Lisa J. Rosenthal, MD, honored with 2025 IPS Excellence in Innovative Care Award

Lisa J. Rosenthal, MD, medical director and principal investigator of the Northwestern Medicine West Health Accelerator, recently received the Illinois Psychiatric Society’s Excellence in Innovative Care Award, which recognizes leaders who expand access to high-quality mental health services through transformative care delivery.

For years, Dr. Rosenthal has championed the Collaborative Behavioral Health Program (CBHP) at Northwestern Medicine, a team-based, measurement-guided approach that integrates behavioral health into primary care. By embedding behavioral healthcare coordinators and psychiatric consultation into everyday primary care, CBHP helps practices manage population health across all generations while scaling equitable, evidence-based treatment.

In 2024, Northwestern Medicine collaborated with West Health and Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute to launch the Northwestern Medicine West Health Accelerator, bringing together each organization’s resources, expertise, technologies and capabilities to design a practical, evidence-based model that other health systems can replicate nationwide. The accelerator supports primary care teams with training, workflow design and implementation support so patients can receive timely, coordinated mental health care where they already get most of their care: primary care.

“I’m honored to be recognized by my colleagues at the Illinois Psychiatric Society,” says Dr. Rosenthal. “I’ve dedicated my career to improving mental health care and am excited about the work we’re doing through the Northwestern Medicine West Health Accelerator to expand access to mental health resources through primary care practices. It’s my hope that other systems throughout the country can replicate this model so each person can access the support they deserve.”

Dr. Rosenthal is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, a fellow of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (ACLP) and a board member of the ACLP. Before becoming a physician, she worked in several community-based roles helping people cope with severe psychiatric illnesses. Witnessing the disparities of the healthcare system sparked her passion for integrated and value-added psychiatric programs. Dr. Rosenthal works to address morbidity, mortality and disparities among populations with psychiatric syndromes through the implementation of value-added and population-based psychiatric interventions.