2025 Conference Schedule

Welcome

Welcoming Ceremony: Native and Indigenous Peoples Initiative (NIPI) of San Mateo County

• Dr. Brendan Scherer, MDProgram Director, San Mateo County Psychiatry Residency Program

• Dr. Megan “Mei” Tan, MDDirector of the Stanford Adult Public Psychiatry Track 

• Dr. Jei Africa, Psy.D. Director, San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services 

Keynote Speaker

Presenter: Marlon Peterson
Author and Host of the podcast Decarcerated 
Executive Director, College and Community Fellowship (CCF)

Panel 1: Navigating Addiction Treatment and the Carceral System 

Sarait Escorza 
Community Organizer, Silicon Valley De-Bug 

Sandra Ruiz
Family Member (Silicon Valley De-Bug)

Hon. Michael Isaku Begert 
Judge, San Francisco Superior Court - CARE Court

Dr. Amy Liang, MD
Addiction Medicine Physician and Director of MAT Program, Santa Rita Jai lHighland Hospital Bridge Program 

Dr. Zane Davis, MD
Resident Physician, San Mateo County Psychiatry Residency Program San Mateo County Correctional Health Services 

Dr. Shruti Rajan, MD
Resident Physician, San Mateo County Psychiatry Residency Program

Panel 2: Peer Support and Harm Reduction: Working and Living Recovery

Heather Henry
Peer Specialist and Outreach Coordinator, Voices of Recovery

Jose Cabrera 
Peer Support Specialist, San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services

Isabella Karabed, ASW
Director of DEI and Lived Experience, LifeMoves

Mary Taylor, LMFT
Clinical Services Manager, Integrated Medication Assisted Treatment (IMAT)San Mateo County Health

Panel 3: Strategies and Supports for Youth Who Use 

Billy Burrough, MD, MPH
Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Staff Physician, Addiction Medicine, Alameda County Juvenile Justice System 

Kimberle Konnover, LCSW 
Program Manager, Behavioral Emergency Response Teams (BERT), UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital

Dr. Nasrin Bashiri, MD
Adult, Child & Adolescent, and Addiction Psychiatrist, San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services 

Nathalie Qin, LCSW
Manager of Harm Reduction, Larkin Street Youth Services 

Tamar Meidav, MD
Professor of Psychiatry, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital 

Panel 4: Public Psychiatry Fellows Reflect on Leadership, Advocacy, and Systems Change

Dr. Ambarin Faizi, DO Public Psychiatry Fellow
UCSF Dept of Psychiatry and Behav. Sciences
Assistant Medical Director, IST Solutions, California Department of State Hospitals

Dr. Andrew Sudler, MD
Public Psychiatry Fellow
Resident Physician, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavior Sciences 

Dr. Jacob Johnson, MD 
Public Psychiatry Fellow, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavior Sciences
Resident Physician, San Mateo County Psychiatry Residency Program

Dr. Nakisa Kiai, MD Public Psychiatry Fellow, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavior Sciences
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow, UCSF Dept of Psychiatry and Behav. Sciences

Closing Remarks and Reflections

Dr. Brendan Scherer, MD Program Director, San Mateo County Psychiatry Residency Program

Light refreshments 

Welcome

• Megan “Mei” Tan, MD Director, Public and Community Track, Stanford Psychiatry Residency Training Program

• Brendan Scherer, MD - Program Director, San Mateo Psychiatry Residency Training Program

Breakout Sessions - Round 1

Op-Ed Writing Workshop

• Suchismito (Smito) Khatua, MA - Stanford Hume Center

• Moderator: Wendy Bernstein, MD - Senior Community Psychiatrist, Wellness Equity Alliance

Follow The Money: How Financing Shapes the Mental Health Delivery System

• John Havlik, MD, MBA -  Resident Physician, Stanford Psychiatry Residency Program

• Kelsey Priest, MD, PhD, MPH - Resident Physician, Stanford Psychiatry Residency Program 

Community-Driven Program Development: allcove Youth Engagement

• Gloria Li, LMFT - Allcove Palo Alto Youth Outreach Specialist

• Ana Lilia Soto, MA - Central Allcove Team Youth Development Manager

• Moderator: Jon Updike, MD, MPH, Clinical Assistant Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine

Breakout Sessions - Round 2

Mental Health Advocacy Workshop

• Parnika Saxena, MD - Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

• Moderator: Zach Jacobs, MD - Resident Physician, Stanford Psychiatry Residency Program, Public and Community Track  

Indigenous Knowledge, Informed System of Care (IndigiKnow): Traditional Medicine Billing Model

• Esther Lucero, MPP - President and CEO, Seattle Indian Health Board

• Moderator: Caro Kraus-Koziol, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, UC Davis

Careers in Public Mental Health: Panel Discussion

• Angela Coombs, MD - Associate Medical Director, Behavioral Health Department, Alameda County

• Larry McGlynn, MD, MS - Clinical Professor, Stanford University

• Shefali Miller, MD - Chief Medical Officer, Momentum for Health

• Rebecca Nkrumah, MD - Staff Psychiatrist, One Community Health

• Moderator: Megan Tan, MD  

MHEART Facilitated Networking and Raffle Prizes

• Moderator: Rebeca Jimenez Stanford Psychiatry Residency Program Coordinator

Breakout Sessions - Round 3

Community-Defined Evidence in Mental Health: Background & Practice

• Alberto Rendon, MPH - Program Director, Cultura y Bienestar

• Rachel Guerrero, LCSW - Principal, Guerrero Consulting

• Moderator: Peter Manoleas, LCSW, Senior Behavioral Health Advisor, La Clinica de la Raza 

Homebase: Intro to Housing Policy

• Nora Breslin, JD - Directing Attorney, Homebase

• Julie Silas, JD - Directing Attorney, Homebase

• Sabrina Fuentes, direct service expert, case manager, and substance use navigator at HEPPAC

• Moderator: Zach Jacobs, MD - Resident Physician, Stanford Psychiatry Residency Program, Public and Community Track

Bound by Resilience: A Scrapbook Journey through Medical Education

• Anna Madrigal, MD, Child Psychiatry Fellow at Stanford Health Care

Music in Psychic and Social Life

• Erica Cao, MD, PhD, Resident Physician, San Mateo Psychiatry Residency Program

• Moderator: Brendan Scherer, MD - Program Director, San Mateo County BHRS Program 

Keynote Presentation 

Eyes on the Prize, Ed. 2025: Intentionally and Sustainably Pursuing Mission-Driven Mental Health Work

Keynote Presenter: Sarah Y. Vinson, M.D., D.F.A.P.A. Morehouse Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Moderator: L. Chinelo Egbosiuba, MD -  Resident Physician, Stanford Psychiatry Residency Program, Public and Community Track

Dinner and MHEART Award Presentation

Closing Remarks