Our Speakers
Dr. Pauline Yeghnazar Peck, PhD
Dr. Peck is a first generation Iranian-Armenian trauma-informed psychologist who specializes in working with the children of immigrants and intercultural couples. Her group practice, Noor Therapy and Wellness, provides culturally-informed care for bipoc residents of CA and NY. She also provides coaching, speaking, consulting, and community education through her organization Bridging Gaps, Breaking Cycles.
Dr. Shamaila Khan, PhD
Dr. Khan (she/her) is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and a Clinical Associate Professor at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School Of Medicine / Boston Medical Center. She is additionally the Training Director of the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology (CMTP), the Director for the Center for Multicultural Mental Health (CMMH) and the Director for the (FSC) Family support Center (for Covid patients/families) at BUSM/BMC. Her specialty training is in Trauma. She is a recipient of several awards, most recently including the “Rising to the Occasion Award” for her work during the pandemic, the “Humanitarian Service Award” for her work with the Rohingyan Refugees in Bangladesh; the “Service Appreciation Award” for her work following the Boston Marathon Tragedy, and an “Outstanding service award” by the U. S. Attorney’s Office for services provided during the Tsarnaev trail.
Dr. Arielle Schwartz
Dr. Arielle Schwartz is a clinical psychologist and leading voice in the healing of trauma. She is an internationally sought-out teacher and author of seven books including The Complex PTSD Workbook, The Post-Traumatic Growth Guidebook, EMDR Therapy and Somatic Psychology, and Applied Polyvagal Theory in Yoga. As the founder of the Center for Resilience Informed Therapy, she offers a mind-body approach to therapy for trauma and informational mental health and wellness updates through her writing, public speaking, social media presence, and blog. She believes that the journey of trauma recovery is an awakening of the spiritual heart.
Mitul Desai, JD
Mitul has been helping care for his brother, who lives with schizophrenia, for the past two decades. His professional experience includes leading global teams in product development and data services. Mitul began his career working in healthcare law and finance. He also served in the Obama Administration. Mitul serves on the Board of NAMI-NYC and has written about his family’s experience in Forbes and USA Today. Mitul created The Care Hack with Eli to ensure that no other family has to suffer in isolation the way his did.
Dr. James Greenblatt, MD
Dr. Greenblatt is a globally recognized pioneer in functional and integrative psychiatry with over 30 years of clinical experience. He has dedicated his career to transforming the treatment of mental health disorders through precision-based approaches that integrate laboratory testing, nutritional interventions, and root-cause analysis. Dr. Greenblatt earned his medical degree and completed a psychiatry residency at George Washington University, and pursued a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship at Johns Hopkins Medical School.
Dr. Danielle Rousseau, PhD
Dr. Rousseau is a social justice researcher and practitioner. As a licensed therapist and certified yoga teacher, she has worked in the field of forensic mental health doing crisis response and victim advocacy, both in correctional facilities and in the community. Rousseau’s research, teaching, and practice focus on justice, trauma, gender, mental health, and mindfulness. Her work is published in many academic journals and texts, including Journal of Gender, Race & Justice, the Law and Society Review, and the Annals of the Academy of Political and Social Sciences, and she is currently editing a book on yoga and sexual violence. She received her MA in clinical forensic psychology and her PhD in criminology and justice policy and women’s studies.
Brijesh Patel
Brijesh is a business strategist, investor, and spiritual coach who bridges the worlds of technology, consciousness, and entrepreneurship. With a background in finance and a track record of success in venture capital, he has advised and supported numerous early-stage startups, while simultaneously embarking on a deep, personal journey of self-discovery, healing, and service.
For over a decade, Brijesh has explored a wide range of modalities—from Human Design and plant medicine to tantric embodiment and shadow work. Brijesh believes the next frontier of human potential lies in integrating inner healing with outer impact.
Tavy Long
Tavy is a mother, social entrepreneur, and healer whose journey spans refugee camps, corporate boardrooms, and sacred healing circles. Born in Cambodia and raised in Arizona after fleeing the Khmer Rouge, she began her career in finance, managing multimillion-dollar trades during the 2008 crisis.
In recent years, Tavy has turned inward—beginning her healing journey in Mexico with training in meditation, reiki, family constellations, and Kundalini Yoga. She deepened her practice in New York, focusing on family system healing and ancestral work. Now based in Spain, she coaches in the conscious business space and supports women and parents navigating life transitions, weaving presence and relational healing.
Fatima Hussain
Fatima is an MBA student and Dean’s Fellow at MIT Sloan, with a background in chemical engineering. She is a former founder and has extensive experience in business development, operations, and analytics. She has led and managed teams of over 50 individuals at Philip Morris and PepsiCo, driving strategic initiatives and operational efficiencies. As the first woman in her family to pursue a master’s degree, she is passionate about breaking barriers and creating opportunities. Currently, she is focused on building a social impact startup aimed at driving meaningful change.
Dr. Komal Gupta, PsyD
Dr. Gupta is an adult clinical psychologist and retired neuropsychologist with a lifelong curiosity about the complexity of being human. My academic journey began with a B.A. in Honors Psychology from the University of Western Ontario, where I cultivated a passion for understanding the mind and helping others. To deepen this work, I earned an M.A. and Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology with a multicultural focus from the California School of Professional Psychology in San Francisco. Postdoctoral training in psychodynamic psychotherapy and adult neuropsychology further expanded my expertise in brain-behavior relationships and addressing the roots of emotional suffering.
Madeeha Channah, LMHC
Madeeha is an accomplished mental health professional and advocate with a rich background in clinical work focusing on substance use and mental health issues. With a commitment to destigmatizing mental health services and empowering women, Madeeha has made significant contributions to the wellbeing of minority groups in the Greater Boston Area, particularly in her efforts to promote the healthcare of Muslims. Currently, she serves as the Lead Clinical Coordinator at Arbour HRI Hospital, where her expertise in mental health and behavioral medicine plays a critical role in delivering quality healthcare services to underserved communities.
Imran Sayeed
Imran is part of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation faculty at the MIT Sloan School of Management where he teaches Disruptive Technologies, New Business Models, Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Scale. He is also the founder of Teach the World Foundation, a non-profit that promotes a scalable approach for children’s literacy using low-cost tablets and educational games. He serves on the Advisory Board of Disrupt.com, a leading venture builder in the Middle East, and Sheraa, one of the UAE’s biggest entrepreneurship centers. Previously Sayeed was CTO and head of the Digital practice for NTT Data, the 6th largest technology consulting company in the world with 75,000 employees in 45 countries and $16 Billion in annual revenue.
Dr. Neha Katyal, PharmD
Neha is an accomplished leader in the health tech space. Starting her career as a clinical pharmacist, she has over 13 years of experience in implementation, consulting, and product management. She always felt she was best at personal connection and direct patient care, and realized she was drawn to healthcare for the healing aspect of the patient-clinician relationship. She has also studied psychology and neuroscience out of interest, and like many others, the pandemic accelerated Neha’s inner work journey. After diving into her family’s history and understanding the true legacy of the 1947 Partition of India, she was inspired to create SAPNA and organize this conference so she could bring awareness of intergenerational trauma to her community and peers.