Jill Bowen, PhD

Commissioner, Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services
City of Philadelphia

Jill Bowen, PhD, Commissioner of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) since December 2020, joined the Department as Deputy Commissioner in 2018.

As Commissioner, Dr. Bowen coordinated with multiple City departments, agencies, providers, and community partners to ensure service continuation in a challenged environment and advance her vision of addressing Trauma, achieving Equity, and engaging Community (TEC). She spearheaded the transformation of the Behavioral Health Crisis system, led Philadelphia to be a model city for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline roll out, and utilized her vision of TEC to work toward a system where trauma, equity, and community are the priorities of the collective work, with social determinants and drivers of health at the forefront of efforts to work towards behavioral health and wellness for all in the post-pandemic era.

Prior to joining DBHIDS, Dr. Bowen was Senior Advisor for Mental Health Initiatives for the New York City Office of the Mayor/Strategic Policy Initiatives. She has held senior leadership positions with NYC Health + Hospitals as Assistant Vice President/Chief Transformation Officer for NYC H+H Behavioral Health Services and at Kings County Hospital as Senior Associate Executive Director for Organizational Innovation and Excellence, and for Kings County Hospital’s Behavioral Health Services.