Beyond the Injury: Managing the Full Lifecycle of Mental Health and Stress Claims

Dr. Clarence Lee is an occupational medicine physician and healthcare executive focused on improving the efficiency and outcomes of workers’ compensation care. He currently serves as Vice President of Occupational Health Services for United Medical Doctors, where he leads the development of integrated employer health programs across Southern California. With experience in clinical care, employer services, and claims collaboration, Dr. Lee works closely with risk managers, adjusters, and employers to streamline treatment pathways and accelerate return-to-work outcomes for injured employees. A former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, Dr. Lee brings a systems-oriented perspective to healthcare delivery, emphasizing communication, coordinated care, and operational efficiency. His work focuses on identifying system delays in workers’ compensation and developing practical strategies that improve recovery timelines while reducing administrative friction across the claims process.

Dr. Darshan "Dan" Patel is Vice President of Quality and Network Management at Institutes of Health, where he leads quality initiatives, operational performance, and regulatory compliance across the organization while supporting strategic growth and patient-centered care. He brings extensive leadership experience in healthcare quality, managed care, and workers' compensation, having previously served as Director of Managed Care and Medical Management for a specialty workers' compensation managed care organization, where he expanded utilization review services to 40 states, achieved URAC accreditation, and launched new service lines. Earlier in his career, Dr. Patel led chronic disease management programs with the Interior Health Authority in Canada and served as a Quality Consultant for the Chinook Primary Care Network, focusing on quality improvement, change management, and expanding access to care. He is passionate about advancing innovative, high-quality healthcare delivery and improving outcomes for injured workers.

Joseph Sousa is Deputy Director of Risk Management Department, Workers’ Compensation & Occupational Safety & Health at City of San Diego. Joseph is a seasoned professional with more than 20 years of experience in workers’ compensation across both the public and private sectors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Southern Maine and an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice from Middlesex Community College and launched his workers’ compensation career in 2004. In his current role, he oversees the City’s Workers’ Compensation & Occupational Health & Safety programs, ensuring efficient operations while driving strategic planning and program development. In addition to his professional role, Joseph is highly active within industry organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Council of Self-Insured Public Agencies (COSIPA), is President of the San Diego/Imperial Valley Chapter of PARMA and is a member of the Education Committee for the Elevate Conference, where he contributes to advancing professional education and best practices across the field.

Dr. Kertay a strategically focused leader, industry consultant, healthcare executive, and clinical psychologist with extensive experience in applying behavioral science principles to a broad range of corporate and clinical settings. He currently serves in roles as Chief Medical Officer for Ascellus, Chief Psychologist for The Claim Lab, Behavioral Health Medical Director for Emperion, and Senior Consultant in Behavioral Health for Axiom Medical, in addition to other industry consulting. With over 50 years of clinical experience, his expertise includes health psychology, disability medicine, workers’ compensation, absence management, return-to-work, and medical-psychiatric comorbidity, with a particular passion for improving workplace mental health.

Dr. Heredia has worked in a forensic psychology practice for 24 years where he has interfaced with workers’ compensation claimants and he has reviewed/critiqued psych reports from AME, QME, IME and treating psych doctors who have submitted substantially flawed reports and/or testimony. Dr. Heredia is also a psychology professor at the college level and has proficient knowledge of psychological testing which is a tool capable of detecting when an applicant is being honest and truthful or is faking during the examination. Dr. Heredia is a faculty member with workcompcollege.com, an ambassador for The Kind Souls Foundation and an advisory member of HIRMA.