Diversity & Health Equity Connect

The Chief leads APA’s Division of Diversity and Health Equity (DDHE) and supports the CEO/Medical Director as Deputy Medical Director. Dr. James serves as a member of the c-suite team charged with ensuring that diversity and mental health equity objectives are valued and operationalized as vital components of the organization’s mission. Through membership engagement, the division will develop sustainable diversity-centered initiatives, construct culturally engaging programs and build effectual relationships that encourage a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization.

Regina James, M.D. joined the APA as the new Chief of DDHE and Deputy Medical Director on September 14, 2020. Dr. James is a child and adolescent psychiatrist with over 25 years of experience, providing leadership and direction in the planning, policy development and implementation of national and international health disparity programs and initiatives for children and families. Prior to joining APA, Dr. James served in numerous leadership positions including Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President at 2M Clinical, a clinical research organization and consultancy, where she was responsible for strategic medical leadership and content expertise for commercial and federal clients; Director of Clinical and Health Services Research at the National Institute on Minority Health & Health Disparities, where she received the National Institutes of Health Directors Award for exceptional leadership in the promotion and development of scientific programs that address gaps in minority health and healthcare disparities; and the Director of the Office of Health Equity at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute on Child Health & Human Development, where she led domestic and international programs addressing maternal and child health disparities. Dr. James was also a member of the Child & Adolescent Workgroup for the development of the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual Version Five (DSM-V) for Psychiatric Disorders. Dr. James completed an NIH research fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Child Psychiatry Branch, where she conducted clinical trials in children and adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and other behavioral disorders; her work was recognized by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry as the recipient of the Reiger Award for Scientific Achievement. She also served as a Special Expert at the NIMH providing child psychiatric and clinical research consultation. Dr. James received both her Bachelor of Science in Psychology/Biology and her MD from the University of California, Los Angeles. She completed a residency in general psychiatry and fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and completed leadership training at the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Program. She has lectured and published in the areas of health and healthcare disparities.

The Director leads the Health Equity area within the Division of Diversity and Health Equity (DDHE) and serves as a content expert of health equity across the organization with our members and APA administration. This leader strives to build health equity as a core competency through collaboration with other APA departments, the development of health equity related programs, and the creation of member-facing materials which promote health equity as a component of improving mental health outcomes.

Over the span of his 20-year career, he has served in various higher education and public health professional capacities with a commitment to increase diverse, inclusive, and equitable pipelines to postsecondary education, health care, and workforce opportunities. Most recently, Dr. Escontrías served as the Program Director for Outreach and Operations at the University of Arizona (UA) Cancer Center where he contributed toward a more just and equitable health care by leading the development of a culturally sensitive educational community outreach program targeting Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians, African Americans, and LGBTQ+; vulnerable communities disproportionately impacted by cancer related health disparities. As an educator and proponent for student success he is shaping our future servant leaders as a Faculty Associate at Arizona State University (ASU) Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and an Adjunct Lecturer at the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. As a champion for diversity and inclusion, he has collaborated with partners such as President Barack Obama’s White House Council on Women and Girls and the Office of Science and Technology Policy to advance the National STEM Collaborative, a consortium of higher education institutions and non-profit partners focused on scaling research evidence-based skills and knowledge, resources and practices on access, completion, and workforce development for women of color in STEM. He is an alumnus of ASU having earned his Bachelor of Arts (2003) in Sociology with a minor in Chicana/o Studies, a Master of Education (2006) and Doctorate in Education (2012). The principles of diversity and inclusion were well rooted in his academic research as his dissertation examined Enhancing the Math and Science Experiences of Latinas and Latinos: A Study of the Joaquín Bustoz Math-Science Honors Program at ASU.

The Associate Director of Workforce Inclusion works to address disparities in the psychiatric workforce via APA programming. The Associate Director represents the Division internally and externally and supports Deputy Director in key areas of administration including, project management, financial management, planning, facilitation, and preparation of reports. Additionally, the role provides expert program development and management for the overall division and works with all departments in APA on cross-functional activities.

