First Vice President
NAMI Board of Directors
Devika Bhushan is a member of the NAMI Board of Directors, and NAMI County South.
As a pediatrician and public health leader, Dr. Bhushan also serves on Stanford’s adjunct faculty, and as a senior strategic advisor to entities that aim to advance health, innovation, and equity, ranging from non-profits to a venture capital fund.
Dr. Bhushan first learned about NAMI after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, when she and her life partner sought crucial guidance from others on a similar journey. Since then, she has referred countless families to NAMI. An award-winning mental health advocate, she lives openly with bipolar disorder, and hopes to eradicate mental illness stigma and advance systemic solutions to well-being.
Previously, as California’s acting surgeon general in 2022 and the Office’s inaugural Chief Health Officer (2019-2022), Dr. Bhushan was a key public health spokesperson and advisor to the California Governor. She led statewide policy and practice innovation, co-launching the $500 million Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Aware initiative, to help millions heal from childhood trauma and enhance health equity. Her clinical, research, and policy expertise spans trauma-informed systems, stress and resilience, mental health, and gender and health equity. Dr. Bhushan’s work has appeared in peer-reviewed publications like The Lancet and Pediatrics and in mainstream outlets such as NBC, NPR, and the Los Angeles Times.
Dr. Bhushan leads an evidence-based well-being newsletter community (https://askdrdevikab.substack.com/about) and mental illness YouTube channel/podcast (youtube.com/@drdevika) to help eradicate mental illness stigma and spread tools for healing.
Dr. Bhushan trained at Columbia University, (Bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and behavior, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa); Harvard (MD, cum laude) and Johns Hopkins (pediatrics residency).
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