Jon Aaron has been a teacher at New York Insight since 2006. His principal dharma teachers have been Matthew Flickstein of The Forest Way and Kittisaro and Thanissara of The Sacred Mountain Sangha. He is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher and Teacher Trainer and has taught over 120 cycles of the seminal curriculum. He leads retreats in the US and in Europe. He is the co-guiding teacher of the Makom Meditation Havurah program at the Jewish Community Center. He is a certified Somatic Experience Practitioner® and an Accredited teacher of Mindfulness for Heath from Breathworks in the UK. Jon is a co-founder of the MBSR Teachers Collaborative of Greater New York, and a founding member of the Global Mindfulness Collaborative. Recently with his partner Upayadhi, he established Space2Meditate.com, an online community for meditators which started in the context of the pandemic and has been thriving ever since. JonAaron.net

Betsy Atwell, MA, LPC, CSAC, ICS is a practicing therapist in Madison, Wisconsin, specializing in populations that struggle with addiction and trauma. She completed the Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) training in 2016 and has run the group at a community mental health agency since then. In 2019, she participated in a research study on MBRP with the University of Wisconsin, Madison which allowed her the opportunity to work with Sarah Bowen to ensure fidelity to the model. Betsy actively practices meditation in her personal life and finds that it enhances her skills with other treatment modalities including EMDR and IFS, as well as clinical supervision.

Michelle Becker, MA, LMFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice in San Diego, CA utilizing mindfulness and compassion based psychotherapy with individuals, couples, families and groups. She is Director of Compassion Programs at the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness where she also teaches Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindful Self-Compassion. She is a teacher trainer for Mindful Self-Compassion and co-founder, along with Dr.’s Germer, Neff and Hickman, of the Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher Training. She is also co-founder of the San Diego Center For Well Being and co-developer of the Mindful Living for Couples program. Michelle enjoys helping individuals, couples, families and groups to find a meaningful and satisfying way of life. For more information on Michelle’s work and schedule please visit her website: www.wisecompassion.com.

Sarah Bowen, PhD. is a clinical psychologist, is Associate Professor at Pacific University in Portland, Oregon, where she specializes in mindfulness-based approaches for treatment of addictive and impulsive behaviors. Her research and more than 50 publications have focused on mechanisms of change and on treatment adaptations to best serve diverse populations and settings, with particular interests in dual diagnosis and underserved communities. Dr. Bowen facilitates and supervises mindfulness-based relapse prevention groups in numerous settings, including private and county treatment agencies, medical centers, and prisons. She presents, consults, and provides instruction internationally.

Carolina Bautista-Velez is a Latinx social changer who believes in the power of individual and collective liberation. Through her work as a consultant, mindfulness teacher, facilitator and leadership coach, Carolina works with groups and organizations by co-creating spaces that foster, uplift and sustain systems of care, healing and well-being. Her work is rooted in healing justice, popular education and trauma informed practices. Carolina is a Certified MSC Teacher, Qualified MBSR Teacher, MMTCP Certified Mindfulness Teacher and MMT certified Mindfulness Mentor. She is the founder of CVelez Consulting & Metamorphosis-Coaching. Carolina holds a degree in clinical psychology with a specialization in social psychology and psychoanalysis.

Neha Chawla, PhD is one of the co-creators of MBRP and co-author of the Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for Addictive Behaviors: A Clinician’s Guide. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her research interests include the development and evaluation of mindfulness-based treatments for substance use disorders, understanding mechanisms of change, issues related to therapist training and dissemination, and the assessment of therapist competence. Neha has facilitated several MBRP groups in private and community treatment settings in Seattle and on the East-coast.

Christopher K. Germer, PhD is a clinical psychologist in the Boston area. He is a Lecturer on Psychiatry, Part-Time, at Harvard Medical School and a founding faculty member of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. With Kristin Neff, PhD, Dr. Germer developed the Mindful Self-Compassion program. He conducts workshops and lectures internationally on mindfulness and self-compassion, is co-editor of Mindfulness and Psychotherapy and Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy, and author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion.

