Michelle Greenhalgh

Michelle Greenhalgh serves as Director of Federal Healthcare Policy & Advocacy for Stony Brook Medicine (SBM) in Washington, D.C., where she leads lobbying, advocacy, and policy analysis across medical research, clinical care, and graduate medical education. A recognized leader in academic and safety-net hospital advocacy, she was elected by her peers to serve a three-year term on the AAMC Government Relations Representatives Steering Committee and was profiled by America’s Essential Hospitals for leading efforts to reverse a Medicaid formula policy that preserved over $150 million in DSH reimbursement for SBM.

Before coming to Stony Brook Medicine, Ms. Greenhalgh served as Legislative Affairs Director for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the primary agency responsible for federal substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health (MH) programs under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, she advised SAMHSA’s Assistant Secretary and Executive Leadership Team on Congressional and legislative matters, led in the development of MH/SUD-related legislation, built and led SAMHSA’s largest legislative team and served as the primary contact within SAMHSA on all legislative activities.

In 2025, Ms. Greenhalgh was awarded for her efforts to expand access to mental health treatment with the inaugural Excellence in Mental Health Leadership Award given by the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI). Between 2022-2025, she also received SAMHSA’s Superior Service Award, Innovation/Initiative Award, Superior Internal Service and Superior Internal Support awards for building the first ever legislative team at SAMHSA, securing SAMHSA’s legislative office in DC, securing increased funding for MH/SUD programs including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and leading SAMHSA in the multi-year implementation of the largest SUD/MH legislation passed to date (H.R. 2617, which is now Public Law No: 117-328).

Prior to SAMHSA, Ms. Greenhalgh served as a federal lobbyist for the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and as a state and federal lobbyist for the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). As a lobbyist, she specifically focused on legislation that increased access to mental health, substance use disorder and primary care services. Ms. Greenhalgh also served as a Congressional health staffer for Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). She has significant experience advocating for and securing increased state and federal funding for primary care, chronic disease, maternal health, and MH/SUD programs. Michelle received her master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire.