Speakers
Marcia Lee Taylor is the President and CEO of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing substance abuse among adolescents by supporting families and engaging with teens. In addition to her leadership role, she also leads The Medicine Abuse Project, a communications and education campaign aimed at reducing teen prescription drug and over-the-counter cough medicine abuse by half a million. Previously, she served as the Senior Advisor for Drug Policy and Research for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs and the Democratic Staff Director of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, working for then-Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. In that capacity she worked on a wide variety of drug policy bills aimed at curbing the proliferation of methamphetamine, ecstasy, and GHB as well as drug treatment, prevention, and enforcement initiatives. She has also previously worked for former Secretary of Health Education and Welfare Joseph Califano at The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York, and was a community organizer in inner-city Baltimore. She is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and holds a masters in public policy from Georgetown University, where she has served as an adjunct professor.
Sue Thau serves as the Public Policy Consultant for Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA). She is nationally recognized for her advocacy and legislative accomplishments on behalf of the substance abuse prevention field. Thau has an extensive background in public policy and has held high positions at the federal, state, and local levels. She was a Budget Examiner and Legislative Analyst at the Office of Management and Budget, in the Executive Office of the President for over 10 years. Thau was a driving force behind the passage, reauthorization, and full funding of the Drug-Free Communities Act. An expect on demand reduction issues, she has worked to save and enhance funding for all federal substance abuse prevention and treatment programs over the last two decades.
Dr. Amy Tiemeier is Director of Community Partnerships, Associate Director of Experiential Education and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Since its creation in December 2012, Dr. Tiemeier has been the Vice President for the Missouri Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program (MO P2D2) and in December 2014, she was named President. This non-for-profit organization is establishing medication drop boxes at St. Louis County police precincts. These drop boxes are available to residents 24/7 and all medications received from this program are incinerated. In addition to her role with MO P2D2, Dr. Tiemeier has worked with the City of St. Louis, St. Louis Area Agency on Aging and the regional Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) since 2011 to coordinate the annual St. Louis Medication Disposal Initiative. She also received a Cardinal Health Foundation Grant in June 2016 to promote medication disposal in the St. Louis Metro area.
Joseph Troncale, MD, is Retreat’s Medical Director. Over the past 35 years, Dr. Troncale has established himself as one of the premier physicians working in the field of addiction. He is both a fellow and a member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and was named Outstanding Clinician byAddiction Magazine in 2010. A published author, Dr. Troncale has contributed content to both Saunders Manual of Medical Practice & When to Call the Surgeon as well as numerous articles in addiction journals.
Jay Unick, PhD, MSW is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Maryland. Dr Unick has over 18 years of experience working with injection drug using populations in both a clinical and research capacity. His recent work is focused on behavioral health services research, including being the lead quantitative researcher on two NIDA funding RO1 grants that looks at health related consequences of changes in the heroin market.
Robert J. Valuck is a Professor in the Departments of Clinical Pharmacy, Epidemiology, and Family Medicine at the University of Colorado Schools of Pharmacy,
Dr. Valuck is Director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research (CePOR) at the School of Pharmacy, and teaches in both the professional and graduate degree programs. His major areas of research include postmarketing studies of the beneficial and adverse effects of pharmaceuticals, with a primary emphasis on rare, serious adverse effects of psychotropic drugs.
Dr. Valuck is also Coordinating Center Director of the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, created by Governor Hickenlooper to address the prescription drug abuse problem with a collaborative, statewide approach. The Consortium has evolved over the past three years to include nine work groups, with over 175 actively participating members across the state, focusing on key areas relating to education, prevention, intervention, and treatment. The Consortium has gained recognition as a regional and national model for the development of collaborative, coordinated responses to the opioid overdose epidemic in the United States.
Dr. Valuck is also Coordinating Center Director of the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, created by Governor Hickenlooper to address the prescription drug abuse problem with a collaborative, statewide approach. The Consortium has evolved over the past three years to include nine work groups, with over 175 actively participating members across the state, focusing on key areas relating to education, prevention, intervention, and treatment. The Consortium has gained recognition as a regional and national model for the development of collaborative, coordinated responses to the opioid overdose epidemic in the United States.