Email: ckgermer@gmail.com

Website: www.chrisgermer.com

Richard Goerling has served in civilian law enforcement for over twenty years. He also served as a member of the U.S. Coast Guard, both active and reserve for 27 years, retiring at the rank of Commander in 2015. He’s had a front row seat to operational stress in both arenas and has spent the last decade as a student, and now trainer, of resiliency. Over the last decade, he has spearheaded the introduction of mindfulness training into policing in the United States and internationally as part of a larger cultural transformation toward a compassionate, skillful and resilient warrior ethos. He serves as an affiliate faculty at Pacific University’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology and participates in mindfulness research at this institution. Richard regularly trains and presents on resiliency for first responders, bringing practical mindfulness skill building to enhance personal, organizational and community.

Allan Goldstein, Certified MBSR Teacher, providing MBSR Teacher Training, and MBSR Mentorship is a Senior Advisor on the Leadership Team of the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. Allan’s passion for supporting Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teachers through MBSR Training and MBSR Mentorship began in 1993 when he first participated in an MBSR program. Continuing to explore the foundations of MBSR and mindfulness led Allan to training programs offered by the UMass Center for Mindfulness. He established MBSR Programs of Hawaii where he joyfully lived and taught for 14 years. He Joined Dr. Steven Hickman, UC San Diego CFM Founding Director, in 2011 and was a leader in the development of the UCSD CFM Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute and MBSR Certification programs. Allan has taught MBSR extensively to groups and individuals in health care, university, Veterans Health Administration, and community settings. Allan’s strong passion, for the valuable teachings found within MBSR, continues through his teaching, professional MBSR Teacher Training programs and practicum intensives which along with mentoring current and future MBSR teachers is now Allan’s dedicated focus of work in the health-care field of mindfulness programs.

Andrea Grabovac, MD, FRCPC is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia. Her psychiatric practice focuses on inpatient psychiatry at Vancouver Hospital and outpatient psycho-oncology at the BC Cancer Agency. Beginning in 2006, she has been facilitating both group and individual mindfulness-based interventions for various clinical populations, including mood disorders, sexual medicine and oncology. In collaboration with Dr. Mark Lau, she developed and continues to facilitate a monthly Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy consultation course for MBCT clinicians since 2009. In addition, she supervises psychiatry residents and other mental health clinicians in the provision of MBCT and is an Associate Teacher at 5-day MBCT teacher trainings. Her academic publications explore the clinical relevance of re-contextualizing mindfulness based interventions within Buddhist psychological frameworks. She has a particular interest in the clinical relevance of the progressive development of meditative skills as described in the Theravadan stages of insight. Andrea is a co-investigator on two funded trials investigating MBCT adapted for women, and has co-authored MBCT treatment manuals for treatment of provoked vestibulodynia and low sexual desire in women. She is also an Associate Editor for the journal Mindfulness. She has practiced and studied in the Burmese Theravada Vipassana tradition since 2002. Andrea lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband and their three children.

Joel Grow, PhD is a clinical psychologist at the Seattle Mindfulness Center and lead trainer of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP).  His research interests include clinical applications of mindfulness meditation, primarily in the areas of anxiety, trauma, and addictive behaviors.  He has extensive experience teaching in the university setting, and was awarded the University of Washington “Award for Teaching Excellence.”  He co-facilitates MBRP groups in both private and community treatment settings.

Gabrielle Hammond (Movement Teacher | Qigong) has been practicing as an acupuncturist and doctor of Taoist and Traditional Chinese Medicine for past 28 years, under the tutelage of a 64th generation Taoist Master Chang Yi Hsiang, who initiated her journey into contemplative arts, meditation, and qigong practice at a young age. Gabrielle continues to teach and practice qigong over 35 years later as the bedrock of her healing practice. She loves working with plants, both as an herbalist in healing and in the more subtle and energetic way we are connected with plants as allies. This love of plants has morphed into a love for Meditative Tea Ceremony as a heart practice.

She has been practicing Vipassana meditation for 15 years and practices silent meditation retreats annually. She has completed Spirit Rock’s two-year Dedicated Practitioner Program and Sacred Mountain Sangha’s two-year Dharmapala Training with Thanissara and Kittisaro. Her personal daily practice includes sitting, tea ceremony, qigong, and chanting. She has a particular interest in devotional expression of the Dharma and bringing it alive to people and beings in health or creative crisis.

