Leadership

John Santopietro, MD, DFAPA

Physician-in-Chief, Behavioral Health Network
Senior Vice President, Hartford HealthCare

Dr. John Santopietro is Hartford HealthCare’s Senior Vice President and first physician-in-chief of the Hartford HealthCare Behavioral Health Network, Connecticut’s leading provider of addiction and mental health services. A nationally recognized leader, Dr. Santopietro comes to Hartford HealthCare from Silver Hill Hospital where he served as president and medical director.

Prior to his role at Silver Hill, Dr. Santopietro was chief clinical officer for behavioral health and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Carolinas HealthCare System, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit healthcare systems.

Dr. Santopietro has published and lectured extensively, especially on the use of technology to enhance the delivery of behavioral health services, and integration of behavioral healthcare into primary care practices.

James F. O’Dea, Ph.D., MBA

Senior Vice President, Behavioral Health Network

Email: James.ODea@hhchealth.org

James O’Dea is a clinical psychologist and has been employed at Hartford HealthCare since 1989.  He holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology and an MBA from the University of New Haven. A collegiate graduate of Rutgers University, he earned both a Bachelor’s degree in Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor’s degree of Science in Microbiology/Immunology in 1982.   

Dr. O’Dea came to Backus Hospital in 1989 to practice clinical psychology in the Department of Psychiatric Services.  He assumed his first administrative position at Backus Hospital in 1997, assuming leadership of the department.  In the subsequent years, Dr. O’Dea has held a number of different positions within the organization in program development and operational leadership.  He was instrumental in the development of the hospital’s bariatric surgery, heart failure, stroke and peripheral vascular programs.  In collaboration with other leaders, he was responsible for the development and maturation of the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) initiative.  At Backus, Dr. O’Dea was also involved in patient safety and quality initiatives, heading up the Patient Safety and Quality Department for several years, as well as the administrator for the hospital’s Level III Trauma program. 

In 2008, Dr. O’Dea was named the Regional Director for Cancer Services for the Hartford HealthCare East Region and assisted in the development of the strategic and operational charter affiliation with Memorial Sloan-Kettering (MSK), one of the premier cancer programs in the world.

In 2015, Dr. O’Dea was named Vice President of Operations for the Hartford HealthCare Behavioral Health Network, the largest integrated behavioral health network in New England.    The network includes the Institute of Living, Rushford Center, Natchaug Hospital and its many ambulatory locations, and the behavioral health services at Backus Hospital, Windham Hospital, The Hospital of Central Connecticut, MidState Medical Center and Charlotte Hungerford Hospital and St. Vincent’s Medical Center.

Javeed Sukhera, HBSc, MD, PhD, DABPN, FRCPC

Chair of Psychiatry, Institute of Living
Chief of Psychiatry, Hartford Hospital

Phone: 860.545.7629
Email: Javeed.Sukhera@hhchealth.org

Dr. Sukhera joined the Hartford HealthCare Behavioral Health Network in September 2021.

Previously, he was a psychiatrist at the Child and Adolescent Mental Healthcare Program and Paediatric Chronic Pain Program at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). He also was an associate professor at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. In addition, he served as a scientist at the Centre for Education Research and Innovation and an associate scientist at the Children's Health Research Institute/Lawson Health Research Institute and sat on the Executive Committee of Western's Centre for Research on Health Equity and Social Inclusion.

Dr. Sukhera is an internationally recognized health professions education researcher and thought leader. His research program explores novel approaches to addressing stigma and bias among health professionals and he has also been involved in advocacy and cross-sectoral work in education, policing, and community services.

Throughout his career, Dr. Sukhera has held various leadership roles, including as Senior Designate Physician Lead for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at London Health Sciences Centre. He is also a past Diversity Leadership Fellow with the American Psychiatric Association and has served on the Board of Directors of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

He also has been on several committees and councils at the local, national and international level. He is past President of the Ontario Psychiatric Association. He was on the London Police Services Board, serving as chair from January 2020 until he came to Hartford HealthCare. The Police Services Board is a civilian oversight board for the London, Ontario police force. During his tenure as police Board chair, he led the Board’s anti-racism efforts, worked on trauma-informed policy reform, and championed awareness for first responder mental health concerns.

Dr. Sukhera received his medical degree at the Medical School for International Health (MSIH), a collaboration between Ben-Gurion University in Israel and Columbia University. He completed his residency in psychiatry and fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Rochester, in New York. He also received a PhD in Health Professions Education from Maastricht University's School of Health Professions Education in the Netherlands. 

He holds board certification in both Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Michael Dewberry, MD

Medical Director, Institute of Living

Phone: 860.545.7260
Email: Michael.Dewberry@hhchealth.org

Ellen Blair, APRN, NEA-BC

Nurse Director, Psychiatry, IOL

Phone: 860.545.7237
Email: Ellen.Blair@hhchealth.org

Nancy E. Hubbard, LCSW

Vice President, Clinical Operations

Phone: 860.545.7098
Email: Nancy.Hubbard@hhchealth.org