Becky Vaughn has been working in the addictions field for over 30 years. As President and CEO of the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse she was an advocate at the Legislature and catalyst in the community on prevention, treatment, and recovery support. She also ran programs related to prevention, adolescent treatment, and women's services. Her work included passage of many bills and increasing budget resources. In 2008 she became CEO of the State Associations of Addiction Services (SAAS) after serving on its Board. After the merger of SAAS with the National Council for Behavioral Health, Becky served as the VP for Addictions until moving to the the Addiction Policy Forum in 2016 as their Executive VP & COO. She has served on many state and federal committees and speaks on the issue in a variety of settings.
Daniel Ventricelli, PharmD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy Practice, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USceinces)
Dr. Daniel Ventricelli, PharmD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy with the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (PCP) at the University of the Sciences (USiences). Dr. Ventricelli earned a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy in 2013 and completed a Community Pharmacy PGY-1 Residency with the West Virginia University (WVU) School of Pharmacy and Kroger in 2014. Following his community residency, Dr. Ventricelli completed a community pharmacy practice research fellowship with the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) Gatton College of Pharmacy where his research focused on prescription drug abuse and misuse. In addition to his fellowship, Dr. Ventricelli earned a Master of Public Health Degree with a concentration in Community and Behavioral Health from ETSU in 2016. Dr. Ventricelli’s research and practice interests include inter-professional health communication, community pharmacy, public health and substance abuse prevention and treatment.
Lindsey Vuolo is the Associate Director of Health Law and Policy at the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse and does legal, regulatory and policy work related to addiction prevention and treatment with a focus on health care system reform. Prior to joining the Center, Lindsey worked in regulatory affairs for a managed care organization.
Sarah Wakeman, MD, FASAM is the Medical Director for the Mass General Hospital Substance Use Disorder Initiative and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is also the Medical Director of the Mass General Hospital Addiction Consult Team and a clinical lead of the Partners Healthcare Substance Use Disorder Initiative. She is secretary for the Massachusetts Society of Addiction Medicine and chair of the policy committee. She previously served on Massachusetts Governor Baker’s Opioid Addiction Working Group. Clinically she provides specialty addiction and general medical care in the inpatient and outpatient setting at Mass General. Her active research projects include a study evaluating the impact of addiction consultation on hospitalized medical patients with substance use disorder; a qualitative study exploring the role of recovery coaches for patients with substance use disorder; the healthcare cost and utilization impact of increased addiction treatment services across a health system; and the impact of a hospital-wide substance use disorder initiative on physician attitudes, preparedness, and clinical practice related to substance use disorder.
Kimber Lee Walker, PRS-S, Founder + CEO of Spread Hope Like Fire, LLC, and former National Program Manager for Young People in Recovery (YPR), has launched more than 14 recovery programs for nongovernmental agencies in 4 states across the US and supported the rapid growth and development of the YPR movement in more than 25 states throughout 2016. She is a person in long-term recovery and a passionate advocate for people with substance use and mental health disorders. She also launched the first pilot project for the Phoenix Program with YPR in Texas. Ms. Walker has worked in recovery support services with MAP Health Management and served as the Senior Program Director for BCFS Health & Human Services. While with BCFS, she launched a program for transitional age youth called YouthBuild, managed a Transitional Youth Center serving more than 400 young people per year in the Texas Hill Country, and helped launch six state-wide initiatives for transitional age youth across Texas several of which specifically addressed young adults involved in the criminal justice system.
