"We Are You"
Clinician Owned and Operated
About innovaTel Telepsychiatry
innovaTel Telepsychiatry is a nationwide telepsychiatry company that is owned and operated by clinicians. We believe that everyone deserves timely access to mental healthcare and telepsychiatry is an effective solution to increasing access.
We employ psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners and licensed clinical social workers that are licensed across the country. Interested in joining our team? -Visit our career page.
The founders have over 30 years experience and have a deep understanding of how challenging and important it is to increase access to care for your patients, and are focused on continuity of care, exceeding the standards for patient care and providing a high level of support to all of our customers including:
- On-site onboarding
- Training
- Unlimited clinical and technical support at no additional cost
Mission
Re-imagining the delivery of psychiatric care through advanced technology, and we are affiliated with like-minded companies that support our mission.
Core Values
Deliver Uncompromising Care
Our providers treat patients as they would a loved one.
Assure Integrity
We deliver on our promises.
Empower Collaboration
We work with our customers and employees to embrace challenges and create innovative solutions.
Share Our Passion
Every employee's actions demonstrate dedication to our vision.
innovaTel's Story
1993 -2017
Jonathan Evans and Lee Penman founded and ran the first community mental health center, Safe Harbor Behavioral Health in Erie, Pennsylvania. Safe Harbor is a large community mental health center that offers a full service crisis program, hospital diversion unit and an outpatient caseload of 7,000.
2006
Jonathan and Lee began offering telepsychiatry consultations with help from a small SAMSHA Grant.
2010
The first group of remote psychiatrists were hired to begin full-time telepsychiatry services.
2014
The demand for telepsychiatry increased and innovaTel Telepsychiatry was founded.
Leadership Team
Our leadership team has over 30 years of experience in mental health and understand the challenges organizations face.
Jonathan Evans, MA
President and CEO, Co-Founder
- His career began at Hamot Institute for Behavioral Health where he was initially employed in the emergency department providing initial evaluations for patients presenting in the emergency room.
- During his tenure at Hamot IBH he worked in many departments including emergency/ crisis intervention, outpatient therapy, Director of the Diagnostic and Evaluation Center(DEC) and the Director of the Adult Division, including inpatient behavioral health, substance abuse and geriatric units, outpatient services and the partial hospitalization programs. In addition, Mr. Evans served on the trauma rehabilitation team.
- He left Hamot IBH in 1993 to become the founding President and CEO of Safe Harbor Behavioral Health. Safe Harbor was established to provide intensive outpatient services to patients with serious mental illness and to provide 24 hour a day crisis intervention services to anyone in Erie County.
- He has presented at a number of national conferences on behavioral healthcare including Open Minds, The National Council for Behavioral Health and the Pennsylvania Community Providers Association on topics ranging from productivity contracting for clinicians, strategic planning and telepsychiatry.
Jonathan has previously served on many Boards including:
• The Pennsylvania Community Providers Association ( Past President)
• The Erie Center on Health and Aging (Past Chairman)
• Community Behavioral Health Network of Pennsylvania, Provider Advisory Board
• Advisory Board of Directors, Open Minds Inc.
• Erie Shriner’s Hospital, Allied Pediatric Health, (Chairman)
• Health Care Advisory Board, Congressman William Kelly.
He received his Bachelors Degree in Psychology and his Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
Lee Penman, RN
VP of Clinical Operations, Co-Founder
- Lee has successfully served in a variety of psychiatric nursing and healthcare administrative roles over the years.
- Her career began at Hamot Institute for Behavioral Health in a 30-bed Adult inpatient unit, serving in many capacities as a charge nurse and emergency assessment nurse.
- She has participated in a number of hospital committees focused on the enhancement of patient care. She was subsequently named to the Institute’s Diagnostic and Evaluation Center team, providing initial behavioral health evaluations for patients on a scheduled and emergency basis.
- In 1993, Lee became one the founding administrators of Safe Harbor Behavioral Health. As Clinic Director, she established protocols for the successful integration of psychiatric and nursing services in a community setting including one of the largest non- hospital based Clozaril clinics.
Lee has received key recognition in the healthcare industry, earning the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) award for Behavioral Health Professional of the Year and the Hispanic American Council award for Community Service Award.
She received her Nursing Degree from the Villa Maria College of Nursing, Gannon University.
Liberty Eberly, DO
Chief Medical Officer, Co-Founder
- Dr. Liberty Eberly is board certified in general psychiatry.
- She is a licensed Psychiatrist practicing since 2009 in outpatient community mental health, providing care to all ages.
- She has been practicing exclusively via telepsychiatry since 2010, making her the most tenured telepsychiatrist at innovaTel.
- She participated in the COMPASS grant program with St. Vincent’s Hospital in Erie, PA studying the effects of a team approach (includes a Primary Care Physician, Psychiatrist and Case Manager) with patients experiencing a chronic medical condition and depression.
- Dr. Eberly is very interested in the coordination of primary care and behavioral health care.
- She enjoys teaching, especially in a case-consultative model.
- She feels passionate about providing high-quality psychiatric care to underserved areas and about the use of collaborative care models to enhance access to care.
