Talkspace (Nasdaq: TALK), a leading online behavioral health company, announced today the appointment of Nikole Benders-Hadi, MD, as Chief Medical Officer. In this role, Dr. Benders-Hadi will lead Talkspace's clinical practice, partnering with providers to deliver the highest quality digital mental health care as Talkspace continues to grow and scale.

Dr. Benders-Hadi brings over a decade of invaluable patient care and provider experience to her new role and joins Talkspace during a period of expanded growth and innovation. She will be pivotal in elevating the company's clinical offering, including leveraging clinical data and technology to deliver better patient engagement and outcomes and working with the product team to enhance our behavioral health platform.

A board-certified psychiatrist with a background in overseeing behavioral health operations, Dr. Benders-Hadi most recently served as Vice President and Medical Director of Behavioral Health at Included Health (formerly Doctor on Demand and Grand Rounds Health). Previously, she held the position of Chief of Psychiatry at Rockland Psychiatric Center in New York.

Dr. Benders-Hadi is a passionate advocate for mental health. She earned her BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and completed her medical degree and residency training at New York University School of Medicine. Following this, she pursued a fellowship in Public Psychiatry at Columbia University. Her extensive research is focused on women’s mental health issues and recovery-focused treatment programs for individuals with serious mental illness.

“Dr. Benders-Hadi's extensive background in psychiatry and her experience in working within integrated health systems to make mental health care more accessible align perfectly with Talkspace's mission,” said Jon Cohen, MD, CEO of Talkspace. “Her dedication to reducing stigma and improving access to care, combined with her track record of leadership in healthcare, makes her an invaluable addition to our team. We look forward to leveraging her expertise to continue leading the way in providing greater access to high-quality mental health care for all.”

“Working with Talkspace carries with it both enormous purpose and value that I am proud to be a part of,” said Dr. Benders-Hadi. “Providers are critically important to Talkspace’s mission. Understanding providers’ perspectives, goals, and challenges is what will successfully drive patient outcomes. I am committed to championing our providers and fostering an environment where they can thrive, deliver exceptional care, and make a lasting impact on the lives of our patients.”

About Talkspace

Talkspace (Nasdaq: TALK) is a leading virtual behavioral healthcare company committed to helping people lead healthier, happier lives through access to high-quality mental healthcare. At Talkspace, we believe that mental healthcare is core to overall healthcare and should be available to everyone. Talkspace pioneered the ability to text with a licensed therapist from anywhere and now offers a comprehensive suite of mental health services from self-guided products to individual and couples therapy, in addition to psychiatric treatment and medication management. With Talkspace’s core psychotherapy offering, members are matched with one of thousands of licensed providers across all 50 states and can choose from a variety of subscription plans including live video, text or audio chat sessions and/or asynchronous text messaging.

All care offered at Talkspace is delivered through an easy-to-use, fully-encrypted web and mobile platform that meets HIPAA, federal, and state regulatory requirements. Talkspace covers approximately 110 million lives as of June 30, 2023, through our partnerships with employers, health plans, and paid benefits programs.

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