Program Staff: Mental Health Program

Mental Health Program Staff

Eve H. Byrd, D.N.P., M.P.H.
Director

Eve Byrd (she/her) became director of the Carter Center’s Mental Health Program in February 2017. Prior to joining The Carter Center, she was a faculty member of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University and served as executive director of the Fuqua Center for Late-Life Depression, Department of Psychiatry at the Emory School of Medicine. 

She has held leadership positions both nationally and locally in work aimed at eliminating stigma and improving access to care for people with behavioral health disorders. She supported the Special Advisor to the Governor on Mental Health, engaging stakeholders in the process that resulted in a settlement agreement between Georgia and the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Samhita Kumar, M.P.H.
Associate Director, Global Mental Health Programs and Liberia

Samhita Kumar is a mental health and development specialist who joined the Mental Health Program in June 2019. Previously, she was with the World Bank Group, where she designed and implemented programs to help address the psychosocial well-being of vulnerable groups and enhance human capital in low- and middle-income countries and fragile and conflict-affected situations. Kumar also supported World Bank efforts to address fragility, conflict, and violence. Prior to joining the World Bank, Kumar conducted research on severe mental disorders among youth and early learning and memory in childhood, working with leading academic and policy institutions. She holds a master’s degree in public health in epidemiology and global health from Columbia University and a bachelor’s in neuroscience from Emory University.

Aparna Kumar, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.S.N., PMHNP-BC
Nurse Educator

Aparna Kumar works in the Mental Health Program in a joint faculty position with Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, focused on enhancing global mental health nursing and workforce development. As an associate clinical professor and nurse educator, Kumar provides nurse education expertise to the Carter Center’s behavioral health workforce development activities in low- and middle-income countries. She formerly was director of Thomas Jefferson University's psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner program. She has also served as a psychiatric nurse practitioner across multiple settings, as an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and as a researcher and educator in Malawi and Mozambique. Kumar holds Ph.D., M.S.N., and B.S.N. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and an M.P.H. from the University of Malawi College of Medicine.

Nora Fleming
Associate Director

Nora Fleming launched and manages the Mental Health Parity Collaborative, a project started in 2021 with newsrooms around the U.S. to expand coverage of mental health care access and inequity. Before joining The Carter Center, Fleming was the senior editor at Edutopia, where she spearheaded a new line of journalistic content for the website, launched a fellowship program for budding reporters, and edited and wrote articles. Earlier, she was the editorial director at Fenton, where she served as the dedicated editor and writer across four offices, managing content projects for leading foundations, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations. Fleming also has worked as a reporter at national and regional news outlets. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and American studies from Emory University and a master's degree in media and public affairs from George Washington University.

Sarah Phillips, M.P.A.
Associate Director, Public Policy 

Sarah Phillips brings a background in legislative relations, policy strategy and analysis, and coalition-building to her role with the Mental Health Program, where she leads a team advancing behavioral health parity, payment for youth mental health services, mental health for older adults, and decriminalization of mental illness and substance use disorders. Previously, Phillips served as the director of policy strategies at Georgia Health Initiative, monitoring the policy environment to design and implement strategies to promote health equity in Georgia. As senior manager of policy and advocacy at Georgia Watch, Phillips identified the needs and disparate impacts affecting historically marginalized populations and guided the development and implementation of equitable policies to combat these disparities. In addition, she worked at the Georgia State Capitol, conducting policy research and legislative analysis. Phillips graduated with honors from Georgia State University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and public policy, and a master’s degree in public administration, with a concentration in policy analysis and program evaluation.

