How Dr. Simbiat Adighije Is Transforming Mental Healthcare Through Innovation And Accessibility

Dr. Simbiat Adighije, PMHNP, MBBS, MD, PhD, is the founder and CEO of Conscientia Health, a global telepsychiatry practice that has fundamentally transformed the delivery of mental healthcare across borders. Under her leadership, the platform serves more than 12,000 patients spanning 33 U.S. states and 16 countries, making specialized psychiatric care accessible to communities that previously had limited options. The founding of Conscientia Health emerged from Dr. Adighije’s recognition of systemic gaps in mental healthcare access. Her technology-driven approach incorporates predictive analytics that has reduced patient wait times by 20% while achieving a 99.8% reduction in suicide rates among her patient population and maintains a 4.9 out of 5-star patient rating across all locations.

Dr. Adighije founded Conscientia due to her own personal experiences where she saw a gap and need for access to mental health care. “I founded Conscientia Health out of passion. I suddenly lost my mother in 2014 and because I was a working mother, I could not afford to take time off work or pause anything else in my life to grieve. I thought I was okay, so I continued my everyday life while I was grieving – or maybe just going through the motions of it. On August 24th, 2018, I had just finished seeing a patient (let’s call him “Frank”) at the organization I worked with at the time. Frank was a working dad who was struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts at the time. We talked about his struggles in our session, and I tried to educate him on the potential need for medication and therapy. However, he refused the help because of stigma – his biggest stressor being “I’m a man and I should be able to handle this on my own”; he felt the pressure to continue life as usual without mental health support despite going through a divorce at the time. Frank’s story will forever remain with me. Why? Because the next phone call I received, after our session, was to notify me that my 37-Year-old brother Malcolm had just died. I remember putting my computer down as I trembled in fear, screaming in anguish as I ran out my door and down the streets screaming in utter disbelief: “Malcolm is dead, how is Malcolm dead”. He was full of life,” she passionately shared. “I founded Conscientia Health as part of my healing journey to address this gap in mental health care for working professionals, college students, mothers, fathers, and everyday people who were managing daily responsibilities despite their traumas – past or present stressors they may have faced or continue to face without adequate mental health support. I observed that many were not always in crisis but were struggling with symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, overwhelmingness, or feeling stuck. Yet, they still didn’t believe they needed therapy. They were dealing with life transitions that seemed manageable on the surface. Underneath, though, there is often stress, grief, anxiety, or burnout. This inspired me to create a platform that normalized mental health care, advocating for routine mental health checkups – similar to annual physicals. The white space Conscientia fills is proactive, easily accessible, timely (with same day appointments) and affordable mental health support for individuals – before they reach a crisis point – emphasizing prevention and early intervention.”

Conscientia Health has offered telepsychiatry before virtual mental health care even became mainstream. Since 2018, about 80% patient visits have been via Telepsychiatry. Patients can also use insurance, match up with the best provider for them in a fast and personal approach, and most appointments are done through telehealth (which gives people more flexibility). “This focus on care is what makes Conscientia different from other platforms. It’s not about volume. It’s about trust. There are no scripted sessions or overbooked calendars. Providers listen closely and build relationships with patients. That proactive mindset is at the heart of Conscientia Health’s approach. We want people to see mental health care as a regular part of life. Not something shameful. Not something dramatic. Just a part of taking care of yourself,” added Dr. Adighije. “Additionally, unlike platforms that may prioritize crisis intervention, Conscientia emphasizes routine mental health care — akin to physical checkups — targeting individuals who are functional but need support. Our multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and therapists provides comprehensive care, potentially integrating medication management and psychotherapy tailored to individual needs. Our team is building more than a platform. We are building trust across communities. We are helping reduce stigma. We are opening doors for people who have never felt safe enough to ask for help.”

Dr. Adighije’s expertise extends beyond clinical practice into healthcare technology innovation. She has collaborated with Mayo Clinic, Yale New Haven Health, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and New York Health and Hospitals System on healthcare IT initiatives. Her background in biostatistics and healthcare analytics has enabled her to design scalable solutions that address both operational efficiency and patient outcomes. Using her extensive background she has been able to differentiate the platform from other competitors through preventive focus; promoting mental health checkups as routine, not just for crisis management, unlike platforms focused on acute care, accessibility: operating 7 AM to 10 PM, seven days a week, with telepsychiatry and in-person options to accommodate busy schedules, personalized Care; emphasizing individualized treatment plans, including psychotherapy (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness) and psychopharmacology when needed, broad each; serving over 12,000 patients in 33 states and 16 countries, indicating robust scalability and global accessibility and insurance flexibility; accepting a wide range of insurance plans, including Medicaid/Medicare and all commercial insurances with little to zero copay to enhance affordability. No subscriptions, no monthly payments. Just routine care as you would your primary care doctor.

These core functions of Conscientia have allowed the platform to scale to $15 million+ in yearly revenue with a 85%+ patient retention rate. Since the platform has launched they have 256,000 visits and an average of 32,000 yearly visits. “I like to say we scaled inevitably. During the pandemic when we were operating in just 2 states (New Jersey and New York), about 30 % of patients relocated to other states in the US. Most of them would reach out to me expressing that they were unable to find mental healthcare services in their new states of residence. Some of them would drive back to New Jersey or New York from states as far as Florida and Texas just for their telepsychiatry appointments with us. I knew we needed to do something about it. Doing nothing meant we were leaving our patients without care (due to state boundaries). And so, we expanded into the three states where most of our patients were relocating to – Florida, Texas, and Pennsylvania. We followed our patients to provide the care they needed most, especially during the pandemic. We restructured and further expanded into additional states,” she explained.

More impressively, Conscientia Health’s success rate with patients including a hospitalization rate – < 0.1% in 2023, 2024 (1 in 1000), medication compliance rate: >95% as a result of our proactive and regular check-up approach to mental healthcare, 76% of patients report improved symptoms and overall, wellbeing after 3 months of treatment, 88 % report improvement after 6 months of treatment and 95% report being “stable” and minimal to no relapse after 1 year of treatment and ongoing support from Conscientia.

As Conscientia continues to provide affordable and reliable access across the globe, Dr. Adighije’s vision is centered on making quality mental healthcare universally accessible through innovative technology while eliminating treatment barriers globally.