Miller will lead efforts to accelerate national movement around mental health and well-being
Oakland, Calif., June 24, 2021 – Well Being Trust, an impact philanthropy focused on advancing the mental, social, and spiritual health of the nation, has named Benjamin F. Miller, PsyD, as president.
A clinical psychologist by training, Dr. Miller is a nationally recognized leader in the area of mental health and health policy. For the past four years, he served as Well Being Trust’s chief strategy officer, where he oversaw the foundation’s portfolio and ensured alignment across grants, research, partnerships and policy recommendations.
As he steps into this new role, Dr. Miller’s responsibilities will increase to oversee the implementation of Well Being Trust’s strategies to measurably save lives from deaths by drugs, alcohol and suicide, improve well-being for everyone, and transform the health of the nation.
“Dr. Miller is a dynamic leader and widely recognized national authority,” said Tyler Norris, MDiv., chief executive of Well Being Trust.
“Throughout his four years of service at Well Being Trust, he has demonstrated skillful means as a ‘go-to’ national and community expert, leading such game-changing initiatives as the national Framework for Excellence in Mental Health and Well-Being – a platform for changemakers at every level of society who seek to improve mental health and well-being outcomes. We are excited to have Dr. Miller help lead our organization to its next level of scale, visibility, and impact in delivering actionable solutions to improve mental health and well-being for all Americans.”
Rod Hochman, M.D., president and CEO of Providence and Well Being Trust board chair, added, “Well Being Trust has made a significant impact in a short amount of time, and I’m looking forward to Dr. Miller’s leadership as he steps into this new role and works alongside Tyler in leading efforts to reach our goal of saving 100,000 lives from deaths of despair, while measurably improving the well-being of the American people over the next 10 years.”
Prior to joining Well Being Trust in 2017, Dr. Miller spent eight years as an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine where he served as founding director of the Eugene S. Farley, Jr. Health Policy Center. Under his leadership, the Center worked on policies related to mental health and primary care integration, payment reform, workforce efforts, and community-based prevention to help key decision makers positively improve mental health in their communities.
It was Dr. Miller’s early experiences – from helping emotionally disturbed children navigate school and individuals with breast cancer cope with their diagnosis, to helping prisoners plan for a successful return to society and working in primary care clinics – that showed him how the continued marginalization and fragmentation of mental health in America has ripple effects throughout every layer of society.
“Well Being Trust has the opportunity to be a difference-maker for mental health, and I am deeply honored to take on the role and responsibility as president to help lead us forward,” said Dr. Miller.
He added, “Well Being Trust exists to transform the health of the nation and improve well-being for everyone, and it’s a privilege for me to serve in this role and do the work that is needed to engage with partners across sectors, and thereby begin to lay the foundation for a reimagined mental health system that is grounded in community and an integral part of our broader health care infrastructure.”
Dr. Miller received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky, completed his predoctoral internship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and worked as a postdoctoral fellow in primary care psychology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health.
He has received numerous awards for his work, and he has also written and published extensively on ways we can better integrate mental health, especially through policy change.
Dr. Miller is a highly sought-after expert in the field, and most recently testified before Congress on the ways our nation could pursue more robust policy change for mental health. He is also the author of the weekly newsletter Mental: Fighting the fragmentation of mental health one policy at a time.
About Well Being Trust
Well Being Trust is committed to innovating and addressing the most critical mental health challenges facing America and to transforming individual and community well-being. Launched by Providence in 2016 as an independent 501(c)(3) public charity with an initial seed endowment of $100 million, Well Being Trust has invested more than $58 million in a portfolio of carefully targeted initiatives and investments and forged extensive cross-sector partnerships to address clinical and community needs and drive social engagement. For more information, visit wellbeingtrust.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Amy Shields
Amy@wellbeingtrust.org
214-208-7942
