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Joseph A. Miller, a nationally recognized behavioral health expert and past chair of the AHA’s Constituency Section for Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Services, died last night in his sleep. Dr. Miller was vice president for behavioral health care transformation services at Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey; served as assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University; and made frequent visits to Capitol Hill and the New Jersey Statehouse to offer testimony on key legislation. He also led a team that developed and implemented a regional trauma counseling response following the Sept. 11 attack in New York and served on the Governor’s Task Force on Mental Health Facilities.

“Joe Miller dedicated his life to serving those with mental illness, and his passion to improving access to high quality behavioral health services was endless,” said Rebecca Chickey, AHA senior director of behavioral health services. “Just last week, AHA worked with him to highlight the great work Hackensack Meridian Health is doing to integrate physical and behavioral health services throughout their health system. He will be truly missed, but the light and hope that he brought into the world remains.”