Noriko Morita Harth is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Instructor, Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Instructor and the Director of Training Programs at the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. Noriko has been teaching MBSR and MSC since 2014. She also offers mentorships for MBSR and MSC teachers, MBSR Teacher Training programs, and practicum at the Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute at the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. 

Steven Hickman, PsyD is a clinical psychologist and retired Associate Clinical Professor in the UC San Diego Departments of Family Medicine & Public Health and Psychiatry. He is the Founding Director of the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness and the Executive Director of the non-profit Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. Dr. Hickman teaches Mindful Self-Compassion around the world and trains teachers of that program and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, in addition to speaking and teaching on the topic of teaching mindfulness-based programs. Steve is particularly interested in supporting men in developing greater self-compassion and mindfulness and is involved in projects to develop these capacities in Olympic-class athletes, first-responders and active duty military.

Lorraine M. Hobbs, MA is a Founding Director of the Youth, Family & Education Programs at the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. She is a family therapist and former clinical director of adolescent treatment programs. Lorraine is certified to teach Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), and Compassion Cultivation, Altruism, Research & Education (CCT), a Stanford University accredited program created by contemplative scholars and endorsed by H.H. The Dalai Lama. During her tenure at the Center for Mindfulness, she designed and implemented curricula in mindfulness-based interventions for multiple age groups, including a program in Mindful Compassionate Parenting. She is a pioneer in self-compassion training for parents, teens and kids and is co-author of Making Friends with Yourself: A Mindful Self-Compassion Program for Teens & Young Adults (MFY), adapted from the adult program created by Kristin Neff, Ph.D. & Chris Germer, Ph.D. Lorraine is co-founder of the MFY teacher training program and provides teacher training in the MFY curriculum throughout the U.S. and internationally. Her new curriculum for kids, A Friend in Me: Growing Kindness, Empathy and Resilience – An emotional strength training program for kids and the Mindful Compassionate Parenting curriculum will be available for teacher training in 2021. Lorraine offers mindfulness-based interventions in a community-based hospital in Indiana and Bryan, Ohio. She is a mentor for the MBSR certification pathway at the UCSD Mindfulness Based Professional Training Institute. Lorraine offers 2-day retreats, public talks and 1-2 day core skills training/intensives in mindfulness and self-compassion to medical personnel, educators and clinicians. She is currently offering self-compassion based workshops for educators and frontline workers during COVID as well as courses for parents and kids on coping with the stress of change and uncertainty.

Cayce Howe, an authorized teacher in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, brings nearly 30 years of deep practice experience to the field of mindfulness and meditation. Having spent nearly six years living in meditation retreat centers, including a year-long intensive closed meditation retreat within the Karma Kagyu Tibetan Buddhist Lineage, Cayce's approach to teaching is rooted in profound personal immersion and understanding. For nearly a decade, Cayce has also led the InsightLA Long Beach Sangha, fostering a community where practitioners can explore, heal, and grow. His leadership is marked by a unique blend of empathy, wisdom, and dedication, ensuring a nurturing environment for all Sangha members. Cayce Howe's expertise in MBSR extends beyond the conventional teaching methodologies. His approach integrates a comprehensive understanding of mindfulness and meditation, resonating with a diverse range of individuals. This holistic perspective in MBSR instruction is not just about imparting techniques; it's about fostering a transformative experience. Cayce's dedication to this practice is evident in his ability to connect with and guide individuals from various backgrounds, helping them discover the profound benefits of mindfulness in their personal and professional lives.

Louije Kim, LMFT is a San Francisco Bay Area based dharma practitioner, teacher and licensed psychotherapist. They have completed dharma study programs including Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioners and Community Dharma Leader programs, and recently graduated from Spirit Rock’s four-year Teacher Training in 2020. Louije has taught in various dharma centers locally and across the U.S. Currently, they are a part of the Asian American Buddhist Working Group, a grant-funded project seeking to promote connections between Asian American sanghas. They have been working in community mental health settings for over a decade, providing therapy to communities that are impacted by collective, political and historical traumas.

