Podcast Summary: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

Guest: Dr. Mandy Fauble, PhD, LCSW, Vice President of Operations at UPMC Western Behavioral Health
Host: Ryan Muhammad (Becker's Healthcare)
Date: September 14, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Dr. Mandy Fauble discusses the current landscape of behavioral health, focusing on opportunities, headwinds, and avenues for growth within UPMC Western Behavioral Health and the broader healthcare industry. She emphasizes the vital role of collaboration, the power of partnerships, technology innovation, and standing by the mission of patient care—especially for under-resourced communities.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction and Background

• Dr. Fauble’s Journey
  • Experienced in crisis services, community mental health, and academia.
  • Passionate social worker driven by collaboration and community engagement.
• Highlight: UPMC ranked #7 in the nation for psychiatry (00:21).

2. Major Opportunities and Headwinds

• Workforce Transformation & Technology

  • Rapid changes in technology (AI, apps, medication advances).
  • Focus on who can deploy new tech and how to evolve for greater efficiency (01:00).
  • Quote:

    “So much is changing that I think attending to how our technology is changing and who can deploy that technology and how we can evolve that to be more efficient is so critical.” – Dr. Fauble [01:19]

• Collaboration as a Growth Driver

  • Increase in cross-sector partnerships (e.g., health and social services).
  • Examples: co-response programs, 988 crisis line expansion, healthcare-housing partnerships (01:40).
  • Quote:

    “We can collaborate more across health and social services than ever before.” – Dr. Fauble [01:50]

  • Emphasis on leveraging resources creatively and expanding the workforce through teamwork and tech innovation.

3. Growth and Value Creation in Behavioral Health

• Patient-Centered Mission

  • Growth must consistently reinforce the foundational mission: patient care (02:51).
  • Extending reach to underserved populations, particularly rural communities.

• Strengthening the Workforce

  • Employee engagement is key: opportunities for learning, supportive environments, fostering ownership (03:30).
  • Notable Moment: Staff-initiated gardening activities cited as a small but impactful example of workplace engagement (03:50).

• Value via Relationships & Partnerships

  • Organizational growth tied to internal/external collaboration.
  • Notable partnership: teaming with the health plan to expand housing as healthcare (04:30).
  • Holistic patient care achieved through multidisciplinary alliances.

4. Risks and Strategic Investments Worth Making

• The "Risk Worth Taking"

  • Endorses investing in new partnerships and integrated care models, even beyond traditional service areas (06:33).
  • Quote:

    "The risk worth taking is always... where we contemplate a new partnership or a new relationship of some kind, whether that means moving into a new community, a new geographical area, a new specialty area, or even just building a new strategic relationship." – Dr. Fauble [06:39]

• Strategic Risk Management

  • Diversify core competencies, build alliances, enhance advocacy.
  • Staying stagnant is the greatest risk for organizations.

5. Best Opportunities for Future Growth

• Endless Possibilities through Partnership

  • Behavioral health as a universal contributor: schools, justice system, physical health, community living (08:43).
  • Reducing costs and complications when behavioral health is prioritized across sectors.
  • Quote:

    “Behavioral health is truly part of every domain of human life. So really, the possibilities for partnership are just endless.” – Dr. Fauble [08:50]

• Embracing Technology and Innovation

  • Telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and digital apps seen as powerful tools to foster connection and efficiency (10:10).
  • Sustainability in growth depends on balancing innovation with deep community and relationship-building.

Notable Quotes

• “Attending to how our technology is changing and who can deploy that technology and how we can evolve that to be more efficient is so critical.” – Dr. Mandy Fauble [01:19]
• “We can collaborate more across health and social services than ever before.” – Dr. Mandy Fauble [01:50]
• “Growth in healthcare services must continue to support the core of our collective mission, which is truly patient care.” – Dr. Mandy Fauble [02:54]
• “The risk worth taking is always... where we contemplate a new partnership or a new relationship of some kind.” – Dr. Mandy Fauble [06:39]
• “Behavioral health is truly part of every domain of human life. So really, the possibilities for partnership are just endless.” – Dr. Mandy Fauble [08:50]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:21 – Dr. Fauble introduces herself and her background
• 01:00 – Main opportunities and headwinds: technology, collaboration
• 02:51 – Framing growth through the lens of mission and value
• 03:30 – Workforce engagement and organizational growth
• 04:30 – Partnership highlights (housing and health plan)
• 06:33 – Risks and investments worth making
• 08:43 – Opportunities for growth: partnerships, innovation
• 10:10 – Embracing innovation (telehealth, digital apps)

Memorable Moments

• Staff-led gardening initiatives as an emblem of empowering frontline workers (03:50).
• Concrete examples of how UPMC is pushing into non-traditional health partnerships, such as housing (04:30, 06:40).
• Dr. Fauble’s repeated linking of behavioral health to every aspect of social and systemic health—a “broken record” moment that underscores a central theme (08:43).

Conclusion

Dr. Mandy Fauble brings an inspiring, practical perspective on the possibilities before behavioral health—anchored by steadfast commitment to patient care, innovation, and collaborative growth. Her insights make a clear case that partnerships and technology, when rooted in organizational values, hold the future for advancing healthcare and community well-being.