Yener Balan

Yener Balan, MD, DFAPA is a board-certified psychiatrist and is currently the Vice President of Behavioral Health and Specialty Services for Kaiser Permanente, Northern California.

He provides health plan oversight and direction to the NCAL Behavioral Health Program and Specialty Services as they develop an integrated model of 21st century health care – investing in technology, people and research to drive market leading performance; engaging members and families in quality improvement efforts; implementing processes that focus on proactive intervention and prevention; and engaging with organizations in the community to help shape the growth, education, and training of the behavioral health and specialty services workforce.

Yener received his medical degree from Albany Medical College and completed his residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He has been recognized as a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. Yener is a graduate of the KP Executive Leadership Program. He also serves on the board of directors for Health Right 360, has extensive years of experience working in high volume community emergency departments, is an expert on hospital operations, and has given lectures and workshops worldwide.

He is the bestselling author of the “Big Book of Emergency Department Psychiatry: A Guide to Patient Centered Operational Improvement.”

Dr. Balan was born and raised in New York City, and while he still misses the East Coast, has made a home for himself in Oakland, CA, where he lives with his wife and son.