Mark Mitchell, PhD
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 Bio-Ethicist. Mark worked for over 30 years in mental health and
retardation services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of
Mental Health; serving his final 12 years as the Deputy Director for Western
Massachusetts. Since relocating to Hawaii, Mark has worked as the Chief
Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Trustees for Sutter Health
Pacific dba Kahi Mohala Hospital and Behavioral Healthcare in Hawaii. He
also is the Past President of the Hawaii Behavioral Health Coalition. Mark
is currently working as a private consultant and Principle of MARCON
Consulting, LLC, as well as working collaboratively with the Federal
Department of Justice as the Hawaii Department of Public Safety, Mental
Health Branch Administrator. In this latter capacity, he is working to
resolve a class action Settlement Agreement for Mental Health Services in
the Jails and Prisons throughout the state. Mark also serves as the
President of the Board of Directors for Ho’omau Ke Ola (the only substance
abuse agency specializing in serving native Hawaiians), as well as on
various task forces (State Mental Health Transformation Grant, Psychiatric
Services Subcommittee of the State Health Planning and Development
Authority, etc).
NARMH Positions and Projects
As a current board member, Mark is serving as an Associate Editor for the
Journal of Rural Mental Health. Past activities have included serving as
President, 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. He
has developed a telepsychiatry evaluation program to assess mental health
needs for patients in the Emergency Rooms of general hospitals located on
the 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 participated in the
State of Hawaii’s Children’s Caucus and Mental Health Court Caucus, the Lt.
Governor’s Substance Abuse Taskforce, as well as on the Legislative Task
Force for Forensic Mental Health.