John Pateña, DrPH, MPH, MA

Dr. Pateña is currently the Director, U.S. Mental Health Programs at HealthRight International, a global health organization dedicated to improving health outcomes by expanding access to quality care for marginalized and underserved communities. In this role, he is building on HealthRight’s two decades of global mental health experience to deliver affordable, scalable, and evidence-based mental health interventions to vulnerable populations in the United States. He also serves as an Associate Research Scientist with the Music and Audio Research Lab at NYU Steinhardt and as a Senior Research Associate with the ISEE Lab at NYU School of Global Public Health where he leads the development, implementation, and evaluation of music-based and task-sharing mental health interventions to reduce stigma and improve mental health outcomes among Sickle Cell Disease populations in West Africa.

Dr. Pateña brings a dual background in counseling psychology and public health, integrating clinical expertise with a prevention-oriented, community-centered approach. He was part of the inaugural Doctor of Public Health cohort at NYU School of Global Public Health (DrPH ’25), where his training focused on implementation science and public health leadership. Throughout his career, Dr. Pateña has led several projects to adapt, implement, and scale-up mental health interventions in low-resourced settings. He also has extensive experience working in large academic medical centers developing and evaluating digital health interventions addressing behavioral health disorders and violence prevention. Dr. Pateña actively contributes to global mental health advocacy through his involvement with the World Federation of Public Health Associations, the World Federation for Mental Health, and Mental Health KAFE (a nonprofit organization dedicated to reshaping the mental health landscape in Africa).