Professional Affiliations
Mark received his doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), School of Public Health and Health Sciences in Psychiatric Epidemiology and Health Policy and Management. He also is a certified Medical Ethicist. Mark worked for over 30 years in mental health and retardation services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Mental Health, as the Deputy Director for Western Massachusetts. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Trustees for Sutter Health Pacific dba Kahi Mohala Behavioral Healthcare in Hawaii. Mark also serves as the President of the Board of Directors for Ho’omau Ke Ola (one of the only substance abuse agencies specializing in serving native Hawaiians), as well as President of the Hawaii Behavioral Health Coalition.

NARMH Positions and Projects
As a current board member, Mark serves as the association’s President treasurer and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Rural Mental Health. Past activities have included serving as President-Elect, Treasurer, State Liaison Coordinator, as well as participation on the Membership Committee and the Rural Mental Health Policy Committee. He also has worked with other board members on the SAMHSA sponsored and published “Rural Mental Health Outreach Research Project”.

Rural Mental Health Involvement and Contributions
Mark has worked on the closing of two large state institutions, replacing them with comprehensive community mental health and retardation services. More recently he has developed a telepsychiatry evaluation program from his facility on Oahu to assess mental health needs for patients in the Emergency Rooms of general hospitals located on the more rural “outer” islands. Additionally, he has worked as a mental health systems consultant to several states (including Montana, Arizona, Wyoming, Maine, Tennessee and South Carolina), overseas (Poland, Russia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Rumania), and in Canada. Mark also has served as an expert witness in the Maine Settlement Agreement and on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Public Health Rural Advisory Board. Mark is presently participating in the State of Hawaii’s Children’s Caucus and Mental Health Court Caucus, and has served on the Lt. Governor’s Substance Abuse Taskforce, as well as on the Legislative Task Force for Forensic Mental Health.