Sharon Walsh, PhD, Professor of Behavioral Science, Psychiatry, Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, Director of the Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, University of Kentucky
Sharon Walsh, PhD, is a Professor of Behavioral Science, Psychiatry, Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Kentucky. She is the Director of the Center on Drug and Alcohol Research. She earned her PhD from Rutgers University in Behavioral Neuroscience and, after postdoctoral training, she joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where she remained for 13 years before leaving at the rank of professor. Her clinical research focuses on pharmacological and behavioral issues in opioid abuse and dependence, including studies on the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic characteristics of opioid dependence pharmacotherapies (i.e., buprenorphine, methadone, LAAM) and more recently on widely used opioid analgesics (i.e., oxycodone, hydrocodone, tramadol, and morphine). She lectures nationally and internationally on opioid abuse, dependence, and its treatment. More broadly, she has conducted studies in cocaine, nicotine, and marijuana dependence and contributed to clinical practice guidelines and board specialty requirements in addiction medicine. She has published over 100 manuscripts and book chapters. Her honors include receiving the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from President William Clinton, the Joseph Cochin Young Investigator Award, the Betty Ford Award, serving as President of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, and the Provost’s Distinguished Service Professorship. She has served on review and advisory boards for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the Veteran’s Administration, National Institutes of Health, the American Society for Addiction Medicine, served as an expert reviewer for the World Health Organization, and presently serves as a Special Government appointee to the Food and Drug Administration.
John Ward, MD, Director, Division of Viral Hepatitis at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
During his tenure, Dr. Ward has guided development of national viral hepatitis surveillance, prevention research, policies and programs including those to promote education, vaccination, and testing with linkage to care and treatment. Dr. Ward initiated two Institute of Medicine (IOM) reviews of viral hepatitis prevention in the United States, and authored the first Action Plan for Viral Hepatitis Prevention, Care, and Treatment for the United States. Globally, Dr. Ward serves as an expert consultant to the World Health Organization, other international organizations and national ministries of health. Dr. Ward’s experience includes 14 years in the field of HIV/AIDS conducting early studies of HIV transmission, natural history and directing national HIV/AIDS surveillance. Dr. Ward has authored over 150 scientific publications, served as Editor of CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), and served as Editor for Silent Victories, a history of public health in the 20th century published in 2007 by Oxford University Press. Dr. Ward received his MD degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham and completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Alabama Hospitals. He holds a clinical faculty appointment with the Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
Margaret Warner, PhD, Injury Epidemiologist, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Margaret Warner is an injury epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Vital Statistics. Dr. Warner's research focuses on fatal injury and poisoning surveillance. As part of her work on surveillance, Dr. Warner is coordinating and promoting public health in the offices of medical examiners and coroners. In addition to her research efforts, Dr. Warner provides consultation on the analysis and interpretation of injury related data to a wide range of constituents from both the public and private sectors
Scott G. Weiner, MD, MPH, FAAEM, FACEP is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School and an Attending Emergency Physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Health Policy Translation, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He serves on the executive board of the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians and the Massachusetts PDMP Advisory Committee. Dr. Weiner’s research focus is on identification of substance use disorder in the emergency department, particularly as it relates to prescription opioids. He has studied the effects of prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) on prescribing behavior, in comparison to clinician gestalt, and in relation to opioid risk screening tools. His recent research evaluates opioid prescribing behavior from the ED. He is also interested in implementation of prescribing guidelines and technological innovations that improve the care of ED patients presenting with pain. Dr. Weiner has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed papers over a decade of clinical and research experience.
Ms. Weisenford has over 25 years of experience in training and simulation. She has led the design and development of more than 30 training products that included traditional and advanced learning technologies such as games, simulations, and virtual learning environments. She has conducted research projects on learning-content reuse, intelligent tutoring, medical simulation, and learning data analytics. As a Federal government employee, she established and led the Joint Advanced Distributed Learning Co-Laboratory to investigate applications of web-based training, helping to create and test industry standards such as the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM). She currently serves on a training paper review committee for an international training conference and as an advisor to a graduate program in modeling and simulation at the University of Central Florida.
Laurie Wesolowicz served as director II of Pharmacy Services Clinical at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for over 9 years. Her clinical expertise includes formulary development, specialty pharmacy initiatives, physician and pharmacist pay-for-performance incentives, medication safety and clinical utilization management operations, including pharmacy-related fraud and abuse. She’s been an adjunct clinical assistant professor at the University of Michigan since 1995. Wesolowicz served on the Michigan Governor’s Task Force on Prescription and Opioid Drug Abuse and has been appointed to the Michigan Governor’s Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Commission for 2016-2018. She is also a member of the AMCP Addiction Treatment Advisory Group. Wesolowicz was recently designated as a Fellow of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.
