Staff

The MFP/ANA team is comprised of dedicated professionals who have extensive experience in

• non-profit management,
• mental health, and
• substance-use nursing

Our experience includes both clinical and research settings as well as technology development in support of those disciplines.

Nurse Educator/Director: TBD.

Project Director: Janet Jackson has been with the MFP since September 2002 and heads the daily operations and implementation of the policies and procedures; serves as the first point of professional contact for Fellows, university officials, and SAMHSA officials; acts as a liaison for MFP relationships with other organizations, assists with strategic planning, evaluation, and other essential programmatic functions necessary to provide quality programming.

Program Manager:  Samuel Suraphel joined the MFP Team in February 2015. With more than a decade of experience in program management and technology services, he manages all programmatic activities necessary to meet the program goals and objectives, including the MFP website,  www.emfp.org and social media platforms Facebook (opens new window), Twitter (opens new window), and Instagram (opens new window).

Statistician/Program Evaluator: Hossein Yarandi, PhD joined the MFP in 2004. He provides mentoring and statistical support to the MFP/ANA Fellows and serves as program evaluator, statistician and faculty for  the Statistics Study Group eCourse (SSGe).

Communications Manager: Indrias G. Kassaye, joined the MFP Team in August 2021 as the Communications Manager. Career highlights include work as a photojournalist; as a communications specialist with UNICEF in Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone during the Ebola epidemic; and as a multi-media producer and media trainer for UN agencies and international NGOs. He is also the author of Beyond the Throne: The Enduring Legacy of Haile Selassie I. Indrias is the host of Mental Health Trailblazers, Psychiatric Nurses Speak Up! the MFP/ANA’s podcast and Moderator of the MFP/ANA’s online community, the Fellows Corner.

Role of MFP National Advisory Committee: 

The Advisory Committee are volunteers who are experts in psychiatric and mental health care. They provide insights and recommendations to the staff and to SAMHSA regarding all components of the program. Among there myriad of activities are reviewing existing program policies and procedures and making recommendations; implementing and monitoring the appointment and reappointment process; serving as ambassadors for the program, mentoring the Fellows, and assisting with assuring that the program guidelines and mission are addressed. They also support the Fellows in the shaping and refinement of their career goals.