Madhuri Jha (she/her/hers) is an award winning and internationally recognized clinical social work and public health leader with experiences spanning executive leadership, research, training, and direct clinical practice focused on health and behavioral health systems strengthening, trauma and resiliency, mental health epidemiology and community capacity building. She has devoted her career to advancing mental health care for communities most neglected by health care. She is a clinical specialist with direct service experience in inpatient, outpatient, emergency, and mobile behavioral health settings, including running a mobile psychiatry unit during the peak of COVID-19. Building on her years of expertise on the front lines and as a leader and researcher, Madhuri is now the Principal and Founder of Thriving for All LLC, offering expert technical expertise to a diverse national client base at the intersection of clinical psychotherapy services, research, and policy-making to advance stigma reduction and equitable access to mental health care for all people along the care continuum. She is also the Executive Director and Founder of Thriving Mind Clinic, a trauma-informed and culturally curious group psychotherapy practice serving individuals, couples, and families, in New York State. As a public health executive, she has led multiple national U.S.-based initiatives focused on identifying evidence-based strategies to advance health and mental health prior to leading her own enterprises. This has previously included being the inaugural Vice President of Science, Equity, and Integration at ETR, a 40-year-old public health organization focused on identifying science-based solutions to achieving health and well-being for children, families, and communities. Prior to joining ETR, she was the Director of the Kennedy-Satcher Center for Mental Health Equity at the Morehouse School of Medicine. Under the mentorship and guidance of Dr. David Satcher (16th Surgeon General of the United States) and Former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI), she led national programs focused on advancing access to mental health policies and services for historically underreached populations. She most notably gained recognition for her scientific and policy leadership on embedding equity into 9-8-8, the nation’s first crisis emergency response system, just before it went live in 2022. This effort contributed to the creation of many strategic initiatives led by the United States Government, HHS/SAMHSA, and hundreds of implementing mental health partners nation-wide.

Madhuri is skilled at convening interdisciplinary and diverse perspectives and navigates making complicated discussions about mental health and stigma accessible to broad audiences with ease. This is evidenced by the breadth of her collaboration with spheres of influence that include public service, academia, Hollywood, and professional sports. It is also demonstrated by her membership as a subject matter expert on multiple legislative task forces; as a state and federal advisor; as a Board Director at Mental Health America; and as professor of mental health policy at her alma mater, New York University. Madhuri completed both a Master of Public Health (MPH) and a Master of Social Work (MSW) from New York University, and received her Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in International Affairs from George Washington University, where she was also a Division 1 NCAA scholarship athlete. She was privileged to be recognized in 2022 by National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) as a 40 Under 40 Leader in Minority Health Awardee. As the daughter of South Asian immigrants, Madhuri has committed her life’s work to championing health equity for populations least reached by systems of care, honoring the legacy of many of her own ancestors and family members who lived with physical and mental illness and could not get help.