advocacy

ARETÉ SCIENCE : Advancing Mental Health Advocacy

Building on his extensive career in mental health research, clinical practice, and policy reform, Dr. Lieberman launched ARETÉ SCIENCE, an initiative dedicated to transforming mental health care. ARETÉ SCIENCE aims to address systemic barriers to treatment, reduce stigma, and ensure that all individuals – regardless of socioeconomic status – receive the care they need. The organization’s mission is to remove obstacles that prevent people from reaching their full potential by focusing on both the treatment and prevention of mental health disorders, ultimately improving overall well-being.

Community Projects and Advocacy

Dr. Lieberman has led several groundbreaking initiatives to reduce stigma and expand mental health care access among underserved populations, including communities of color, the LGBTQI+ community, individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders, incarcerated persons, and people experiencing homelessness.

Division of Gender, Sexuality, and Health: The Program for the Study of LGBTQI+ Health

In 2012, Dr. Lieberman and Columbia Nursing Dean Emerita Bobbie Berkowitz expanded Columbia University’s HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies by recruiting leading specialists, including Andrew Solomon, Ph.D., Walter Bockting, Ph.D., and Tonda Hughes, Ph.D. This led to the creation of the Division of Gender, Sexuality, and Health, along with the Program for the Study of LGBTQI+ Health. The program focuses on research, clinical practice, education, training, and policy development to promote the health and well-being of LGBTQI+ individuals and their families. Its clinical services include the Columbia Gender Identity Program and LGBTQ+ Health at the Nurse Practitioner Group.

PROMISE Project

In 2010, Dr. Lieberman was approached by fashion designer and philanthropist Dana Buchman to establish a program assisting public school children in Harlem and Washington Heights with learning disabilities. This led to the formation of the PROMISE Project nonprofit. In 2011, PROMISE Project partnered with the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center to launch PROMISE at Columbia. Today, PROMISE at Columbia is New York City’s most comprehensive program providing neuropsychological assessments, clinical recommendations, and support services for underserved children with learning disabilities.

H.O.P.E. Center Harlem

Dr. Lieberman collaborated with former Columbia University Associate Professor of Psychiatry Sidney Hankerson, M.D., and Columbia Psychiatry faculty members to develop a mental health initiative at Harlem’s First Corinthian Baptist Church. H.O.P.E. Center Harlem offers free mental health services, education, and training to church parishioners and the greater Harlem community. The center seeks to reduce stigma surrounding mental health in communities of color, with licensed clinicians providing evidence-based therapeutic care for depression, trauma, sexual abuse, and bereavement.

Community Mental Health Project | The New York Public Library

During the COVID-19 pandemic, with support from the Leon Levy Foundation, Dr. Lieberman partnered with Anthony Marx of The New York Public Library and Black Health to launch the Community Mental Health Project. This initiative supports Black and Latino New Yorkers–communities disproportionately affected by the pandemic—by providing mental health first aid through education, outreach, and connections to mental health services.

Dr. June Jackson Christmas Medical Student Program and Fellowship

Named in honor of Dr. June Jackson Christmas, an African American psychiatrist and founder of the Harlem Rehabilitation Center, this program provides medical students from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds with opportunities to explore careers in psychiatry through research and clinical fellowships.

Miami Justice Center for Mental Health and Recovery

A collaboration between Miami-Dade County Judge Steve Leifman and Columbia Psychiatry, the Miami Justice Center for Mental Health and Recovery will create a comprehensive care system for individuals with serious mental illness and substance use disorders who cycle through the criminal justice system. Combining research, education, and direct services, the center will serve as a national model for mental health facilities. It will develop best practices in clinical care, training, implementation science, and community advocacy to foster a more compassionate and cost-effective approach to mental health treatment in Miami-Dade County.

Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act Final Rule

The Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 (MHPA) established that large group health plans could not impose annual or lifetime dollar limits on mental health benefits that were stricter than those for medical or surgical benefits. The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 expanded these protections, requiring health insurance providers to ensure mental health and substance use disorder benefits were equivalent to medical and surgical benefits. These final regulations took effect on January 13, 2014.

Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act & The 21st Century Cures Act

Signed into law in 2016 as part of the 21st Century Cures Act, this bipartisan mental health reform legislation was designed to enhance patient and provider choice, improve drug and medical device development, accelerate research into serious illnesses, address the opioid crisis, and expand access to mental health services. The Cures Act increased funding for brain research, addiction treatment, and mental health care, while incorporating provisions from the Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act to promote de-escalation training and alternatives to incarceration for individuals with mental illness.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)

Commonly known as Obamacare, the ACA is a landmark U.S. federal law enacted by the 111th Congress and signed by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. Aimed at controlling healthcare costs, improving care quality, and expanding coverage, the ACA mandated that insurers cover “essential health benefits,” including mental health care. It prohibited insurers from rejecting applicants based on preexisting conditions, extended Medicaid coverage for low-income individuals, and made it illegal for insurers to cancel coverage for those who became ill.

The Equitas Project – Mental Health Care Colorado

The Equitas Project (Care Not Cuffs), a national initiative of Mental Health Care Colorado, works to separate mental health treatment from the criminal justice system. By providing policymakers with a reform model based on modern neuroscience and best practices, The Equitas Project seeks to improve mental health outcomes while ensuring civil liberties and public safety. The initiative’s legislative language promotes clinically supported interventions, reduces the risk of harm to individuals experiencing mental health crises, and establishes clear pathways for emergency psychiatric care.
(Endorsed in August 2022 by the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators’ National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Courts’ Response to Mental Illness.).

First-Ever Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health

Dr. Lieberman contributed to the first-ever Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health, released by the Clinton White House on December 13, 1999. The groundbreaking report found that nearly 1 in 5 Americans experience a mental health disorder each year. Despite the availability of effective treatments, nearly half of Americans with severe mental illness do not seek care. The report highlighted major depression as the leading cause of disability in developed nations, estimated the direct cost of mental illness in the U.S. at approximately $70 billion annually, and emphasized the role of stigma in preventing individuals from recognizing and seeking treatment for mental health conditions.

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