- She is a member of American Osteopathic Association.
- Dr. Eberly is a graduate of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency at Millcreek Community Hospital in Erie, PA.
- She has been practicing psychiatry since 2009 and is a member of the American Psychiatric Association.
- She also holds a Master’s in Medical Education from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Robert Wilson, PhD, MD
Medical director, co-founder
- Dr. Wilson is a licensed Psychiatrist with two decades of experience working in Community Mental Health. This includes experience working in integrated care delivery teams as well as providing services to rural areas via telepsychiatry.
- He is board-certified in both General Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
- Dr. Wilson is a recipient of a Service Recognition Award from NAMI of Erie County.
- Dr. Wilson earned his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, NY.
- He completed his residency in psychiatry and his Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Michigan.
- He has a great interest in expanding the availability of psychiatric services to areas of need.
- A fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
- An active member of the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society, currently serving as President-elect.
- Past president of the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society.
Administrative Team
The experienced team at innovaTel Telepsychiatry is dedicated to supporting and providing excellent customer service to each of our clinicians and customers.
Patti Bearley, DO, JD
Chief Compliance Officer
- Dr. Patti Bearley has experience working in the healthcare industry.
- She worked as a Family Medicine physician, as a Medical Director of a community health center, and as a Director of Graduate Medical Education.
- She believes in coordinating care between behavioral health specialists, and primary care providers and sub-specialists.
- She is Board Certified by the American Board of Family Physicians and maintains active medical licenses in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
- Dr. Bearley has strong interests in behavioral health, telepsychiatry, and telemedicine.
- Patti earned her D.O. degree from Western University of Health Sciences
- Completed her family medicine residency at UPMC McKeesport in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.
- Patti earned her law degree from the University of Dayton School of Law, and she was admitted to the practice of law in the State of Ohio.
Keelin Garvey, MD, CCHP
Director of Forensic Psychiatry
- Dr. Garvey is board-certified by the ABPN in general adult psychiatry and forensic psychiatry.
- She has worked in correctional settings for over ten years, serving as the Chief Psychiatrist for the Massachusetts prison system prior to joining innovaTel telepsychiatry.
- Has presented nationally on correctional healthcare topics, at the National Commission on Correctional Health Care and the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.
- Dr. Garvey also published on the topic of risk assessment and authored a chapter on psychotherapy in correctional settings in a correctional psychiatry textbook.
- Dr. Garvey’s expertise includes the evaluation and management of suicide risk in a correctional setting and the treatment of gender dysphoria among incarcerated individuals, and she provides consultation on diagnostic clarification and appropriate levels of care within the correctional setting.
- Dr. Garvey is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Medical School
- She completed her general psychiatry residency at Brown University and fellowship at the University of California, Davis.
Lindsay Jeglinski, MBA, RN
Director of Clinical Performance
- Lindsay is a psychiatric nurse with extensive experience in direct care in large outpatient clinics.
- She participated in the start up of a crisis residential unit working to establish best practice nursing protocols.
- She also has experience in case management and behavioral health managed care settings.
- Lindsay completed her MBA in 2018
- She completed her undergraduate degree in Social Work at Edinboro University in 2004 and continued her education in pursuit of a nursing career at Mercyhurst University in 2007.
- As part of the innovaTel telepsychiatry team Lindsay provides ongoing support to both customers and providers.
- Lindsay’s goal is to customers in the delivery of superior care to behavioral health consumers and maintain excellent relationships with customers and providers.
Frank LaFuria
Director Of Information Technology
- Frank brings over 18 years of IT experience in the healthcare industry to innovaTel Telepsychiatry.
- In his most recent position at UPMC Hamot, he served as the Project Leader on the site-to-site EHR implementation, where his role encompassed all aspects of the project. His duties included assessing network connectivity, workflow analysis, security administration, and training of staff and physicians.
- Additionally, he served as system administrator for multiple EHR’s and other third party applications.
- Frank also played an integral role in the deployment of telemedicine visits across multiple specialties including thoracic surgery, podiatry, and dermatology at UPMC Hamot.
- He has extensive experience in security administration, interface management, network and remote connectivity solutions, mainframe programming, document distribution solutions, and application support, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
- Frank holds a B.S in Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information System from LeMoyne College, in Syracuse, NY.
Kelly Irwin, CPA
Chief finance officer
- Kelly brings over 15 years of progressive accounting experience to innovaTel Telepsychiatry.
- The majority of her work has been focused in the oil and gas industry, with her most recent role as the Assistant Controller of EmKey Energy, and subsequently her position as the Corporate Accounting Manager for Gas Natural Inc.
- In these management roles, Kelly has had the opportunity to be responsible for various complex accounting functions of both public and private companies.
- At innovaTel, Kelly is responsible for providing ongoing internal accounting support, with specialization in the financial operations, reporting and development of the department.
- In 2015 she had obtained licensure as a Certified Public Accountant and maintains active licensure in the state of Pennsylvania.
- Kelly obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Comprehensive Business Administration from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 2001 and continued her accounting education at Mercyhurst University through 2008.
