Jessica A. Jonikas, MA, is Associate Director of the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Center on Mental Health Services Research and Policy, as well as a Research Specialist in Health Systems Research for the UIC Department of Psychiatry. She holds a Master’s degree from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration and Center for Health Administration Studies. Ms. Jonikas is co-investigator or program director on federally-funded projects to promote wellness self-management, holistic health, and self-determination for people in recovery, as well as evidence-based practices and research translation in public mental health settings. Ms. Jonikas is the senior author or co-author of research articles, book chapters, training guides, and other educational resources on recovery-oriented models of care. For over 25 years, she has been an influential force in preparing and mentoring the mental health workforce.

Peggy Swarbrick, PhD, FAOTA, has worked for the Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey Wellness Institute for 25 years. She is also the Associate Director of the Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies and a Research Professor in the Applied Department of Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. She developed a strengths-based 8-dimensional wellness model to promote recovery from mental health and substance use and wellness self-care programs for caregivers, families, youth, and professionals. Dr. Swarbrick is known for bringing the voices and needs of people to the table by collaborating with the peer community and family groups to identify and address social determinants that are barriers to recovery and wellness. She has made significant contributions to the body of literature in occupational therapy, nursing, and community behavioral health care practice, focused on wellness, peer support, health disparities, and social determinants of health, employment, trauma, and self-care.