Dr. Nina Vasan

Dr. Nina Vasan is a physician, entrepreneur, and co-author of the #1 Amazon Best Selling book "Do Good Well: Your Guide to Leadership, Action, and Social Innovation" which was praised by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus as "the primer for social innovation". Dr. Vasan grew up in West Virginia, where she was an active civic entrepreneur (built a nationwide network of teen volunteers for the American Cancer Society) and scientist (won the $50,000 Grand Prize at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair and presented her research during the Nobel Prize Festivities). She majored in Government at Harvard and was named one of the Top 10 College Women in the nation by Glamour Magazine. She served on Barack Obama’s Health Policy Advisory Committee and worked at the World Health Organization in Geneva in the Office of Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan. Dr. Vasan received an MD from Harvard Medical School, where she was chosen by her classmates to serve as a commencement speaker. Compelled by her own personal struggles, she is now working to apply her experience in entrepreneurship to mental health. She is the Founder and Chair of the Psychiatry Innovation Lab, the mental health incubator at the American Psychiatric Association, the world's largest psychiatric organization. Dr. Vasan is the Director of Brainstorm: The Stanford Laboratory for Behavioral Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and is a course director at Stanford's School of Medicine, where she is teaching the first university course in the US on mental health innovation. She is a Chief Resident Physician in Psychiatry and MBA Candidate at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Named a "40 Under 40 Healthcare Innovator" by MedTech Boston, Dr. Vasan aims to develop systems, technologies, and policies that optimize opportunities and mental health for all. She has been an advisor for companies including McKinsey, Lyra Health, and startups, and welcomes messages at nina.vasan@stanford.edu.