Antoinette Bhattacharya, PhD, MPH
Associate Director, Global Mental Health 

Antoinette supports the growth of the global mental health program in new settings. She specializes in designing, scaling, and monitoring multi-country complex interventions. Bhattacharya brings 20 years of experience in global health, living and working in Africa and Asia to launch programs improving the quality and measurement of care for mothers and young children with a focus on integrating new services in primary health care. Previously, she served on the COVAX Facility’s operational leadership team during the emergency phase of the pandemic responsible for delivering the first billion COVID-19 vaccines to 140+ countries and participating economies. Antoinette holds a PhD in epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

S. Benedict Dossen, M.Sc G.M.H., B.S.W.
Country Program Lead
Mental Health Program – Liberia

S. Benedict Dossen oversees all Carter Center behavioral health initiatives in Liberia. He engages in policy-setting, program-related global initiatives, and information sessions. Dossen represents the program at the national and international levels and makes public speaking appearances on the Center’s behalf. He works closely with Liberian government agencies, universities and other stakeholders in planning and implementing projects related to the national mental health agenda, while at the same time sustaining and strengthening the Carter Center’s initiatives. Dossen previously was director of gender and social inclusion with the Millennium Challenge Account Liberia. He developed the concept for and served as the interim executive director of the country’s national mental health center of excellence, called the Liberia Center for Outcomes Research in Mental Health. He holds a Master of Science in Global Mental Health from King’s College London and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Stella Maris Polytechnic in Monrovia, Liberia. He serves on two of Liberia’s leading research ethics bodies and is a research ethics fellow with New York University and Western Institutional Review Board’s ethics program.

Karen Ladley, Ed.D.
Senior Associate Director

Karen Ladley oversees the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism and the Carter Center-led Mental Health Parity Collaborative. Ladley worked as a broadcast journalist for more than a decade in North Carolina, Georgia, and Pennsylvania before working for several community colleges, DeSales University, and the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Ladley received a doctorate in transformative education from Kutztown University in 2022. She earned her master of education from UNC Wilmington and her bachelor’s in mass communication from Elizabethtown College.

Aashna Panjwani, M.P.H.
Senior Program Associate

Aashna Panjwani supports the Mental Health Program’s public policy work. Before joining The Carter Center, Panjwani worked as a social and behavioral health analyst supporting state health agencies’ substance use prevention and harm reduction programming. While completing her Master of Public Health at George Washington University, Panjwani served as program manager for the Urban Health Programs at GW, connecting Milken Institute School of Public Health students with local organizations in the D.C. metro area to bolster their programming for D.C. residents. She holds an M.P.H. with a concentration in global health program development, monitoring and evaluation.

Ryan Fowler, M.A.
Associate Director, Mental Health and Peacebuilding

Ryan Fowler leads the Mental Health Program’s efforts to integrate mental health and peacebuilding initiatives. His work spans strategy and partnership development, monitoring and assessing project impact, facilitating staff learning across programs, and research. Prior to this role, Ryan was a mental health counselor in private practice in Decatur, Georgia. He also served as a country representative for Mennonite Central Committee in Nepal, overseeing a disaster recovery program, and advised community-based organizations in Cambodia on project planning, monitoring, and evaluation. In the U.S., Ryan helped establish the United Way of Greater Atlanta’s anti-human trafficking initiative and innovation portfolio and served as a project officer with MAP International. He holds a master’s degree in counseling from Messiah University, a master’s in cross-cultural studies from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Central Florida.

Dennis Akpona, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
Senior Program Associate

Dennis Ojiyoma Akpona is a global health specialist and social work professional with extensive expertise in program management, strategic planning, and building impactful partnerships. He has worked to improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations globally, particularly in areas of HIV prevention, mental health, policy, and advocacy for marginalized populations in Africa and the United States.

Akpona has worked for The Initiative for Equal Rights, a leading human rights organization in Nigeria, and the Centre for Population Health Initiatives. He is a co-founder of Chicago LGBTQIA Asylum Support Partners (CLASP) and has worked with faith-based initiatives in Africa, advocating for inclusivity and reducing homophobia within religious communities.

Akpona, a licensed clinical social worker, earned a master’s degree in social work from the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Northeastern Illinois University. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in community health at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Thaïs Diaz, MPH 
Senior Program Associate

Thaïs Diaz has a background in public health, nutrition and chronic disease prevention and works as a senior program associate for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism program. Her previous experience includes research and work at the University of Georgia focusing on the undergraduate population's food choices, nutrition, and overall health and well-being. She has also worked in women’s health education as a program coordinator with a focus on mental health and chronic diseases. Thaïs focuses on health literacy, mental health, and communication. She has volunteered with public health organizations that offer health education to Hispanic populations and translated for migrant farm workers as well as physicians. She holds a bachelor’s degree in media and communication from Georgia Tech and a master’s degree in public health with a concentration in health promotion from the University of Georgia.

