Talkspace  announced the appointment of Nikole Benders-Hadi, MD, as Chief Medical Officer. In this role, Dr. Benders-Hadi will lead Talkspace's clinical practice, partnering with providers to deliver the highest quality digital mental health care as Talkspace continues to grow and scale. Dr. Benders-Hadi brings over a decade of invaluable patient care and provider experience to her new role and joins Talkspace during a period of expanded growth and innovation.

She will be pivotal in elevating the company's clinical offering, including leveraging clinical data and technology to deliver better patient engagement and outcomes and working with the product team to enhance behavioral health platform. A board-certified psychiatrist with a background in overseeing behavioral health operations, Dr. Benders-Hadi most recently served as Vice President and Medical Director of Behavioral Health at Included Health (formerly Doctor on Demand and Grand Rounds Health). Previously, she held the position of Chief of Psychiatry at Rockland Psychiatric Center in New York.

Dr. Benders-Hadi is a passionate advocate for mental health. She earned her BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and completed her medical degree and residency training at New York University School of Medicine. Following this, she pursued a fellowship in Public Psychiatry at Columbia University.

Her extensive research is focused on women?s mental health issues and recovery-focused treatment programs for individuals with serious mental illness.