Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services

Jill Bowen, Ph.D., has been Commissioner of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) since December 2020, having joined the department as Deputy Commissioner in January 2018 and assuming the Acting Commissioner role in October 2020.

As commissioner, Bowen oversees a vast network of providers offering treatment and services to address mental health challenges, substance misuse, and the impact of social determinants of health on behavioral health and wellness, which were disproportionately heightened during the pandemic. Bowen has deepened systems approaches to the solving of complex issues, focusing on integration of project management, outcomes, and outreach data to measure effectiveness and reach.

During her tenure with DBHIDS, Dr. Bowen provided oversight of administrative and finance functions for the multi-division department, as well as a focused emphasis on high priority vulnerable populations and communities impacted by multiple traumas including housing insecurity, opioid and other substance use disorders, and the COVID pandemic. Dr. Bowen deepened systems approaches to the solving of complex issues, focusing on integration of project management, outcomes, and outreach data to measure effectiveness and reach.

During her brief time as Acting Commissioner, Dr. Bowen worked together with other city departments, agencies, and providers to enhance collaboration between DBHIDS and the Philadelphia Police Department, ensure service continuation in a challenged environment, and advance her vision of  addressing Trauma, achieving Equity and engaging Community (TEC).

Earlier Work

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 previously 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.

Trained as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Bowen received her doctoral degree at the Derner Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies/Adelphi University. Her work has included direct care as a member of an interdisciplinary clinical team and supervisory work in clinical and forensic psychology. She was the Deputy Director and Unit Chief of the Forensic Psychiatry Service at Kings County Hospital Center before moving on to work as a senior administrator within Behavioral Health, focusing on strategic planning and process improvement.

Other Accomplishments

She is gold-level trained in lean improvement methodology and has played a significant role in the development of initiatives that contributed to wide ranging behavioral health clinical and operational improvements. Dr. Bowen is co-editor and co-author of the first book exclusively devoted to mental health and lean healthcare, Lean Behavioral Health.