Last updated on July 12, 2021
Volunteers of America of Massachusetts (VOAMASS), a Jamaica Plain nonprofit that creates opportunities for individuals through residential and outpatient behavioral health treatment, re-entry for justice-involved individuals, veteran services and senior living, recently announced the appointment of Samata Sharma, MD as chief medical officer and Mindy Miller as vice president of integrated services.
Both Dr. Sharma and Miller have been promoted into newly created roles after each spending 10 years at VOAMASS. These positions will help the agency shift to an integrated services model that offers whole-person, trauma-informed care. In this care model, treating the trauma a person has experienced in their life is central to the services that they receive. Dr. Sharma and Miller will oversee a streamlining of the organization’s intake process and ensure that behavioral health services are accessible across the agency’s programs.
“Samata and Mindy are proven leaders and thoughtful innovators who will help guide the transformation underway at our organization,” said VOAMASS President and CEO Charles Gagnon. “We are so excited for them to take on these new responsibilities as we modernize our service offerings and position the agency for continued growth.”
As CMO, Dr. Sharma will provide clinical oversight, care review, medical compliance, and coaching for clinical staff to ensure the highest standards of ethics and quality of care is provided in a person-centered approach. She previously served as the agency’s medical director for more than 10 years. Dr. Sharma is board certified in psychiatry, consult-liaison psychiatry and addiction medicine, and has more than 15 years of experience in the medical field. She is affiliated with Brigham and Women’s Hospital where she is the interim associate director of the Brigham Health Bridge Clinic and director of Performing Arts in Psychiatry. She also serves on the faculty of Harvard Medical School as an instructor in psychiatry.
Dr. Sharma received her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree in public health and medical degree from George Washington University. She completed residency and fellowship training through the Harvard Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is a resident of Brookline.
Miller is a licensed mental health counselor and a licensed substance use disorder counselor. As vice president of integrated services, she will support the integration of all behavioral health services throughout VOAMASS outpatient, residential, and virtual care settings. Miller will be responsible for configuring VOAMASS’ electronic health record system, guiding VOAMASS as a trauma-informed care organization and focusing on continued implementation of evidence-based practices. Before being named to this newly established role, she served as director of outpatient services at VOAMASS.
Miller received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and a master’s degree in forensic psychology from Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. She also earned a certificate of advanced graduate study in mental health counseling from Bridgewater State University. She is a resident of Medford.