FQA Institute for Social Impact
We are a non-profit consulting firm that helps organizations design and scale solutions in support of people with substance use disorder and their families
OUR WHY
Despite ample financial resources, deep knowledge of the healthcare system and a large network of medical and behavioral resources, our founder Vijay Murugappan lost the mother of his children, the woman he married 20+ years ago and a caring pediatrician, to years of mental illness, addiction and associated complications.
"We did everything right and were well-supported by our friends and family, but couldn’t prevent the tragic outcome. As I shared my story with close friends and acquaintances, I was saddened by how many people had similar experiences, including various colleagues".
Addiction can have devastating effects on individuals and families, but also have the power to destabilize societies as a whole. Billions of dollars are spent by governments, religious institutions, non-profits and social enterprises to address these issues, yet they remain largely intractable with only modest progress.
40M
People living with SUD in the United States
95K
Preventable deaths from causes related to excessive alcohol use
10%
People with SUD get the treatment they need
We have launched our new website. Check it out now!
Now Published - A Beginner's Guide to Substance Use Disorder (SUD)
We created this Detailed Addiction Overview, which covers key metrics and trends related to SUD prevalence, challenges that individuals and families face along the journey, and ways that various ecosystem players engage with and support people with SUD.
OUR HISTORY
Personal experiences with mental illness, substance use disorder (SUD), disability inclusion and other social issues motivated our founding team to seek a new approach.
OUR MISSION
We intend to help foster a high-performing ecosystem that brings together research, non-profits, start-ups and corporations to design, optimize and scale long-term, data-driven solutions to substance use disorder.
We will achieve this mission by working across four program areas.
Consulting to Addiction Organizations
We provide advisory services to SUD organizations across their life cycle, leveraging our payer expertise and consulting background to facilitate strategic planning, perform market scans, deploy process improvements, and create roadmaps for scaling local solutions.
Innovation Accelerator Program
In partnership with MATTER, we are launching an Addiction Innovation Challenge, where we will identify promising startups and bring to market SUD solutions that will have measurable, meaningful impact. For more information, check out this overview.
Care Navigation Collaboratives
We bring together people working on improving SUD care navigation to discuss challenges and share best practices at a grassroots level. For more information, check out our Care Navigation Collaboratives page.
Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) Initiative
We provide implementation services for employers looking to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment for employees impacted by SUD. Originally started in New Hampshire, we will bring the RFW initiative to interested employers in Texas.
We are a team of passionate individuals on a mission.
Vijay Murugappan
Co-founder and CEO
Caitlin Powers
Co-founder and Executive Director
Courtney Hanna
FQA Senior Associate
Sanjana Shenoy
Social Impact Associate
Dr. Yogesh Shelke
Engagement Manager,
Clinical Specialist
Chris Jones
Partner, FQA Innovation Practice Lead
CSR Activities
We are committed to our communities and understand the importance of giving back. This commitment is deeply embedded in the ideology of our leaders and a core part of our firm culture. Through firm and individual contributions, volunteerism, and board membership, we support the following non-profit organizations.
"I decided to join FQA Institute for Social Impact because I am passionate about public health and access to care issues. I think we have an exciting opportunity to help organizations drive long-term, sustainable change in the addiction space, in close partnership with industry experts."
Caitlin Powers, Executive Director of FQA Institute for Social Impact