May 24, 2023

Crain's names three Leaders in Behavioral Health

Three faculty members of the Wayne State University School of Medicine have been named 2023 Notable Leaders in Behavioral Health by Crain’s Detroit Business.

The 42 leaders named include Felicity Harper, Ph.D., professor of Oncology; Mary Morreale, M.D., associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences; and Carmen McIntyre León, M.D., assistant professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, and interim chair of the Department of Neurosurgery.

The leaders recognized by Crain’s were nominated by their peers, agencies or family members, and were selected based on career accomplishments, success in their field and contributions to their field and community.

In addition to serving the WSU School of Medicine as a professor of Oncology, Dr. Harper is the associate center director of Population Sciences for the university and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. Crain’s noted that she collaborates with patient advocacy groups and led the Cancer Intervention Strategic Research Initiative, a program that works to reduce health disparities in underserved populations.

“Dr. Harper devotes herself, her research program and her clinical practice to improving the lives of patients with cancer,” Lauren Hamel, Ph.D., associate professor of Oncology, told Crain’s.

In addition to her role as associate professor, Dr. Morreale, a 2000 graduate of the WSU School of Medicine, is chief of Psychiatry at the Karmanos Cancer Institute.

Michael Stellini, M.D., Supportive Oncology Multidisciplinary Team leader at Karmanos, told Crain’s that Dr. Morreale “provides excellent, compassionate care for our patients on their cancer journey, especially those who need or want additional support and guidance in dealing with their illness, family issues, depression and more. She meets the patients where they are and remains available for support throughout their care.”

She also serves as a liaison working with WSU medical students involved in Street Medicine, a student organization that provides assistance to the homeless in Detroit.

Dr. McIntyre León, a 1990 graduate of the WSU School of Medicine, serves as the chief medical officer of the Michigan Department of Corrections in addition to her positions with WSU. In that role, Crain’s noted, she leads 300 health care professionals providing care for 32,000 inmates.

She established a program to provide birth doulas for imprisoned pregnant women and started the Medications for Addictions program to address substance use disorders.

She has served as chief medical director for the Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority, Southwest Counseling Solutions, Community Network Services, the St. Joseph Mercy Network and Boniface Human Services.

In 2020, she received the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She was named a Crain’s Health Care Hero for advancements in health care, and received the Excellence in Mental Health First Aid Community Impact Award from the National Council for Behavioral Health, was named to the Class of 2015 Women of Excellence by The Michigan Chronicle and received the David J. Olen Award from the Mental Illness Research Association.

“I admire the determination and knowledge that Dr. McIntyre has in good and sound public policy,” Robert Kosowski, executive director for the Michigan Psychiatric Society, told Crain’s.

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