Scott Wexelblatt, MD, Regional Medical Director for Newborn Services, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Dr. Scott Wexelblatt is the regional medical director for newborn services for the Cincinnati region. He is an assistant professor in the Division of Neonatology, Perinatal Institute at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He attended medical school at the University of Vermont, and completed his pediatric residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He is a faculty member with the Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative (OPQC) on the Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome project.
Annesha White, PharmD, Assistant Dean for Assessment and Assistant Professor, University of North Texas College of Pharmacy
Dr. White is currently the Assistant Dean for Assessment and Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas System College of Pharmacy. She graduated from Florida A&M University with a PharmD in 2001. She then obtained a Master of Science degree (Pharmacoeconomics) and her PhD in Health Services Research was obtained at the University of Florida with the receipt of a Fellowship to conduct Medicare Part D focused research. She has worked on funded projects with the Florida Medicaid program including studies on COX-2 Inhibitors, Hepatitis C and End Stage Renal Disease. She has also worked at the Government Accountability Office (the investigative arm of Congress), resulting in a publication, Federal Employees' Health Benefits: Effects of Using Pharmacy Benefit Managers on Health Plans, Enrollees, and Pharmacies. Dr. White has published peer-reviewed articles, a textbook entitled Introduction to the Pharmacy Profession and serves on the Editorial Board for several journals. Her research on pain management covers topics such as tapering opioids for improved patient safety and enhancing college curricula to address the growing need for comprehensive pain management education among clinicians.
Dr. Matt Willis is the Public Health Officer for Marin County, California. Dr. Willis has called on experience as a primary care physician and an epidemiologist to guide a departmental priority toward prescription drug abuse and misuse. In 2014 he co-founded RxSafe Marin, a county-wide coalition that coordinates the actions of diverse sectors to address the local opioid abuse epidemic. Prior to his role as Health Officer, Willis served in the U.S. Public Health Service as a Clinic Director in the Indian Health Service, and as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. He holds a BA in Medical Anthropology from Brown University, a Medical Degree from Temple University, and completed a Masters in Public Health and Internal Medicine residency at Harvard University. As Marin’s Health Officer since 2013, he is a champion for innovative and highly collaborative approaches to complex local public health challenges. He is a member of several state task forces dedicated to the opioid epidemic and has shared the RxSafe Marin model in state and national forums.
Laura Pannella Winn, MA, Associate at the Center for Social innovation, is an applied social scientist with interest in health care policy and its intersection with substance use, mental health, and homeless services. She currently serves as the Deputy Project Director for a three-year project funded by the Conrad N. Hilton foundation to develop and evaluate peer-based substance use prevention interventions for youth. In this role she leads project efforts to develop prevention approaches, design the research protocol, facilitate community coalition building activities, and disseminate the model to a growing integrated health care field. Ms. Winn has worked across C4 to develop and implement strategies to promote recovery supports under SAMHSA’s Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS TACS). Prior to this work, Ms. Winn served as the Research Manager for a heath services research group at the Harvard School of Public Health, streamlining data collection processes and leading a qualitative research team to identify barriers to improving readmission rates at hospitals serving low income and minority patients.
Rachel Winograd, PhD, Assistant Research Professor, Missouri Institute of Mental Health - University of Missouri-St Louis
Rachel Winograd, PhD, is an Assistant Research Professor at the Missouri Institute of Mental Health (MIMH) – University of Missouri St. Louis (UMSL). Her clinical, research, and program development interests have revolved around alcohol and drug use, consequences, and treatment. Dr. Winograd received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she conducted multiple studies conceptualizing and characterizing “drunk personality” and its clinical relevance. She completed her predoctoral internship with the VA St. Louis Healthcare System, where her interests shifted from alcohol use to opioid misuse and overdose prevention. Now at MIMH, Dr. Winograd is leading the Institute’s implementation and evaluation of MO-HOPE, a large, federally-funded project aimed to reduce opioid overdose deaths in Missouri. Her primary focus is on expanding access to overdose education and naloxone distribution for those at risk of experiencing or witnessing an overdose.