Pete Kirchmer is a Life Coach, Mindful Movement Instructor and Meditation Teacher in Encinitas, CA. Pete is the mPEAK Program Director and a lead teacher in the mPEAK program. As the founder of Mindfulness Based Health, he specializes in helping his clients apply the practice of mindfulness to making healthy lifestyle changes as well as improving performance in both work and life. Pete has completed the foundational training as a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher through the University of Massachusetts Oasis Institute, holds a BS in Exercise Physiology, and is a Certified Professional Life Coach through the Coaches Training institute, Center for Applied Positive Psychology and Wellcoaches. Pete is also a Master Trainer for efi Sports Medicine and certified STOTT Pilates Instructor. He is a lifetime learner and an active member of the International Coach Federation and the Harvard Institute of Coaching. Currently Pete has a private coaching practice in Encinitas, is a regular presenter at Rancho La Puerta, a world-class wellness resort in Tecate, Mexico and is on the board of directors for the Encinitas Mindfulness Community.

Mark A. Lau, PhD, R Psych is a registered psychologist in private practice at the Vancouver CBT Centre, a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, a Founding Fellow of both the Academy of Cognitive Therapy and the Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behaviour Therapies and a Certified Trainer/Consultant of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. Mark has over 20 years experience offering MBCT (and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)) in both group and individual formats. He has also trained mental health professionals in MBCT & CBT including single and multi-day professional MBCT trainings offered across North America, and abroad including Europe and Australia including. In addition, he has provided MBCT workshops to research administrators, researchers, lawyers and their support staff, academic staff and to the general public. He currently offers (along with Dr. Andrea Grabovac) a longitudinal consultation course for graduates of the 5-day MBCT Hollyhock professional training in Vancouver. He and Andrea have offered similar versions of this course for the past 6 years to mental health professionals looking for additional support in teaching MBCT. Mark was first introduced to MBCT in 1995 when he began working with Dr. Zindel Segal in Toronto to help conduct the first MBCT outcome study. He spent the next 11 years working with Dr. Segal before moving out to Vancouver in 2006. Mark has conducted research into the mechanisms underlying MBCT’s effectiveness, the development and validation of the Toronto Mindfulness Scale, and evaluating effective methods of disseminating MBCT, which has been published in scientific journals. Mark is an Associate Editor of the journal Mindfulness. Finally, he is registered to practice psychology in both British Columbia and Ontario.

Ikela Moniz-Lewis, MS, is a Clinical Psychology doctoral candidate at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Pre-Doctoral Fellow at the UNM Center for Alcohol Substance Use and Addiction. He has over ten years of personal mindfulness practice and many years of experience delivering MBRP in a variety of treatment contexts. His research and clinical work primarily focuses on the processes by which mindfulness-based interventions support recovery for individuals with substance use disorders, particularly those from underserved communities.

Korantema Pierce Williams is a Certified MBSR Teacher who has long served as a bridge between traditional and modern practice through consultancy at ConjureWorks, the health and wellness practice she co-owns in Richmond, Virginia. With degrees from Howard University (BS) and Saybrook University (MS, Mind-Body Medicine), Korantema facilitates MBSR training and Mindfulness classes at the InnerWork Center, Richmond, VA where she serves as Board member and faculty. Additionally, Korantema provides teacher trainer facilitation for both MBSR and MBSR Teacher Training at UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. As a Spiritualist by training, Korantema is also known as Nana Korantema, priest in the Akom Tradition of Ghana, W. Africa for more than 20 years. Through that lens, Korantema offers leadership through healing rites for individuals and collectives; workshop facilitations imparting concepts of self-advocacy; and transformational growth and development teachings for self-preservation in both dominant and marginalized communities. Korantema facilitates audiences young, seasoned, and all ages in between, leaning into mindfulness and MBSR facilitation as impactful approaches to stress reduction, surviving trauma, and disrupting stagnant actions and thoughts.