Samantha O'Connell
Social Media/ Digital Marketing Specialist
Samantha has over eight years of experience in and out of the healthcare industry, which encompasses administrative support and customer service.
During her time with innovaTel Telepsychiatry Samantha started in the role as the Administrative Assistant, and transitioned to the role of Social Media/ Digital Marketing Specialist in 2018.
Prior to joining the innovaTel team, Samantha was the Executive Administrative Assistant to the President and Publisher of the Erie Times-News. Among her many responsibilities she also provided support to human resources while also supporting the Executive Team and Board Members.
Samantha also has past experience as a medical assistant at a primary care office for UPMC Hamot.
- Samantha received her Medical Assistant training in 2008 from Great Lakes Institute of Technology, and she continued her education at Mercyhurst University in 2010.
Lauren Lashbrook
Director of Strategic Partnerships
- Increasing access to quality behavioral health care and reducing the stigma associated with behavioral health treatment is extremely personal to Lauren and she is proud to be a part of the innovaTel team
- Lauren combines her background in sales and marketing with her experience in the healthcare industry to specialize in developing effective telepsychiatry programs for healthcare organizations.
- Over the past few years in the telehealth industry, her purview has expanded to include navigating the complex and constantly evolving reimbursement and regulatory landscape for telehealth.
Shelly Fitch, RN
Clinical liaison
Shelly is a registered nurse with 8 years of psychiatric nursing experience.
She has worked in both outpatient and long-term State hospital settings. She shares a passion for the seriously mentally ill population.
During her outpatient experience, she was instrumental in modernizing the clinic’s electronic medical record and prescribing systems.
Shelly has a working knowledge of both clinical and operational complexities.
Shelly obtained her nursing degree from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in 2009.
M. McCray Ashby, MD
Director of medical integration & training
Dr. Ashby is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
He served as owner and practitioner of a private practice for six years.
Dr. Ashby as been part of the innovaTel team since 2014.
Dr. Ashby received his Bachelor of Science in Biology, graduating Summa Cum Laude, from Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, KY.
Dr. Ashby earned his Medical Doctorate in 2005 at the University of Louisville College of Medicine. He was awarded the S. Spafford Ackerly Award for Outstanding Performance in Psychiatry.
In 2008, Dr. Ashby completed the Adult Psychiatry Residency Program at the University of Louisville and the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship in 2010.
- As a child and adolescent fellow, he was awarded the Mohammad Shafii, MD Award for Excellence.
Kim Gildea
HR Coordinator
- Kim started her professional career in the world of Behavioral Health at a Dual Diagnosis Outpatient Center where she worked for 3 years on the office administration side.
- Most recently she worked as an HR Generalist at UPMC, with a broad range of responsibilities and a very dynamic role.
- Kim enjoys the more strategic, collaborative side of HR which is where most of her expertise and experience lies. In previous roles she was responsible for Leadership Training and Development, Human Capital Reporting and Analytics to develop focused HR strategies, facilitating new hire orientation, advising on policy and procedures, and consulting on employee relations.
- Kim holds a certification as a Strategic HR Business Partner from the Human Capital Institute (sHRBP).
- She has an AS in Business Management and a BS in Communication from the University of New Hampshire.
Polly Cooper, BA, MBA
Clinical Recruiter
- Polly brings over 20 years of recruitment experience to innovaTel Telepsychiatry.
- The majority of her career primarily focused on leading recruitment efforts, developing and implementing strategic plans and increasing overall enrollment in higher education.
- As Clinical Recruiter at innovaTel, Polly is responsible for creating a strong pipeline of behavioral healthcare providers.
- Polly obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations and English Writing and earned an MBA in 2007 from Heidelberg University.
Jamie King
Account executive
- Jamie brings over ten years of business development experience to innovaTel Psychiatry.
- For the past several years he’s helped behavioral health organizations streamline the process of gaining & maintaining accreditations, along with regulatory compliance training and CEUs.
- He now combines his background in sales with his experience in behavioral healthcare to specialize in developing effective telepsychiatry programs for provider
Board Members
Nauman Islam
Board Chairman, Founding Partner
innovaTel Telepsychiatry
Chris McFadden
Managing Director
KKR
Liberty Eberly, DO
Psychiatrist, Founding Partner
innovaTel Telepsychiatry
Jonathan Evans
President & CEO, Founding Partner
innovaTel Telepsychiatry
Young Chang
Partner
Potenza Capital
Chuck Ingoglia
Sr. VP, Public Policy & Practice Improvement
The National Council for Behavioral Health
Patrick J. Kennedy
President
The Kennedy Forum
Sal DeTrane
Empactful Capital
Linda Rosenberg
President & CEO
The National Council for Behavioral Health
Pamela Greenberg
President & CEO
Assoc. for Behavioral Health & Wellness
John Schmitz, MD
Medical Director
CentraCare
Cindy Hendrickson
Univ. Relations Manager, Founding Partner
General Electric
Lee Penman
VP of Clinical Operations, Founding Partner
innovaTel Telepsychiatry
