As the former Acting Surgeon General of California and the Office's inaugural Chief Health Officer, I was a key public health spokesperson and advisor to the California Governor, and I led statewide policy and practice innovation to reimagine how we address trauma, stress and health.

While serving in this role, I publicly shared my own journey with bipolar disorder to help dispel stigma and internalized shame, and to spread hope and light - pursuits I continue to prioritize.

I previously served on Stanford's faculty as a pediatrician and conducted gender, mental health, and health equity research. My areas of expertise are: trauma-informed systems, stress and resilience, gender and health equity, and child health. Now, I advise entities that aim to advance resilience or equity. This includes serving on the national Board of Directors for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

I spent my early years between the Philippines, India and the US; I'm an immigrant and a first-generation American. I'm also raising a sweetheart of a toddler with my partner of 17 years, while living nomadically - a fun and action-packed journey.

Today, I'm partnering with Number Story to raise awareness around how early adversity and stress can impact our health and well-being - and more importantly, to share tools and strategies for preventing and reversing these impacts.

I'll be starting at 12:30pm PT (3:30 PM ET, 1930 UT) - so AMA!

LINKS:

• Join us at Ask Dr Devika B, a vibrant newsletter community I host to share weekly actionable and evidence-based insights for well-being
• Check out my top 9 mental health tips, my approach to overcoming imposter syndrome and perfectionism, and a series on stress and health.
• Stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light: lessons from experiencing bipolar disorder.
• Help Spread the light with Dr Devika B, a podcast on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube - or wherever you consume podcasts.
• Learn more about childhood trauma, toxic stress, and healing here and here.
• If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis, don't hesitate to call or text 988 - or reach them online here. Find other resources here, search for a US treatment facility here, and find a US-based therapist here.

Username: /u/DrDevikaB

Joining me today are leaders of the team behind Number Story, the first national awareness campaign around Adverse Childhood Experiences:

• Sarah Marikos, Executive Director, ACE Resource Network (/u/Sarah_ARN)
• Joy Thomas, Director of Communications, ACE Resource Network (/u/joyrises)

Ask us anything!