Richard Wolitski, PhD, is the Director of the Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This office is responsible for developing, coordinating, and supporting the implementation of policies, programs, and activities related to HIV, viral hepatitis, other infectious diseases of public health significance, and blood and tissue safety and availability. Dr. Wolitski has worked for three decades as a researcher studying HIV, STDs, and viral hepatitis risks and prevention among gay and bisexual men, PWID, and other populations Twenty of those years were spent at CDC. He is the author of more than 130 scientific articles, chapters, and reports and has co-edited three books.
Karen Wolownik Albert, LCSW, Executive Director, GatewayLake Villa Treatment Center
Ms. Wolownik Albert has over 20 years of behavioral health experience, and has worked in a variety of outpatient and residential settings. She earned her Bachelors of Science and Masters in Social Work from the University of Michigan, and is a licensed social worker in Illinois. Ms. Wolownik Albert is an experienced trainer locally, and also presented at national conferences on a wide array of topics as well. She is on the Board of Directors of the Lake County Opioid Initiative, a member of the Lake County Underage Drinking and Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force, and on the Steering Committee and Treatment Committee Co-Chair for the Chicagoland Opioid Area Task Force.
Upon graduating high school in Johnson County, Tennessee, Denise Woods attended college at East Tennessee State University seeking a degree in Elementary Education. She also served a two-year term with AmeriCorps by facilitating community service projects with students in Johnson County. Currently Woods is serving her community by working with the A.C.T.I.O.N Coalition, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides drug prevention education and resources to youth and adults as well as serving as an advisor for the local chapter of SADD (Student Against Destructive Decisions) of Johnson County.
Stacey L. Worthy, Esq., is the Executive Director of the Alliance for the Adoption of Innovations in Medicine (Aimed Alliance), a not-for-profit organization that improves health care in the United States by expanding access to evidence-based treatments and technologies. She provides unique legal insight through research and analysis of laws, regulations, and legislation; manages advocacy initiatives; provides policy analysis and drafting; oversees coalition-building efforts of allied organizations focused on advancing common goals; and represents the organization in the media. She is also a Partner at DCBA Law & Policy where she counsels members of the health care industry, small businesses, and not-for-profits. Ms. Worthy has authored several scholarly articles, including Achieving Real Parity: Increasing Access to Treatment for Substance Use Disorders Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act, published in the University of Arkansas, Little Rock Law Review.
Chad Zadrazil is currently the Managing Director of the Wisconsin Controlled Substances Board and the Wisconsin Prescription Drug Monitoring Program at the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services. He joined the Department in March 2010 to manage a multistate project to streamline the physician licensure process. Since November 2011, Chad has coordinated the development, operation, and enhancement of the WI PDMP. He was a Team Leader for Wisconsin's participation in the National Governors Association Policy Academy to Reduce Prescription Drug Abuse. Chad is currently the Secretary Treasurer of the National Association of State Controlled Substances Authorities, the Co-Leader for the PDMP/EHR Integration & Interoperability Community of Practice for the CDC Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention for States project, and is a member of the Prescription Monitoring Information eXchange (PMIX) Working Group Executive Committee.
Emily Zarse, MD is a fellow in Addiction Psychiatry at the Indiana University School of Medicine. In addition to working in a dual diagnosis clinic, Dr. Zarse is working on the Eskenazi Health Opioid Collaborative to improve access to care for opioid dependent patients in a primary care setting. She is training primary care doctors on identifying patients with opioid use disorders and treating appropriate patients with buprenorphine. She is also collaborating with the Emergency Department on Project POINT with an aim to improve access to care for opiate overdose patients. She has been very involved in educating medical students and residents in addictions for the past few years and continues this work in her fellowship.
Kun Zhang, PhD, Health Scientist, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Zhang is a Health Scientist and Senior Service Fellow at Prescription Drug Health Systems Team in CDC's Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention. He first joined PDO at CDC in 2011 as a guest researcher working on multiple projects utilizing third-party payer claims data to study patterns of inappropriate prescribing and use of opioids. As a Health Scientist on the team, Dr. Zhang's responsibilities include identifying and evaluating public health strategies and interventions at health systems- or state-level to address the prescription drug overdose epidemic, such as enhanced PDMPs, third-party payer strategies, and policy/legislative initiatives. He also provides scientific and technical assistance to CDC funded states.
