Talkiatry Adds to Leadership Team, DBH Taps New Leader of Virtual Programming

Talkiatry fills leadership roles with new hires

Virtual behavioral health provider Talkiatry has added to its leadership team with two new hires.

Adam Bunke joins New York-based Talkiatry as its head of design. Bunke comes to the company from Philips, where he was a design director and creative strategist for the global conglomerate. Bunke has also previously held leadership stints with health care platforms CareDox and Remedy Partners, as well as Evok Advertising and Design.

Bunke’s new position will see him lead Talkiatry in areas such as product development, software engineering, clinical workflow and patient experience.

Talkiatry has also named Nhi Corcoran as its head of marketing.

Corcoran is the operator of the advisory firm Nhiyc Creates and has previous professional experience with Philip Morris International and Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts. At Talktiarty, Corcoran will be responsible for leading and overseeing brand and growth marketing initiatives nationwide.

“As we begin expanding operations, I’m confident Nhi and Adam will help drive Talkiatry’s mission and brand awareness forward,” Robert Krayn, the co-founder and CEO of Talkiatry, said in a press release. “With demand for mental health care at an all-time high, continuing to strengthen our leadership team to support our staff members, clinicians, and patients allows Talkiatry to meet the ever growing demand for our innovative platform.”

Founded in 2020, Talkiatry provides psychiatric care by telehealth as well as in-person. The provider – which scored $20 million in a Series A funding round last July – has had over 60,000 visits since its inception and counts UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Humana and Blue Cross Blue Shield among its in-network payers.

Discovery Behavioral Health taps new virtual programming head

Discovery Behavioral Health (DBH), a multi-state provider of mental health, substance use disorder (SUD) and eating disorder treatment services, has named Andrea Piazza as its director of virtual programming.

Piazza will be responsible for leading the virtual programming of DBH’s 130 treatment centers across 12 states. A therapist and performing artist, Piazza is the founder and owner of Inclusive Impact Therapy, an Orlando, Florida-based mental health provider.

Piazza will report to Alexa Baghdassarian, DBH’s vice president of operations, in the newly created position.

“Andrea’s creative background and mental health experience will serve us well as we embrace the possibilities of virtual programming for effective, comprehensive treatment for everyone needing it, no matter where they live or their personal circumstances,” Baghdassarian said in a press release. “All of us at DBH share her enthusiasm for the potential that new technology offers for behavioral health programs.”

Headquartered in Los Alamitos, California, DBH is a portfolio company of Webster Equity Partners.

BHG appoints new board members

Behavioral Health Group (BHG), an operator of outpatient treatment facilities for opioid use disorder (OUD), has appointed Leana Wen as chair of its medical advisory board.

Wen assumes her board seat from Vivek Murthy, who stepped down from the position when he was nominated by President Biden to become U.S. Surgeon General. Murthy was confirmed as Surgeon General last March.

Previously a clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School, Wen was also formerly the health commissioner for the city of Baltimore.

Wen has authored the books “When Doctors Don’t Listen: How to Avoid Misdiagnoses and Unnecessary Tests” and “Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for Public Health.” Wen has also previously been named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.

“When it comes to treating opioid use disorder, we know what works—medication-assisted treatment combined with behavioral therapy and wraparound supports,” Wen said in a press release. “BHG has proven to be a leader in this treatment approach, and I look forward to working with them to improve access to life-saving and life-changing treatment and to turn the tide on the devastating opioid crisis.”

Along with Wen, BHG has made the following board appointments: 

• Michael Botticelli, former director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
• Charles Gross, former national behavioral health vice president of Anthem Inc.
• Eric Neilson, the vice president for medical affairs and the Lewis Landsberg Dean at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

BHG operates 95 locations across 19 states. Based in Dallas, BHG is the nation’s largest network of Joint Commission-accredited outpatient treatment facilities for OUD.

MindMed names permanent CEO, fills two board positions

Psychedelic wellness company MindMed (Nasdaq: MNMD) has named Robert Barrow as its CEO and appointed him to its board.

Barrow has been with MindMed since 2021, where he initially served as its chief development officer. Barrow had been MindMed’s interim CEO since last June.

“This is an exciting time for MindMed, and my immediate priority will be to leverage the necessary resources to advance our clinical development programs,” Barrow said in a press release. “In parallel, our team will continue to explore new opportunities that expand MindMed’s pipeline—bringing forward novel therapies and executing on our mission to deliver on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for the many patients in need.”

MindMed has also appointed Carol Vallone and Andreas Krebs as board chairman and board vice chair, respectively.

Vallone assumes the company’s chair position from Perry Dellelce.

“It has been a tremendous honor to serve on MindMed’s Board of Directors, and I am incredibly proud of everything our team has accomplished,” Dellelce said in the release. “Rob, Carol and Andreas’ diverse backgrounds across the biotech and healthcare industries will be invaluable as MindMed continues its efforts to transform mental health treatment.”

TimelyMD fills leadership roles

Telebehavioral health provider TimelyMD, which targets services towards the higher education population, has named several appointments to its leadership team. The new hires include:

• Jacki Craft as chief people officer
• Noel Gerenas chief technology officer
• Mason Orr as vice president of finance
• Sarah Fink as associate vice president of product marketing
• Dr. Andrew Kim as director of psychiatry

Based in Fort Worth, Texas, TimelyMD provides 24/7 mental health counseling, psychiatric support and health coaching services at no cost.

TimelyMD works with over 100 colleges and universities and has licensed providers in all of 50 states. Among the institutions the provider works with are Duke University, Emory University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Notre Dame, University of Virginia and Washington University.

The company, almost exactly a year ago, received a $60 million Series B investment from JMI Equity. To date, TimelyMD has raised $65.7 million, according to fundraising tracking site Crunchbase.