NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mantra Health, the preeminent digital mental health provider for higher education, announced today significant changes to its leadership structure, which closely aligns with the company’s long-term vision to bring accessible, high-quality mental health solutions to millions of young adults around the country.
As part of the leadership reorganization, Co-Founder Ed Gaussen will transition from CEO to the newly created role of President, and Co-Founder and current COO Matt Kennedy will take on the role of CEO. As President, Gaussen will serve as a champion and ambassador for Mantra Health, with a focus on building industry relationships and collaborating with partners, investors, and other experts in the field. As CEO, Kennedy will direct Mantra Health's long-term strategy and vision, and will lead all functions, including go-to-market, product, and engineering.
“Our evolved roles and responsibilities furthers our shared goal of building Mantra Health into a generational company in service of helping young adults across the country flourish,” Kennedy and Gaussen said in a joint statement. “Since founding Mantra Health, we have both been equally committed to advancing Mantra Health’s mission and impact on the mental health field. We’re at a turning point in the company’s history, and we made this change proactively to further accelerate Mantra Health’s potential to achieve its goal.”
Mantra Health also announced changes to its clinical leadership. Carla Chugani, PhD, LPC, the current VP of Clinical Content and Affairs, will now serve as the VP of Clinical Programs. Dr. Chugani, who designed Mantra Health’s self-guided DBT skills and coaching programs, will lead the company’s clinical strategy and oversee clinical research and development for all Mantra products and services.
Nathaan Demers, PsyD, also joined the company as its new Director of Strategic Partnerships. Demers previously served as VP of Clinical Programs and Strategic Partnerships at Grit Digital Health. At Mantra Health, he will leverage his deep knowledge of mental wellness and network at the intersection of higher education and behavioral healthcare to further Mantra Health's goal of building integrated ecosystem partnerships with complementary solutions for campuses nationwide.
In addition, Alicia Eggen, LMFT, recently joined Mantra Health as VP of Care Operations. In her role, Eggen will lead provider and network operations as well as Mantra Health’s care navigation and coaching service lines. Eggen previously served as the Head of Clinical Projects and Implementation at Two Chairs, as well as the Regional Director of the company’s therapy practices. Before becoming a licensed therapist, she was a coach, as well as a coach supervisor at digital mental health pioneer Lantern.
“At Mantra Health, we’ll continue investing in building the strongest possible team to help solve the youth mental health crisis,” Kennedy said. “Superior talent further improves our position today and for the years to come. I’m excited to see the benefits of our expanded clinical expertise for our population as well as campus partners.”
This news comes on the heels of the company’s recent announcement of a Series A extension funding, a new solution called Whole Campus Care, and an innovative partnership with Togetherall, the leading clinically-moderate, peer-to-peer community provider. Mantra Health was also recently named to the New York Digital Health 100, and recognized by Juniper Research with the Future Digital Awards' Gold Award for Best Digital Therapeutic Solution, and by the 2023 MedTech Breakthrough Awards with the Mental Health Innovation Award.
Learn more about Mantra Health's comprehensive clinical approach to digital mental health care here.
About Mantra Health
Mantra Health is an award-winning digital mental health provider for colleges and universities on a mission to improve access to evidence-based mental healthcare for young adults. Through augmenting high-quality clinical services with software and design, we aim to improve the mental health of over 40 million young adults through partnerships with higher education institutions and health insurance plans. Mantra Health was named a Mental & Behavioral Health Rising Star at the 2022 UCSF Health Hub Digital Health Awards. The Mantra program has been deployed across 110 campuses with over 800,000 students, including Penn State, MIT, Cornell, and Miami Dade College. Learn more about Mantra Health's comprehensive clinical approach to digital mental health care here.
