By providing lived expertise to government agencies, clinics, academic research centers and health and policy related nonprofits, our group focuses on improving quality of care and quality of life for individuals assigned severe mental health diagnoses. Services include guest lectures, trainings, co-creation of peer spaces, co-creation of research projects, and policy recommendations and advocacy.

Serve on eight-member board that reviews and advises psychosis research, advocate for peer priorities, writes academic articles centering lived experience with mental illness, and collaborates with leaders and funding institutions in mental healthcare. Uses a lens of collective liberation and principled antiracism.

Through this local LGBTQIA+ focused community resource center, use lived experience to partner with systemically disadvantaged people committed to recovery from addiction and behavioral health challenges. Receives additional training, mentorship, and community support to practice this revolutionary and socially just method of care.

Provide peer-informed partnership and problem-solving skills for elders with dementia at local retirement facilities. Manage staff of caregivers and emphasize the importance of community, hope, and open communication between equal parties to improve quality of life and agency in the last stages of life.

One of four founders of the first labor union in McLean Hospital’s more than 200-year history. Against fierce opposition, we orchestrated a campaign to unionize, wrote data-driven governing documents, built our bargaining unit to more than 500 employees across multiple hospitals, and gained a 40% wage increase after a year of contract bargaining. Trained and supervised a group of 15 stewards and facilitated twice-weekly meetings of our union body.

Improved quality of coordinated specialty care at this top-ranked psychiatric center. The center led 13 psychosis clinics statewide and assisted on implementation. Spearheaded innovations in mental health measurement related to menstruation and to racial trauma across network of centers. Co-led data management projects including large, complex longitudinal studies. Met with, and drew from experience of, hundreds of individuals experiencing first-episode psychosis to advocate for recovery-oriented, antiracist and socially just statewide care improvement. Assisted management of major grants, data analysis, and facilitation of conversations in statewide conferences.

On McLean Hospital's inpatient psychosis unit

Supported investigations into the neurobiological basis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder using human brain tissue. Largely independent learning.

Performed several medical procedures both in the lab and in the examination room, took vital signs, detailed medical histories, and gathered HPIs from patients one on one. I also scribed for medical doctors and covered Medical Assistant shifts as needed at this urgent care clinic.

Resident expert on organizational readiness for evidence based psychotherapies under Dr. Sarah Kopelovich

Weekly volunteer work with mental illness and low or no income. Assisted with housing applications, setting up email addresses, educating people on drug abuse, empowering clients through crisis planning, and used my personal experience to offer informal peer counseling.