Devika Bhushan, the former California Acting Surgeon General, candidly shares her lived experience with bipolar disorder. Gain valuable insights as she reflects on her journey and imparts the lessons she has learned.
Devika Bhushan, MD, is a pediatrician and public health leader on a mission to drive health innovation, promote equity, destigmatize mental illness, and spread tools for resilience. As California’s Acting Surgeon General (2022), Dr. Bhushan was a key advisor to the California Governor, and led policy and practice innovation at a statewide level by co-leading the launch of the ACEs Aware initiative. Her expertise spans trauma-informed systems, stress and resilience, mental health, and gender and health equity— with work published in The Lancet, Pediatrics, NPR, and The Los Angeles Times. Dr. Bhushan trained at Harvard and Johns Hopkins, and serves as senior advisor to entities that aim to advance health, innovation, and equity. She also leads a well-being community to spread evidence – based tools for resilience through a newsletter and YouTube channel/podcast called Spread the light with Dr Devika B. Dr. Bhushan is an immigrant, a parent, and a first generation Indian American.