Center for Digital Health

John Pateña, MPH, MA is a public health professional with a passion for promoting mental wellness. He has a dual background in counseling psychology and public health research, advocating for innovative approaches to support mental health.

John is currently the Program Director at the Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health. In this role, he facilitates the Center’s intellectual mission, vision, values, and strategic plan, and advances the Center’s research portfolio, educational initiatives, and community partnerships. John serves as the strategic and operational partner to the Brown University School of Public Health to develop and grow the Center as a resource for digital health innovation. He is also an elected Section Councilor for the APHA Mental Health Section, serving as Co-Chair of the Population Mental Health Workgroup.

Originally from the Bay Area, CA, John graduated from the Brown University School of Public Health (MPH ’14) concentrating in behavioral and social sciences interventions. He also has a degree in counseling psychology, and practiced as a mental health counselor working with youth in hospitals, schools, and community centers. John has worked in non-profit organizations planning and implementing public health programs/initiatives in the areas of tobacco cessation, lung health, and chronic disease management. John's career focuses on developing novel behavioral interventions to prevent mental illness and promote mental wellness among at-risk populations, fostering organizational- and systems-level changes in healthcare, and collaborating with communities to achieve health equity.

John is part of the 2021 Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) cohort at NYU School of Global Public Health specializing in public health leadership. He has particular interests in integrating his training with implementation science: translating research into practice, disseminating evidence-based programs, and scaling up public health programs/policies. John’s vision is to be a leader within the population mental health field.