Tahilia J. Rebello is trained as a neuroscientist, and completed her doctorate in the field of Developmental Psychobiology and Pharmacology at Columbia University. She is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Program Manager of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Global Mental Health at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She is on the Steering Committee for the consortium of Global Mental Health Programs at Columbia and serves as the Project Coordinator for WHO’s Global Clinical Practice Network (GCPN) – the largest practice-based research networks for mental health in the world, consisting of over 15,000 health professionals from 158 countries who have been actively participating in research studies aimed at developing the next version of WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). She manages the development and implementation of global field studies aimed at enhancing the clinical utility, global applicability, and reliability of the ICD-11 diagnostic guidelines for mental and behavioural disorders which will be used by clinicians around the world. She is also part of the global team of scientists and clinicians who are now developing a comprehensive training program for global clinicians that will facilitate the implementation of the new ICD-11.

Laura partners with social-minded actors across the philanthropy, social enterprise, and nonprofit sectors to help clarify and evaluate social impact. Prior to launching her consulting practice, Laura led the evaluation and learning efforts for Johnson & Johnson’s global health-focused corporate social responsibility portfolio. Laura holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from Emory University, and began her career focused on public health evaluation and data analysis with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Laura’s work supports efforts to promote wellbeing for people who have been marginalized both in the U.S. and abroad.

Takeesha White has over 10 years of progressive experience, in public health education and mental health promotion and service delivery in national and international settings. Takeesha has been an active participant in improving partnerships within the five boroughs to ensure health equity and healthier environments while naming racism as a root cause for poor health outcomes. She was also a leader in the design and strategic development of Mental Health By Design and the Founding Director of Friendship Benches NYC a non-traditional approach to closing treatment gaps by employing Peers as community mental health workers to deliver counseling at the neighborhood level. Ms. White led community connectivity and digital strategies for mental health promotion for Thrive NYC and behavioral health strategy development at the Center for Health Equity.