Nadia joined the American Psychiatric Association in the Division of Diversity and Health Equity in December 2018. She oversees a suite of Workforce Inclusion Pipeline Programs (WIPP), including the Black Men in Psychiatry Early Pipeline Program, Indigenous Peoples in Psychiatry Early Pipeline Program, and the newly developed Hispanics in Psychiatry Early Pipeline Program. Prior to joining APA, Nadia provided inclusion expertise in academia and the independent education space. She has facilitated programming nationally and locally on topics, such as: sponsorship and mentorship, leadership development, racial pride, racial socialization, colorism, and racial identity development. Nadia is a Diversity and Inclusion strategist, specializing in workforce pipelining, facilitation, and strengths-based culturally responsive programming. She received a Master of Social Work from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, where she developed an individualized concentration focused on Social Impact Investing and the Well-Being of Black women. Nadia is a proud graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, Florida, where she received a Bachelor of Social Work.

The Senior Program Manager, Community Outreach and Engagement leads intersectional engagement opportunities between APA members, health care, community and other advocacy stakeholders. In addition, they work to develop and foster lasting relationships with diverse communities and cultivate and manage relationships with multiple stakeholders.

Yvonne comes to the American Psychiatric Association with a passion and experience working in non-profits, specifically in education, and community health and well-being. Yvonne earned her Master of Science degree in Marketing Management from the University of Maryland University College. She received her undergraduate degree in Communications from Howard University -- GO BISONS. Over her professional career, Yvonne has managed a marketing portfolio of numerous conventions, conferences, and programs promoting member satisfaction and repeat attendance. In her free time, Yvonne is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (in good company with Vice President Kamala Harris) runs with the Prince George’s County Running Club and is a certified running coach - having trained for several Marine Corps Marathons and others to complete the race. Yvonne also has a 9-year-old cat named Fesha.

The Senior Program Manager, Governance is the primary staff liaison to Division of Diversity and Health Equity liaised assembly, councils, caucuses, committees, workgroups, etc. (e.g., Assembly Committee M/UR, Council on Minority Mental Health and Health Disparities, Council on Children, Adolescents, and Their Families, and Minority and Underrepresented (M/UR) Caucuses) to support a governance framework that ensures a timely and responsive feedback loop.

Mrs. Ramirez brings ten years of administrative experience including coordinating government council activities, preparing and editing materials, and served as a liaison with other departments to maintain governance and other information for the department. Relationship management and effective communication are key assets that Mrs. Ramirez brings to the division. In addition to her administrative background, Mrs. Ramirez’s community outreach experience will be a valuable asset to DDHE. She has developed partnerships with various community organizations, both for-profit and nonprofit. She worked with stakeholders to advocate for Latino constituency regarding issues related to employment, education, housing, economic development, and health. She also assisted in the preparation and execution of cultural competency trainings conducted for the D.C. government front-line staff to enhance the delivery of culturally and linguistically appropriate services to the Limited English Proficient (LEP) Latino population.

The Senior Program Manager, Psychiatric Workforce Diversity contributes to building and fostering diversity, equity, inclusion efforts locally, nationally and internationally through existing and enhanced APA networks. In addition, she supports highly visible events and activities to promote cultural respect, which has a positive effect on patient care delivery by enabling mental healthcare providers to deliver services that are respectful of and responsive to the health beliefs, practices and cultural and linguistic needs of diverse patients.

Prior to joining the DDHE team, Tanya worked at the APA Foundation where she oversaw and led evaluation efforts on public education programs and resources on school-based mental health and mental health in the justice system. Her previous work experiences include working on a federally funded grant from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to help clinicians achieve care practice transformation through social determinants of health. She also managed multi-year federal grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) working with state and local departments of public health in Illinois on education programs related to infection prevention and control in care facilities. She worked with state health officials on maternal and child health programs, taught and mentored at the Peace Corps on youth development programs in Thailand, and assisted researchers for health promotion projects. Tanya has a Master's in Public Policy from George Mason University with an emphasis on Global Medical and Health Policy and has a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science with a concentration on International Studies.

The Program Manager, Psychiatric Workforce Diversity contributes to building and fostering diversity, equity, inclusion efforts locally, nationally and internationally through existing and enhanced APA & APA Foundation networks. In addition, he will assist in the management of the Substance and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) and support events and activities to promote diversity in the psychiatric workforce.

He previously served as the Comprehensive Cancer Control Program Manager with the Arizona Department of Health Services. During his time in Louisiana and Arizona, he has been a transformational leader in the field of cancer prevention and control and comes with extensive experience in strategic planning, coalition building, grassroots organizing, grant writing and federal program management. He obtained both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in public health administration with an emphasis in health policy. Aside from work, he is an avid distance runner, cyclist and Scrabble fanatic