Modern Health Appoints Dr. Neha Chaudhary as Chief Medical Officer

Modern Health Continues Momentum With New Research, Key Hires, Product Innovation, and CEO Recognition

SAN FRANCISCO, June 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Modern Health, a leading global workplace mental health platform, today announced the appointment of Dr. Neha Chaudhary as Chief Medical Officer.  A double board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist with extensive digital health experience, Dr. Chaudhary will lead the company's clinical team, which collectively has over 135 years of experience and over 175 peer-reviewed publications, to continue to deliver a world-class clinical experience to its members globally.  This appointment comes on the heels of CEO and founder Alyson Watson being recognized in seventh place as a Top 50 Healthcare Technology CEOs of 2023 by The Healthcare Technology Report.

Dr. Chaudhary is currently on faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital outside of her role at Modern Health and is the co-founder of Brainstorm, Stanford's Lab for Mental Health Innovation. Before Modern Health, she was Chief Medical Officer at BeMe Health, a mobile platform dedicated to improving mental health for teens. Known for her expertise in clinical care across all ages, innovative measurement tools, health equity, and creative ways to promote mental health in consumer-friendly environments, she and her work are frequently featured in mainstream media outlets like The New York Times, CNN, ABC News, and more.

"An escalating mental health crisis means that people leaders and managers are expected to be culture-transformers and mental health first responders, even if they lack expertise, insights, and resources in these areas," said Alyson Watson, CEO and founder of Modern Health. "Modern Health provides a robust global solution designed to ensure rapid access to clinically-effective care, across the full spectrum of well-being — from prevention to clinical recovery — providing support for entire workforce populations whatever their need. We are honored to welcome Dr. Chaudhary to our team to join us in helping employers to boldly and positively shape workplace culture."

Dr. Chaudhary joins Modern Health at a time when we are witnessing an escalating mental health crisis, particularly amongst our youth, with an estimated cost to the economy of as much as $16 trillion between 2011 and 2030. The topic of mental health has been firmly thrust into the spotlight with the U.S. Surgeon General recently releasing an advisory focusing on youth social media use and its link to poor mental health outcomes, such as depression and anxiety.

"It has become more evident than ever that in order to truly address the mental health crisis broadly, we as an industry need to take a more scalable approach," said Dr. Chaudhary. "Access to therapy and psychiatry, especially for those with higher acuity needs who are open to engaging in these services, remains an important priority. But, to truly meet the needs of an entire organization or population, we need to reach and support as many people as possible by offering alternative, engaging and evidence-based options like coaching, groups, or self-guided experiences. The important thing is that no matter where you are in your mental health journey, you find the type of support that resonates with you, and that's such a key focus for the company. With both clinical rigor and a seamless product experience, Modern Health is transforming the mental health space, and I'm excited to be part of this next phase of growth."

In addition to Dr. Chaudhary's appointment, other recent company momentum includes:

• Industry recognition: Modern Health CEO and founder Alyson Watson was listed seventh on The Healthcare Technology Report's Top 50 Healthcare Technology CEOs of 2023 list. This annual list recognizes the most accomplished executives in the healthcare technology industry who have advanced and revolutionized healthcare solutions, spearheading innovations in patient experience and software platforms, medical devices, therapeutics, and other areas. This recognition comes on the heels of Modern Health recently being named one of the World's Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company.
• Research on Modern Health's impact on loneliness and mental health equity: Modern Health Clinical Research leads, Dr. Cynthia Castro Sweet and Dr. Sara Sagui-Henson, along with collaborators at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, presented research papers on loneliness and on BIPOC mental health equity at the Society of Behavioral Medicine. In a recent report, the U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness the latest health epidemic -- posing health risks as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily and costing the health industry billions of dollars every year. Modern Health presented data confirming a high prevalence of loneliness among members seeking care, and engaging with Modern Health care resulted in decreased loneliness. Additional research by Modern Health demonstrated that BIPOC members experience equitable access and outcomes in their mental health journey. The research examined BIPOC member preferences, engagement, satisfaction, bond with their providers, and clinical outcomes and found BIPOC members experience similarly strong, affirming experiences and outcomes during their journey with Modern Health.
• New mental health resources for children, parents, and caregivers: Modern Health recently launched Family Huddle, a new clinically robust series designed to help families navigate mental health challenges. The first installment took place on May 20 with clinical psychologist Dr. Sharon Adusei and Chief Community Health Advocate and tennis superstar Naomi Osaka. In addition, Modern Health expanded its award-nominated group care offering, Circles, beyond live sessions and introduced On-Demand Circles. New topics for parents and caregivers include: "Preventing & Managing Tantrums" and "Parenting & Caregiving: Taking Care of Your Family & Yourself." Additional self-guided resources include its Journey of Parenting podcast and children's meditations narrated by Osaka.

Visit Modern Health to learn more. 

About Modern Health
Modern Health is the comprehensive global mental health solution offering employees access to one-on-one, group, and self-serve digital resources for their emotional, professional, social, financial, and physical well-being needs - all within a single platform. Whether someone wants to proactively manage stress or treat depression, Modern Health guides people to the right care at the right time. Modern Health empowers companies to help all their employees be the best version of themselves and believes in meeting people wherever they are in their mental health journey.

Modern Health is backed by investors like Kleiner Perkins, Founders Fund, John Doerr, Y Combinator, and Battery Ventures and has raised more than $170 million in less than two years with a valuation of $1.17 billion, making Modern Health the fastest entirely female-founded company in the U.S. to reach Unicorn status.

SOURCE Modern Health