Mark Costa, MD, MPH

I'm a Medical Doctor with a residency in psychiatry and a master’s degree in public health. I also completed 3 years of postdoctoral training at the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health. My professional history in psychiatry started in Brazil after completing my residency in 1992. From 1993 to 2011, I worked as a psychiatrist and clinical supervisor in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. I was also the coordinator of the leading advocacy organization of the state of Minas Gerais – the Fórum Mineiro de Saúde Mental. After passing steps 1 and 2 and receiving his Education Commission for Foreign Medical Doctors (ECFMG) certificate in October 2013, I joined the research team of the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health (PRCH) of the Department of Psychiatry of the Yale School of Medicine as a postdoctoral associate. Currently, I'm an Associate Research Scientist at PRCH where I have been involved in various research initiatives, related to serious mental illness, social inclusion, health disparities, and substance use disorder (SUD) such as: 1) Life Stories of people with serious mental illness and criminal justice involvement; 2) development of the pilot shared medical appointment project on diabetes for the Yale New Haven Hospital Primary Care Center led by a peer support; 3) co-investigator on Dr Bellamy’s PCORI grant to improve healthcare outcomes and choice for people with mental illness with the help of peer supporters; 4) project manager of the evaluation of the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Supported Employment Program; 5) project manager of the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) Recovery Coaches in Emergency Rooms program 6) Co-investigator on Dr Bellamy’s R34 Harambee research project for people with serious mental illness and other chronic illnesses; and 7) project coordinator of the NIDILRR Advanced Rehabilitation Research and Training program on employment for people with psychiatric disabilities. He also brings his clinical experience in SUD and mental illness from his work as a psychiatrist in Brazil, where I was also involved with advocacy and discussions around health disparity and quality of life regarding people with serious mental illness and/or SUD.