Neal Mehra, MD, MBA, FASAM
Candidate for Treasurer
I am Neal Mehra, MD, MBA, FASAM and I have served as CSAM Treasurer since 2021. I have had the honor and pleasure to be serving on the ASAM Finance Council and the ASAM Give Hope Now Philanthropic Task Force since January 2024.
I am Medical Director for three nonprofit and comprehensive substance use treatment organizations in the Sierra/Sacramento area: WellSpace Health, Granite Wellness Centers and Hope Cooperative. My medical degree is from University of California Davis where I also completed a residency in Neurology. I have a MBA from UC Davis Graduate School of Management, where I was awarded the Innovator in Healthcare Fellowship & Scholarship. My undergraduate degree is in Biochemistry & Cell Biology from University of California San Diego, where I graduated as Valedictorian.
I have expertise in the clinical, business, and technological aspects of healthcare, and I was previously a Senior Consultant at Ernst & Young, LLP (now known as EY). I was one of only three physicians of the 300,000-person global organization, and I did management consulting and developed clinical-quality improvement initiatives for national health insurance companies and major medical groups. At that time, I was one of only two physicians in the country certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) to lead clinical quality reviews of U.S. physician and health insurance organizations.
I have also managed several medical groups and served as Chief Operating Officer and Director of Strategy for a large multi-state physician group located in California, Oregon, and Washington. One of my ongoing professional interests is increasing efficiency and quality in the delivery of healthcare, including through the integration of technology and telemedicine.
Clinically, I specialize in promoting wellness and treating addiction through a compassionate patient-centered approach. I enjoy traveling internationally with my lovely wife (50+ countries so far!), skiing/snowboarding, bicycling, investment management, reading, as well as all aspects of technology!
Candidate Questionnaire Responses
1. What have been your greatest contributions to ASAM or to the field of addiction medicine over the last 10 years?
After finishing my residency in Neurology in 2011, I decided to leave the practice of medicine to get my MBA and became fully involved in healthcare management as Chief Operating Officer for a large multi-state physician group.
In 2016, I was invited by my medical school classmate (Angie Chen, MD; Addiction Medicine at Stanford University) to attend my first CSAM conference in Anaheim, CA. I immediately fell in love with the community and became passionate about returning to the practice of medicine to treat addiction, especially those with least resources. After the conference, I helped co-develop what I believe to be the first Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) program for Medicaid patients in El Dorado County, California. This program was a grantee of the first California Hub & Spoke System Project and was identified as a model site. This led us to be one of the leading consultants for other California organizations to start their MAT programs. Our clinic was also the community partner with Marshall Medical Center, which was one of the first emergency department sites for the California Bridge Program (now Bridge, expanding nationally).
At the same time, I became Medical Director of the MAT program for the largest Medicaid patient population in Sacramento County, California. I integrated this MAT program with the previously existing (but very small and basic) withdrawal management/residential program and have since significantly developed both the outpatient and inpatient components. As the primary and model addiction treatment program for Medicaid in our area, we have worked extensively with the Sacramento Mayor’s Office to develop treatment programs for our patients with the greatest needs, including those unhoused.
I am especially proud that I have been able to utilize my business/management skills and expertise to start MAT programs for those in the Sierra/Sacramento Area with the greatest need. These programs have had significant positive impacts in our area including improving community health, returning people with SUD to productive roles in the workforce, and reducing SUD-related crime. In addition, as the Medical Director and lead physician for three nonprofit groups, I have trained many NPs, PAs, as well as residents, medical students, college students and high school students to promote future work-force development in the field of Addiction Medicine.
My contributions to ASAM began indirectly when I was elected to be Treasurer of CSAM in 2021. My initial focus was improving finances and investment allocation, with a goal to enhance the means by which CSAM can fulfill its important mission. I feel a few of my accomplishments include significantly increasing investment return (through increasing return on cash from ~0-1% to ~ 5% and increasing allocation to equities), increasing funds received from supporters, leading the transition of our management company, and taking a more active role to guide the financial aspects of conference planning. I feel many of my esteemed CSAM Board Members would say that I have made many contributions that have positively and significantly benefited our organization.
Beyond this, I have sought to foster greater collaboration and coordination of efforts between CSAM and ASAM, especially in areas of synergy (such as member recruitment and retention). I feel my contributions to ASAM became more direct starting in the end of 2023, when I was appointed to the ASAM Finance Council and I enthusiastically volunteered to join the Give Hope Now Philanthropy Task Force. Although it has only been a relatively short period of time, I feel I have had a positive impact on getting this very important work off to a successful start!
2. How would your election to the ASAM Board of Directors benefit ASAM and the field of addiction medicine?
Why might I be the best person to be the next ASAM Treasurer? I humbly feel that I can significantly contribute to ASAM as I have a unique combination of skills and extensive experience in management as medical director of multiple organizations, and I am well-versed in healthcare business, technology as well as financial/investment management.
Through my work at Ernst & Young, LLP (now EY) and independently, I have consulted in diverse areas from starting physician practices, to designing healthcare systems and policy for countries, to consulting for national insurance and provider organizations. Through my myriad work experience, I have developed a diverse and synergistic professional network that I feel would be very beneficial in my service to ASAM. My goal would be to focus my efforts through my involvement in ASAM to fulfill my passion to improve access to the highest quality addiction treatment, including through efficient use of technology.
Through my participation in ASAM thus far, I have gained significant respect for this incredible organization! It would be an honor and pleasure to serve as ASAM Treasurer and support the efforts of Julia, Carolyn, Valerie and Rebecca (staff that I have met so far), as well as ASAM’s Board of Directors, to further optimize ASAM’s finances and investments. Specifically, I feel there is tremendous opportunity in the challenge to increase fundraising and philanthropic activities, and I am very excited to participate in and accelerate these efforts on the Give Hope Now Task Force.
Being ASAM Treasurer would perfectly combine my two greatest passions: treating addiction as well as financial/investment management! I embrace new challenges and enjoy working in teams; in my opinion, no task is too small, and I will always be willing to serve ASAM in any way that I can! One of my favorite guiding principles is that “challenges make life interesting and overcoming them makes it meaningful!”