Here are the innovative and accomplished professionals who help support our Mission and Vision every day.
Creator and Founder of Emotional Vaccines
Dr. Mehra created Emotional Vaccines as a resource designed to build individual, organizational, and community wide resiliency in a manner that is scalable and leads to meaningful outcomes for emotional well-being. By training, Dr. Mehra is a Board-Certified Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist, and has been in practice in the Tampa Bay area for over 35 years. He has held multiple physician executive leadership positions such as Medical Director of Gracepoint Wellness, Directions for Living (Clearwater), Joshua House, and Children’s Home Network as examples. His direct patient work has focused on children in foster care for over 25 years and assisting professional athletes in football, baseball, and soccer with life’s challenges. Dr. Mehra has lived a life of dedication to serve others and as such has received numerous awards for community service. Dr. Mehra’s passions lie with faith, family, and friends. He is joyfully married to his wife, Cathy, and has two daughters, and two precious granddaughters.
Favorite story about Emotional Vaccines: We rolled out a series of parenting content videos in a local early childhood learning center. This led the parents to establish a PTA for themselves to support and educate each other!
Personal fun facts: Dr. Mehra has been to all 7 continents. His favorite things to do are traveling, exercise/playing tennis, finding “hole in the wall” eateries, and learning from his grandkids.
Co-Founder
Dennis Hartin is the Co-Founder of Emotional Vaccines, a groundbreaking mental-wellbeing initiative focused on building prevention-based public health strategies for emotional resilience.
Inspired to improve the current reactionary model, his team has built something innovative to the existing landscape. Through this work, Dennis partners with healthcare leaders, educators, and community organizations to advance proactive approaches to mental health that strengthen individuals and workplaces alike.
With more than three decades of experience in the insurance and benefits industry, Dennis brings a unique blend of strategic insight and people-centered innovation to every engagement. He began his insurance career in 1994 and advanced through the ranks of a national carrier, overseeing assets exceeding $100 million.
Dennis has been featured in Benefits Pro Magazine and has spoken at national conferences for his innovative work in benefits design, mental health and employee engagement. He is also a contributor to an Amazon bestseller and was profiled in the book 25 Changemakers in Florida (2021).
Passionate about service and community impact, Dennis has held board positions with Neuro Shifts, Keystone Prep High School, HR Tampa, NABIP and currently chairs Madi’s Movement. His nonprofit and public-sector initiatives have helped organizations reduce expenses, expand reach, and amplify their missions.
Technical Developer
The current treatment model is reactive, under-sourced, and unable to address the escalating consequences of the worldwide mental wellness crisis. Everyday life challenges, when not addressed early and adequately, can lead to complex issues later in life. Resiliency education with a targeted strategy for the public can lead to healthier communities.
Emotional Vaccines provides a much-needed, proactive solution with practical and scalable interventions.
Why do you brush your teeth everyday? To prevent tooth decay.
Why do you have your child wear a bike helmet? To prevent head injuries.
