An internist and pediatrician with expertise in trauma-informed practices and public health, Dr.Turner leads Crisis Text Line’s Public Policy and Advocacy team. As one of the leading external voices for the organization, she is committed to actively addressing the mental health epidemic. She has been the featured expert in numerous news articles on mental health, trauma, wellness, and parenting. She is a co-host of NIKE’s acclaimed No Off Season podcast series.

Before joining Crisis Text Line, Dr. Turner served as the first Chief MedicalDirector for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, responsible for the oversight of Health, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Services. Her office’s focus included the impact of childhood trauma on youth involved in the juvenile justice system. She then served two years as the Deputy Secretary for Health and the Interim State Surgeon General for the Florida Department of Health. After her departure, Dr. Turner was a faculty consultant for the National Center for Trauma-Informed Care, co-leading national trainings on the neurobiology of trauma. She received a BS in Biology from Stanford University, a Doctor of Medicine degree from Case Western University School of Medicine (with honors), and completed the Harvard Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency Program. As a Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellow in Minority Health Policy, she earned a Master of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health.

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