Speaker's Profile

Dr. Gerdes is a double board-certified adult psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist interested in systems of care, recovery-based practices, healthcare administration and innovation. She completed her medical doctorate at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Science with a focus in community health. She is a graduate of the Adult Psychiatry Residency and Public Psychiatry Fellowship at Columbia University. Dr. Gerdes is an innovative physician leader experienced in driving the development and implementation of modern behavioral health and substance use treatment programs. Her experience includes implementation of Collaborative Care at Northwell Health in addition to launching their Behavioral Health Crisis Program. She was the first Behavioral Health Medical Director at Cityblock and previously served as the Medical Director for Centene’s Health and Recovery Plan (HARP) for Fidelis Care - New York. Currently she is the Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder at Willow Behavioral Health, a virtual behavioral health crisis program.