Equity Advisor!
At the onset of the Pandemic, CBHA reaffirmed its commitment to race and social equity evidenced by a number of new initiatives. As our work in this area grows, our team has grown its capacity to impact change. It was clear upon meeting Dr. Bhushan that she was the ideal candidate for this position. She is a pediatrician, public health leader, and writer on a mission to drive health innovation, equity, and resilience. Dr. Bhushan served as California’s Acting Surgeon General in 2022, during which time she was a key public health spokesperson and advisor to the California Governor. Her clinical, research, and policy expertise spans trauma-informed systems, stress and resilience, mental health, and gender and health equity. Dr. Bhushan has served on Stanford’s faculty and her work has been featured in peer-reviewed publications like The Lancet and Pediatrics and in mainstream outlets like National Public Radio (NPR), The Los Angeles Times, The Sacramento Bee, and Healthy Children. Dr. Bhushan advises innovative health and mental health startups, non-profits, and venture capital investment.
As California’s Acting Surgeon General and previously the Office’s inaugural Chief Health Officer, Dr. Bhushan led policy and practice innovation at a statewide level. She co-crafted and launched the first-in-the-nation Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Aware initiative, a $500 million effort focused on healing from the impacts of childhood adversity and enhancing health equity for millions.
Dr. Bhushan is a leading spokesperson in destigmatizing living with mental illness and spreading hope: she has publicly shared her journey with bipolar disorder — including in The Los Angeles Times and National Public Radio (NPR) — reaching and inspiring millions. In 2023, she launched a vibrant community to advance well-being through a newsletter and YouTube channel.
Having spent her early years between the Philippines, India, and the United States, Dr. Bhushan is an immigrant and a first-generation American. Her professional expertise and her personal story is what makes her the ideal addition to the CBHA team as we continue to advance our mission around behavioral health equity amidst this Racial Pandemic.
In Service,
| 