Megan Prager, MA is the Compassion Programs Director at UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness and Co-Founder of Mindful Labs. Megan is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Instructor (MBSR), a Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Instructor (MSC), a Certified Compassion Cultivation Instructor (CCT), an Adjunct Faculty member at San Diego State University, and a Lecturer at UC San Diego Rady Business School. She is also a Teacher Trainer and Mentor for the UC San Diego Mindfulness Based Professional Training Institute and for the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. In addition to teaching Mindfulness-based programs, Megan specializes in developing and delivering mindfulness and compassion trainings for Fortune 500 companies as well as for educational, healthcare, and academic settings. She is currently collaborating with Universities to establish and instruct Mindfulness and Compassion courses at the collegiate level. In all her ventures, Megan’s passion and mission are the same: to empower individuals with an understanding of the important role they play in shaping their lives and well being. Megan believes through compassionate awareness individuals are able to utilize one of the best resources they have: themselves.

Website: www.mindfullabs.com 

Gulwinder “Gullu” Singh is a mindfulness and Dharma teacher who also practices corporate real estate law. Although he was exposed to meditation as a child, he found his own practice when, after law school, he found himself working at high-powered law firms where the job was extremely stressful.

Gullu completed the four-year Spirit Rock Meditation Center Teacher Training Program and qualified to teach Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Gullu is core faculty in the Mindfulness in Law Teacher Training, the Spirit Rock Dedicated Practitioner Program, and a mentor for the Sounds True Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program. He is also a core teacher and board member for Sacred Mountain Sangha, a senior teacher at InsightLA, and a member of the guiding teacher’s council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.

Gullu is deeply inspired to share meditation as an antidote to stress, a path to well-being and a way to inject more sanity, compassion, and wisdom into this world.

David Spound, MEd, is the Director of Valley Mindfulness in Northampton, Massachusetts, a company he founded in 2006. He teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), and other in-person and online programs based on these two groundbreaking courses. He also creates specialized programs for individuals and organizations, and he leads silent meditation retreats. David trained, and was certified, as a teacher of MBSR by the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical School, the organization founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn. David worked at the UMass Center for Mindfulness from 2006–2013 where he served as a member of the MBSR teaching staff and coordinated the MBSR teacher training and certification program.
David trained, and was certified, as a teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion by the UCSD Center for Mindfulness. Besides teaching MSC, he works on new projects and courses on behalf of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, the organization founded by Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer.
For David, his work as a teacher and mentor is a true labor of love. He looks forward to each unique and special opportunity to serve as a mentor for others who feel called to this work. Please feel free to be in touch with David if you have any questions about working with him.

Website: www.valleymindfulness.com

Elena Stein, MS is a clinical psychology doctoral candidate at the University of New Mexico and soon to be postdoctoral fellow at the Puget Sound VA Healthcare System, Seattle Division. Her research and clinical interests focus on mindfulness-based approaches for addictive behaviors and co-occurring mental health conditions. Elena has a particular interest in working with diverse populations with mindfulness-based approaches and incorporating contextual and cultural considerations. She has facilitated several trainings in Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for multidisciplinary mental health clinicians in New Mexico. She has implemented mindfulness-based approaches in a wide range of settings including state agencies, community mental health clinics, VA hospitals, randomized clinical trials, and in both individual and group formats..

John Taylor is a Certified MBSR Teacher with a long meditation and retreat practice. He is committed to fostering a more mindful awake world. John is also an active member of the Greater Richmond community where the primary focus of his work has been on racial equity and reconciliation initiatives, as well as facilitated community dialogues. He is currently serving on the board of the Richmond Peace Education Center, One Common Unity based in Washington D.C. and an advisory committee for the Chrysalis Institute where he teaches Mindfulness. John's work has primarily been in the non-profit sector where he served for many years at the National office of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and as a Program Officer for the Bonner Foundation. John has also been a food security activist who initiated urban farming programs in Newark, New Jersey. John is a graduate of the College of Wooster and lives in North Chesterfield, VA with his wife, three children (and three dogs).

Anne Twohig lives in Ireland in the beautiful seaside town of Greystones, where she enjoys long walks by the sea and hiking in the hills of County Wicklow. She is a certified MBSR teacher and teacher trainer. She is the founder of the Centre for Mindfulness Ireland, which she established in 2007. Anne trained with the University of Massachusetts Medical School Center for Mindfulness (UMass CFM), and has been a member of their professional teaching faculty since 2014. During her years as a teacher trainer with UMass CFM, Anne has been the host for professional teacher trainings in Ireland as well as teaching with CFM in Ireland, Europe and in the US. Anne has extensive experience teaching mindfulness across a range of areas, including healthcare, education, non-profit organisations, prison services, and the corporate and banking sectors. She was the recipient of a Social Entrepreneurs Ireland award for her work in Mindfulness in Education.
Anne is passionate about offering support and guidance to the community of qualified MBSR teachers in Ireland and around the world. She is committed to encouraging ongoing teacher development in the form of mentoring, supervision and continued education. She is excited to be on the teaching faculty at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness and looks forward to being part of their professional teacher trainings in Europe.

