Kevin M. Simon, MD, was appointed as the first Chief Behavioral Health Officer for the City of Boston. Dr. Simon will guide a public health strategy to support Bostonians’ growing mental and behavioral health needs at the Boston Public Health Commission. In addition, he is an Attending Psychiatrist at Boston Children's Hospital, an Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a Commonwealth Fund Fellow at Harvard University, and a Medical Director of Wayside Youth and Family Support Network. Dr. Simon practices as a Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist & Addiction Medicine specialist caring for youth through the Adolescent Substance use & Addiction Program (ASAP) at Boston Children's Hospital. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Simon has received federal funding for work focused on the intersections of mental health, substance use, and juvenile justice. Dr. Simon has helped design and transform behavioral health agencies as a healthcare consultant and administrative leader. He completed clinical fellowships in child & adolescent psychiatry and addiction medicine at Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School and a residency in adult psychiatry at Grady Hospital, affiliated with Morehouse School of Medicine, in Atlanta, GA. He received his medical degree from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. His writings on health equity, mental health, and substance use are in notable journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Public Health, and Health Affairs.

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