Press Kits:
Examining All the Evidence: When Evidence-Based Medicine Isn’t What It Seems

Presenter Biographies

Michael M. Faenza, M.S.S.W.
President and CEO
National Mental Health Association
Following over 15 years of experience providing direct service to children and adults with mental disorders, Mr. Faenza has spent the past decade focusing on legislative advocacy and improving society’s commitment to helping people with mental illness.

A social worker by training, Mr. Faenza brings a public health perspective to issues of individual and community mental health. He has held clinical and management positions in public sector mental health services, child protective services, juvenile justice and vocational rehabilitation.

Mr. Faenza holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Sociology from Indiana University and a Masters of Science in Social Work degree from the University of Texas in Arlington. He currently serves on the National Assembly of Health and Human Service Organizations Board of Directors and the National Health Council Board of Directors, was a member of the Planning Board for the Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health and is currently a member of the United Way of America’s Leadership 18. Mr. Faenza has received the Excellence in National Executive Leadership Award from the National Assembly in 1999.

Vijay Ganju, Ph.D.
Director of the Center on Mental Health and Quality Accountability
National Association of State Mental Health Planning Directors Research Institute
Dr. Ganju is the Director of the SAMHSA-funded Center on Mental Health Quality and Accountability at the NASMHPD Research Institute, which is responsible for promoting quality and accountability in state mental health systems by providing support on the development and implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs), performance measurement, and quality improvement processes. In this role he is involved in a wide range of projects, in particular those focusing on public mental health system performance and outcome measures and implementation of EBPs.

He is the Co-Project Director of the SAMHSA-funded State Data Infrastructure Coordinating Center and is the project director for a MacArthur Foundation initiative for evaluating the state authority level of EBP implementation of SAMSHA-funded “toolkits.”

He currently serves on several advisory committees related to mental health data and performance measurement including NCQA’s Behavioral Health Measurement Advisory Panel; the Mental Health Statistical Improvement Program (MHSIP) Policy Group; and the National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health. He chairs a workgroup developing the second generation of a mental health consumer-oriented report card. Also, he has recently helped coordinate national efforts to develop measures of recovery and cultural competence

Chuck Ingoglia, M.S.W.
Senior Vice President of Policy and Services
National Mental Health Association
At NMHA, Mr. Ingoglia provides staff leadership to the public policy, adult and children’s departments. His previous experience at NMHA included service as the Senior Director of Healthcare Reform. In this capacity he directed grassroots trainings to build and support mental health advocacy coalitions at the state and county levels. Mr. Ingoglia also provides staff management to the National Association of Mental Health Planning and Advisory Councils through a contract with NMHA. Prior to joining NMHA, he was the Senior Staff Associate for the National Association of Social Workers and Clinical Associate for the Association of Ambulatory Behavioral Healthcare. Mr. Ingoglia received both Bachelor and Master degrees in Social Work from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

Nelson Kull
Consumer Advocate
President and CEO of the Pathways Drop-In Center, Inc.
Mr. Kull was diagnosed with schizophrenia early in his teens and has been battling the symptoms of this disease ever since. His mother also suffered from schizophrenia.

Mr. Kull is the President and CEO of Pathways Drop-in Center, Inc., a community center in Orlando serving people with mental illness that is run by mental health consumers. He is responsible for all facets of the center’s design and financial administration, including fundraising and grant writing. In the last few years, the center has doubled its size, amount of services and funding.

As one of the most respected mental health advocates in Florida, Mr. Kull spends much of his time in Tallahassee advocating for people with mental illness and speaking at public meetings on behalf of related advocacy groups. He presently serves on the consumer panel of the Florida National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), the board of the Mental Health Association (MHA) of Central Florida. Additionally, he has served on the board of the Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities – Florida (2001), Human Rights Advocacy Committee (1997—2000), and Florida Council on Community Mental Health (1998—2000).

Mr. Kull has also served on the following committees:
• Florida Department of Law Enforcement training and curriculum
• Partnership Work Group, Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida
• Florida Department of Children and Families independent evaluation team for the privatization bid proposals for South Florida State Hospital

For his efforts on behalf of people with mental illness, Mr. Kull has been honored with the M. Gail Morgan Service Award for Excellence in Community Service, and the Golden Bell Award, the highest award for achievement given by the MHA of Central Florida.

Mr. Kull graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in liberal arts from the University of Central Florida in 1996.

Steven Shon, M.D.
Medical Director
Texas Medication Algorithm Project
Dr. Shon received his undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California and his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco. He completed his residency in psychiatry at the Langley-Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute of the University of California, San Francisco. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, and Clinical Associate Professor, University of Texas, School of Pharmacy, Austin, Texas. As Medical Director, Dr. Shon reports directly to the Commissioner of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. He provides medical and psychiatric leadership; has responsibility for the quality and appropriateness of the clinical services provided; serves as chief medical resource; and develops clinical standards and policies as well as best practices for clinicians. Dr. Shon is co-director of the Texas Medical Algorithm Project (TMAP).

Dr. Shon is past Medical Director and was also Acting Director of the California Department of Mental Health. He has served on the National Advisory Council to the Center for Mental Health Services. His professional affiliations include consultant to the committee on Psychiatric Health Care and Mental Retardation of the Texas Medical Association; member, Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians; and member of the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Shon is Board Chair of the National Asian American/Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) and is a consultant to several local, state, and national organizations.

Dr. Shon has an extensive background as a speaker and is the author or co-author of numerous journal articles.

National Mental Health Association
2000 N. Beauregard Street, 6th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22311
Phone 703/684-7722
Fax 703/684-5968
Mental Health Resource Center 800/969-NMHA
TTY Line 800/433-5959