Innovation Meets Care: Critical Tech Integration in Mental Health

Digital technologies are filling critical gaps in mental health while raising important questions about access, equity, and connection. On June 11 at 6:00 PM (in-person); 6:15 PM PDT (online) // June 12 at 10:15 AM JST (online), we hosted a timely conversation exploring how mental health care is evolving and what it means to integrate new tools and approaches with care. Dr. Prentice Tom, Chief Medical Officer at Kintsugi, joined Haruka Kokaze, Workplace Mental Health Research Associate & Lead Japan Strategy Analyst at Columbia University Mental Health + Work Design Lab and One Mind, for a thoughtful and engaging dialogue.

SPEAKER
Prentice Tom, MD: Chief Medical Officer at Kintsugi 
Prentice Tom, MD, is Chief Medical Officer of Kintsugi, a pioneering health tech company that has created the first AI-supported non-contextual voice biomarker analytic tool for detecting signs of anxiety and depression. Prior to joining Kintsugi, Dr. Tom served as Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer of Vituity / CEP America where he led the development of many nationally recognized programs including Emergency Department Rapid Medical Evaluation (RME) and EmPATH programs integrating emergency and psychiatric care. Dr. Tom has also served as President of Galen Inpatient Physicians and on the faculty of Stanford Medical School. Dr. Tom received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, completed his residency training in emergency medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and was a Kaiser Fellow in health policy and management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Tom has participated in numerous medical organizations, including the International Medical Corps (Bosnia) and Emergency International.

MODERATOR
Haruka Kokaze: Workplace Mental Health Research Associate at One Mind 
Haruka serves as the Workplace Mental Health Research Associate and Lead Japan Strategy Analyst at Columbia University Mental Health + Work Design Lab and One Mind. In this role, she focuses on developing evidence-based frameworks tailored to Japanese corporations, addressing the mental health needs of their employees both in domestic headquarters and U.S. subsidiaries, including expatriates and their families. Born in Kobe and raised in Tokyo, New York, Houston, and London due to her father’s global assignments, Haruka’s multicultural upbringing inspired her passion for psychology and mental health across diverse populations. During her master’s clinical internship, she worked as a substance abuse counselor at Weill Cornell Medicine’s intensive outpatient unit, an experience that underscored the importance of tailoring mental health care to the needs of underserved and marginalized communities. Haruka has been recognized for her contributions to mental health in the Japanese community. In summer 2025, she was selected by the U.S. Department of State and Temple University to represent Japan at the U.S.-ROK-Japan Young Trilateral Leaders Summit in Osaka. In 2023, she spoke at the Association of Nikkei & Japanese Abroad’s convention in the presence of His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Akishino. Her work has earned accolades including funding
from the Japanese Medical Society of America (2024), the Japanese American Association of New York (2023), and the inaugural Young Alumni Changemaker Award from The American School in Japan. She is also a Heartfulness Fellow at Stanford School of Medicine. Haruka earned her B.S. and M.A. in Applied Psychology and Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness from New York University.