Maysa Akbar, PhD, is a respected scientist-practitioner, best-selling author, and serves as the chief diversity officer at the American Psychological Association. Her expertise in racial trauma combined with her sustained commitment to dismantle systemic racism within various sectors such healthcare, education, and the criminal justice system, demonstrate her relentless pursuit of racial justice and accessible and equitable mental health care.

In April 2021, Dr. Akbar and APA's Chief Executive Officer advised the Biden-Harris Administration's Health Equity Task Force on the criticality of integrating psychological science into their equity strategies to inform the COVID-19 response and recovery among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. As part of the recommendations put forth, Dr. Akbar addressed acts of ongoing discrimination in the U.S healthcare system and its role in exacerbating disparities in maternal health during COVID-19, particularly for Black and Indigenous women.

Dr. Akbar's research and written publications illuminate racial trauma approaches as a mechanism by which clinicians and other health professionals can humanize the experiences of people of color. Dr. Akbar advances racial justice work through the creation of her Ally Identity Model, which details the stages of allyship in dismantling systemic oppression.

Dr. Akbar is a board-certified clinical psychologist and held a faculty appointment from 2004 - 2021 at the Yale School of Medicine, Child Study Center as an assistant clinical professor. Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Saint Louis University, a MS in community psychology from Florida A&M University, and a BA in psychology and woman's studies from State University of New York at Albany. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and Jack and Jill of America. She is the CEO and founder of Integrated Wellness Group, psychotherapy practice specializing in treating race-based trauma since 2008.