Website: https://www.cfmi.ie/

Zayda Vallejo, Mlitt, was born in Colombia, South America. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Loyola University in Chicago and a Master’s degree in Political Economy at Oxford University. She has been practicing meditation and yoga since 1978. Her keen interest in meditation took her to Japan, India, Burma, and Nepal, where she lived for three years.

Zayda is an adjunct faculty member at Cambridge Health Alliance Center for Mindfulness and Compassion (CMC). She is a mindfulness instruct or, trainer , and part of the team that developed the Mindfulness Training for Primary Care Group Leadership Manual. She is an adjunct faculty member at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University School of Public Health. For the past 18 years Zayda has served as a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) instructor, teacher, and supervisor of professionals who aspire to teach MBSR at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society (CFM). From 2007-2015 she taught MBSR for The Lazar Lab at the Massachusetts General Hospital for research purposes.

Zayda has taught mindfulness programs and developed curricula at The Garrison Institute, Mindful Kids Miami, University of Southern California, and other organizations. In 2014 she co-founded The Heartwell Institute, a non-profit community organization in Worcester, MA dedicated to foster contemplative practices and wellness education. Zayda leads 5-day and 7-day silent retreats.

Michael Waupoose (Māēc-mahwāēw), LCSW is an enrolled member of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. He is an 8-year veteran of the United States Air Force. Michael began his meditation practice in 2009 after being introduced to MBSR through the University of Wisconsin (UW) Health Mindfulness Program. He has been teaching in the UW Mindfulness Program since 2012, offering adult MBSR classes, MBSR classes for the BIPOC community and a MBSR Teacher Training Intensive, which he developed. He also teaches mindfulness classes on the Reservation of Menominee Indian Tribe.

Michael has completed teacher training with the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. Michael is a certified MBSR teacher through the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness. He holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. His interests include offering classes for the BIPOC community, exploring the benefits for mindfulness for overall wellness and quality of life, and how mindfulness can support skillful responding to the harm and impact of racial and social injustice. Michael resides in Madison, WI with his husband, whom he has enjoyed life with for over 25 years.

Katie Witkiewitz, PhD is a Regents’ Professor of Psychology at the University of New Mexico. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and has worked extensively on the development of a theoretical model of biopsychosocial influences on substance use disorder and recovery. She has conducted numerous grant funded studies on the efficacy and effectiveness of mindfulness-based relapse prevention, prediction of relapse following treatment for alcohol and drug use disorders, and mechanisms of change following mindfulness-based interventions. She currently trains and supervises providers who deliver mindfulness-based relapse prevention groups in community-based treatment programs for substance use disorders.

Douglas Ziedonis, MD, MPH served as an Executive Director for the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness and as associate vice chancellor (AVC) for health sciences at UC San Diego and was a tenured professor in the Department of Psychiatry until the Fall of 2020. He is the Executive Vice President for University of New Mexico (UNM) Health Sciences and Chief Executive Officer of the UNM Health System.

A distinguished physician-scientist and leader in the field of addictive disorders research, he was recruited to UC San Diego in 2017. For 10 years prior he was chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and president of UMass Memorial Behavioral Health Services. Under his leadership, his department became one of the largest in the country, with over 375 faculty supported by 2,000 staff, and substantial growth in research, clinical services, and education.

Dr. Ziedonis is internationally recognized for his research in co-occurring mental illness and addiction, especially tobacco addiction and recovery-oriented interventions. His research has been continuously funded for more than 25 years and received over 110 grants (28 as principal investigator), resulting in over 300 publications and scholarly works. He serves on multiple editorial boards, including The Scientific World Journal and the Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry. He is active in global initiatives, including current research in the UK, China, Latvia, Italy and Denmark.