Trustee Profile: Michael Jellinek, MD

Why I Serve: To Strive, to Seek, to Find—and not to Yield

Dr. Michael Jellinek understands the burden of mental illness and has devoted his professional life to easing it for others. During his 32-year tenure as Chief of Child Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, he participated in the training of more than 300 child psychiatrists. In 2014, the seasoned psychiatrist (who also trained as a pediatrician) received the William James College Mental Health Humanitarian Award for his organizational leadership, community service, and scholarship, including his co-development of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist—a one-page screening tool, endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Medicaid, designed to help primary care pediatricians identify children with emotional problems.

“My orientation has been to recognize, treat, and appreciate the suffering of people who have emotional disorders,” says Jellinek who considers William James College a partner in this work. He brings extensive experience in hospital administration and nonprofit leadership to the Board of Trustees (appointed in July 2024)—gleaned while President of Newton Wellesley Hospital; Chief Clinical Officer at Partners HealthCare (now Mass General Brigham); and CEO, Community Network and EVP at Lahey Health System.

In 2017 after retiring from hospital administration, Jellinek founded Ulysses Consulting, LLC. Its moniker nods to a Tennyson poem which, ‘tells the story of the Greek hero who decides not to retire, rather to continue leading his men in whatever direction the gods intended,” explains Jellinek.

This commitment to patients runs deep. Jellinek’s father, a primary care doctor in Manhattan, modeled the importance of giving back. “He was a profoundly generous man whose primary responsibility was to care for patients—regardless of whether or not they could afford it,” recalls Jellinek of what motivated his interest in nonprofits. After working at a summer camp for children with emotional disabilities while in high school, a commitment to the care of children took root.

“In the absence of shareholders, the public expects trustees to maintain equilibrium between fiscal sustainability and institutional purpose,” explains Jellinek, who serves on the Finance and Strategy Committees. In both roles, he is focused on the College's fiduciary responsibility to upholding its mission—to strengthen and expand the behavioral health workforce.

Jellinek and his wife, Barbara, three children and their spouses, as well as seven granddaughters make their homes in Newton and Wellesley. The family recently made a $30,000 commitment to support the Crisis Response and Behavioral Health Center at William James College. The William “Billy” Spalding Fund for Innovative Police Training—inspired by their son Izzy’s work as a police officer, first in Los Angeles and currently as a school resource officer in Newton—endeavors to create enhanced opportunities for law enforcement. The fund bears the name of former Newton Police Captain, a highly regarded teacher and leader, who died suddenly in 2023 at age 50.

“We wouldn't ask a social worker to apprehend a bank robber, and yet we ask the police to enter all sorts of difficult situations, often without adequate training,” says Jellinek, who considers increasing capacity for dealing with crises a worthy investment.

Jellinek’s commitment to advancing the field while ensuring future practitioners are well-trained and supported reminds us that the College’s mission depends on leaders who, like him, choose to give their time, treasures, and talents in service of others.

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