Annual Health Disparities Conference

Dr. David Satcher, Former U.S. Surgeon General and Director of The Satcher Health Leadership Institute

David Satcher, MD, PhD is Director of The Satcher Health Leadership Institute which was established in 2006 at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Satcher was sworn in as the 16th Surgeon General of the United States in 1998 and served until 2002. He also served as the 10th Assistant Secretary for Health in the Department of Health and Human Services making him only the second person in history to have held both positions simultaneously. His tenure of public service also includes serving as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He was the first person to have served as Director of the CDC and then Surgeon General of the United States. Dr. Satcher has held top leadership positions at the Charles R. Drew University for Medicine and Science, Meharry Medical College, and the Morehouse School of Medicine.

Larke Huang, PhD
Director, Office of Behavioral Health Equity, SAMHSA

Larke Nahme Huang, PhD, is a licensed clinical-community psychologist and Senior Advisor in the Administrator’s Office of Policy Planning and Innovation at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She provides leadership on national policy for mental health and substance use issues for children, adolescents and families and leads the Administrator’s strategic initiative on Trauma and Justice. She is also the Director of SAMHSA’s Office of Behavioral Health Equity which was legislated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (health reform). In 2009, Dr. Huang completed a six month leadership exchange at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where she was the Senior Advisor on Mental Health. She has developed programs for underserved, culturally and linguistically diverse populations, evaluated community-based programs, and authored an array of books and articles on behavioral health.

Paolo del Vecchio, MSW
Director for Mental Health Services, SAMHSA

Paolo del Vecchio, MSW, is the Director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)’s Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS). Paolo was the first Consumer Affairs Specialist hired in 1995 by SAMHSA. In this capacity, he promoted consumer participation in all aspects of the Center's policies and operations ranging from public education to developing evidence-based practices to address the needs of persons with mental illnesses. Paolo has been involved for over 40 years in behavioral health as a consumer, family member, provider, advocate and policy maker. Paolo has been a leader in many Federal efforts including the Mental Health Statistics Improvement Project Ad-Hoc Advisory Committee, the Federal Advisory Planning Board for the Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health, the HHS Multiple Chronic Conditions and Community Living Initiatives and numerous others.