CSAP Leadership
Board Chair - Roderick Shaner, MD
I am grateful to SCPS and CSAP for the opportunity to serve as the Chair of the CSAP Board of Directors for the coming year. I’m excited about continuing and deepening CSAP’s central role in coordinating strong state legislative advocacy for the California APA district branches.
As a current CSAP Board member and recent CSAP Board vice-chair, I’ve been delighted to see unified APA member-directed advocacy flourishing in all the California District Branches. Our advocacy is augmented by a highly respected legislative team with extensive relationships with key state legislators and administrators. As a result, CSAP has a growing track record of successes that demonstrate the critical role of meaningful APA member participation and full organizational transparency in effectively influencing California government policy and regulations. Further, member-direction and transparency have deepened our DB connections with each other and with APA and boosted recruitment of early career psychiatrists into advocacy work.
CSAP advocacy over the last two legislative sessions has brought greatly needed changes to LPS regulations, health financing, and insurance parity. But much more remains to be done to ensure that we California psychiatrists can provide the highest quality of care to our patients. CSAP is sharply focused on the opportunities for important gains during the 2025 legislative session. I urge you to continue to contribute your energy and ideas to this effort.
My own participation in APA psychiatric advocacy has been shaped by the time I’ve served in several capacities at SCPS, CPA, and APA levels. My chief focus for many of those years was public sector psychiatry based on my past work as a director of LAC+USC Psychiatric Emergency Services and medical director of LA County DMH. I also maintained a private practice, worked in managed care, and served on faculty at USC.
My focus now is promoting psychiatric legislative advocacy in which all APA psychiatrists have a strong and directive voice in shaping legislation and policy through organizations privileged to speak on our behalf. I enthusiastically look forward to participating as chair of the CSAP Board and working with all APA psychiatrists in California to improve patient care, strengthen our profession, and support the health of our diverse communities.
Board Vice-Chairwoman - Mina Hah, MD
I am thrilled to be serving as the Vice Chair of the CSAP board with Paul Yoder and his colleagues at Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer and Lange to represent CSAP.
Other advocacy positions include being the Alternate Delegate for Psychiatry for the CMA (California Medical Association), past president of Central California Psychiatric Association (CCPS) Board certifications include General Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine and am a fellow at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and at the American Society for Addiction Medicine (ASAM).
Clinical work comprises founding a private practice clinic, Synapse Association in Davis, CA and teaching as an Associate Professor at UC Davis. In my private practice I provide Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation TMS treatment and Spravato treatment in addition to providing general psychiatric care for my patients.
Prior education is from from Columbia University Cum Laude with honors and medical training at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, General psychiatry residency training at the University of Pittsburgh and a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship combined with a Research Fellowship at Stanford University.
Areas of research include the study of genetic risk factors for suicide in the pediatric bipolar population and depression in the autism spectrum population. Research and clinical work has been presented at APA, AACAP, Stanford Pediatric psychopharmacology Conference, Stanford Autism Working Group and was the site PI of a clinical trial for an autism treatment at the MIND institute.
Previous clinical work entails the following: working on dual diagnosis inpatient unit at the Palo Alto VA and at Children’s Health Council and supervising Stanford Psychiatry Residents and Medical Students, working at Children’s Health Council where I headed the ADHD clinic and provided school consultations and outpatient care.
Past administrative roles include the President of Medical Staff, Quality Management Director, and the Dual Diagnosis Unit Director of Heritage Oaks Hospital, and the Medical Director of Sutter Center for Psychiatry.
Previous academic roles include being an Associate Professor and Psychiatry Clerkship Director at California Northstate University College of Medicine.
In my free time I like to spend time with friends and family and hobbies include scuba diving, reading books, playing the piano and learning Spanish.
Governmental Affairs Chairwoman – Parnika Saxena, MD
Parnika Saxena is a double board certified general and geriatric psychiatrist and currently a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford School of Medicine.
She works at Stanford Hospital, primarily with older adults from different socioeconomic backgrounds on the inpatient, outpatient and ECT service. In addition, she serves as the training director of the geriatric psychiatry fellowship.
She is passionate about reducing stigma about mental health, in particular life saving interventions such as electroconvulsive therapy especially as she sees the impact of such stigma on a regular basis.
She has continued her advocacy work upon moving to Northern California from Massachusetts where she served as the Chair of the Public Sector Committee in the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society.
She aims to bring her vitality and enthusiasm to support the members of CSAP in the legislative priorities.
Governmental Affairs Vice-Chairman – Aaron Meyer, MD
Aaron Meyer is an assistant clinical professor at the University of California San Diego. He supervises trainees at a federally qualified health center, sees patients via telepsychiatry in Imperial County and works with the City of San Diego as their first Behavioral Health Officer.
His advocacy interests include increasing access to care for those with cognitive disorders and substance use disorders.
Dr Meyer is honored to work with CSAP and looks forward to another year of advancing the quality of mental health in California.