Ursula Kajani, MPH
Senior Program Associate, Global Mental Health

Ursula Kajani serves as the Senior Program Associate for The Carter Center’s Mental Health Program, where she supports efforts to expand access to quality mental health services and reduce health disparities, with a focus on the Ugandan context. In her previous role, she contributed to the Center’s Health Strategy, Innovation, and Program Support unit, advancing strategic growth and cross-program collaboration, with an emphasis on climate change.

Prior to joining The Carter Center, Ursula co-managed the scale-up of the Sugira Muryano Program in Rwanda, an evidence-based initiative led by Boston College in partnership with FXB Rwanda and the University of Rwanda. She has also supported AfrikaStream, a Rwandan tech start-up working to expand affordable media access across Africa. Her global health journey began with the U.S. Peace Corps, where she served as a Maternal and Child Health Volunteer in Rwanda. Ursula holds an MPH in Global Epidemiology from Emory University and a B.A. in Public Health with a minor in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Kaitlin Ward, M.P.A.
Senior Program Associate

Kaitlin Ward serves as the Mental Health Program's state government relations liaison, focusing on advancing mental health policy through legislative efforts. In this role, Ward collaborates with state legislators, government entities, and diverse interest groups to promote mental health parity, school-based behavioral health, and evidence-based mental health policy. She previously worked at the Georgia Department of Community Health, serving as legislative liaison, focusing on legislation dealing with Medicaid, the state Health Benefit Plan, rural health care, hospital licensing, and other health care programs. Ward holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Auburn University.

Kristin Denning, M.P.H, B.S.N, R.N.
Program Associate, Public Policy

Kristin Denning supports the Mental Health Program’s public policy work and the School-Based Behavioral Health Collaborative. Her background is in pediatrics and school health, having worked as a pediatric intensive care nurse in Macon, Georgia, and as a school health nurse at the American International School in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Denning has also supported community-based mental health work in Georgia by working with Resilient Georgia, a statewide mental health coalition. She holds an M.P.H. in global health, community health development from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and a certificate in public mental healt.

Denning was drawn toward youth mental health both through her own experiences and through working with youth struggling with mental health issues in hospital and school settings. In her work as a school nurse, she worked closely with the school counseling team to decrease the culture of stigma surrounding mental health services. She is passionate about supporting youth mental health through building supportive communities and schools and addressing the social determinants of health.

Kristen Speckhals
Program Associate, Mental Health 

Kristen Speckhals serves as a Program Associate in The Carter Center’s Mental Health Program where she provides operational and administrative support. She also serves as the program’s liaison to the Global Mental Health Advisory Council. Previously, Kristen worked as a litigation paralegal for several years and as a software developer prior to that. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in French from Louisiana State University.

Megan Galvin
Program Assistant

Megan Galvin joined The Carter Center in 2023 to support the Mental Health Program’s Global Behavioral Health team. She previously worked as an administrative assistant in the Department of Epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. Before that, Galvin worked in the nonprofit sector for over seven years in various public-facing roles. Her interest in global mental health began while working with refugees in Clarkston, Georgia, and seeing the unique challenges faced by this population. Galvin holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Georgia, where she graduated from the honors program with minors in French and public health. She is currently a part-time student at Emory University, where she is pursuing a Master of Public Health in global health.

Jessie Zhao, M.P.H.
Program Assistant

Jessie Zhao joined The Carter Center in 2024 to provide support to the Public Policy and Rosalynn Carter Journalism Fellowships team. She graduated with a Master's of Public Health from Emory University in behavioral health and health education. She previously worked as a communications intern at the Task Force for Global Health and supporting Wholesome Wave Georgia's SNAP benefits programs. Her primary interests are behavioral/mental health, health communications, and language use in health care settings.