2018 Speakers
 
 
The Rx Summit annually gathers leading field experts, researchers, policy makers, and others to present a comprehensive and diverse agenda. Below are 2018 speakers.
 
 
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Traci Green
Traci Green
PhD, MSc, Deputy Director, Boston Medical Center Injury Prevention Center
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Epidemiology, Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University
Dr. Traci Green is an epidemiologist whose research focuses on drug abuse, addiction and injury. She earned a master's degree in epidemiology and biostatistics from McGill University and a doctorate in epidemiology from Yale University. She helped design the ASI-MV®, a real-time illicit and Rx drug abuse surveillance system developed by Inflexxion, Inc. Currently, she is Deputy Director of the Boston Medical Center Injury Prevention Center and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Epidemiology at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University. Green helped co-found www.prescribetoprevent.org, chairs the Drug Overdose Prevention and Rescue Coalition for the Rhode Island Department of Health, and serves as an advisor to the Rhode Island Governor on addiction and overdose. Her research is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and the Department of Justice.
Drug Checking: A Novel Evidence-Based Strategy for Preventing Overdose
Pharmacy-Based Naloxone: Strategies from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Oregon and Washington


Catherine "Bizz" Grimes
Catherine "Bizz" Grimes
MEd, ASN, RN, Ambulatory Nurse Clinician
Indiana University School of Medicine
Catherine "Bizz" Grimes obtained her nursing degree in 2003 from the School of Nursing at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Upon receipt of her degree, she worked with the high-risk obstetric population on the Obstetric Intensive Care Unit at Indiana University Health, University Hospital for ten years. After a three-month respite, she returned to work as an Ambulatory Nurse Clinician in the Prenatal Diagnosis Clinic at Indiana University Health, University Hospital. She naturally gravitated toward the opioid use disorder population within the first year of working as an outpatient nurse. Prior to obtaining her nursing degree, she spent 10years working as a Reference Assistant and Interlibrary Loan Coordinator at the Roy O. West Library at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.
What We Wish We Had Known: Lessons Learned in Establishing a MAT Program for Pregnant Women


Doris Gundersen
Doris Gundersen
MD, Colorado PHP Medical Director
Federation of State Physician Health Programs
Dr. Doris Gundersen is board certified in both general adult and forensic psychiatry. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado, where she teaches medical students residents and fellows. Additionally, she maintains a private practice in general adult and forensic psychiatry. In 2000, Gundersen was invited to join the Colorado Physician Health Program (CPHP) team and for 15 years, has been dedicated to assisting physicians with serious illnesses and providing education to medical communities locally, nationally and internationally concerning physician health. She has been CPHP’s medical director since 2009. She has collaborated with her CPHP colleagues on physician health research and coauthored articles accepted for publication. She currently chairs the Colorado Medical Society’s committee on physician well-being. Gundersen is the past-President of the Federation of State Physician Health Programs.
Improving Addiction Outcomes: Lessons from the Physician Health Program Model


Erin Gutierrez
Erin Gutierrez
Executive Producer
WXIA Tegna, Inc.
Erin Gutierrez is a producer whose background spans from overseeing local newscasts to crafting coverage for CNN. Gutierrez and Jeremy Campbell are the creators of “The Triangle,” a documentary news series that exposed the dramatic increase in heroin related deaths in Atlanta’s suburbs and investigated potential solutions to the crisis.  Their work together has been honored with six Emmy Awards, a Murrow Award for Innovation and the National Association of Broadcaster’s President’s Award. 
How to Talk to the Media About Heroin


Gery Guy
Gery Guy
PhD, MPH, Senior Health Economist
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Gery P. Guy, Jr., is a Senior Health Economist in the Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He conducts health economics and health services research focusing on the prevention of opioid overdose. His research focuses on the patterns of Rx drug use, the impact of state policies and health system interventions on prescribing patterns and opioid-related morbidity and mortality, and the economic burden of opioid and heroin overdoses in the United States. Guy received his doctorate in health services research and health policy with a concentration in economics from Emory University, and his Master of Public Health in health policy from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. He also completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in prevention effectiveness at the CDC. Guy has authored over 80 scientific publications and book chapters.
Problematic Patterns: Overlapping Opioid/Benzodiazepine Prescriptions


Nicholas  Hagemeier
Nicholas Hagemeier
PharmD, PhD, Associate Professor and Research Director
Gatton College of Pharmacy, East Tennessee State University
Nicholas “Nick” Hagemeier, PharmD, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice in the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) Gatton College of Pharmacy and Research Director of ETSU's Center for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy, master's and doctorate degrees from Purdue University. He has nine years of experience in community pharmacy settings. Hagemeier is Co-Investigator of ETSU’s $2.2 million Diversity-Promoting Institutions Drug Abuse Research Program, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and is Principal Investigator for a core project focused on Rx drug abuse-related communication. He is also Director of a Community Pharmacy Practice Research Fellowship. He has obtained over $2.3 million in NIH and state funds to conduct Rx drug abuse research. He has published 30 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has given multiple invited research presentations. He received the Tennessee Pharmacists Association GenerationRx Champions Award in 2016 for his efforts to engage community pharmacists in Rx drug abuse prevention.
Community Pharmacists and Harm Reduction: Evidence and Opportunities


Nancy Hale
Mrs. Nancy Hale
MA, President and Chief Executive Officer
Operation UNITE, and Member, National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit Advisory Board
Following 34 years as a teacher, career counselor and administrative coordinator, Nancy Hale retired from public education in 2012 and joined Operation UNITE (Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education) as Co-Program Director for the UNITE Service Corps (AmeriCorps) Program. In February 2015, she was named UNITE’s third President and CEO. Very involved in her community, Hale has served as an Executive Board Member and volunteer with the Rockcastle County (Ky.) UNITE Coalition for the last 11 years, with the Kentucky YMCA Youth Association for 26 years, as well as a current board member and twice-elected President of the Kentucky Association of Professional Educators. As a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, Pi Chapter, Hale was named Kentucky Volunteer of the Year four times. She received the Golden Apple Achiever Award from Ashland Oil, Inc. in 2000 as one of Kentucky's outstanding educators. In 2001, she was chosen as the Kentucky YMCA Champion and was the first inductee into the Kentucky YMCA Youth Advisor Hall of Fame in 2010. She and her husband, John, also an educator and principal for 43 years, are the parents of two grown sons and have two granddaughters and a grandson. Hale is a member of the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit Advisory Board.
Welcome and Opening Plenary Session


P. Bradley Hall
P. Bradley Hall
MD, FASAM, DABAM, MROCC, AAMRO, President, Federation of State Physician Health Programs
Executive Medical Director, West Virginia Medical Professionals Health Program
In 2005, Dr. P. Bradley Hall became involved in the establishment of the West Virginia Medical Professionals Health Program, serving as Founding Medical Director. He serves as President/Executive Director of the West Virginia Society of Addiction Medicine. He is a certified Medical Review Officer by the American Association of Medical Review Officers and the Medical Review Officer Certification Council and a Board Registered Interventionist with the Association of Intervention Specialists. Hall is President of the Federation of State Physician Health Programs. He was one of the co-authors of the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s 11 policies on physician health. He served on the Federation of State Medical Board's Impaired Physicians Committee in the updating of the impaired physicians policy. Hall is a member of the West Virginia Governor’s Advisory Council on Substance Abuse. He is a co-author of the Chapter on Physician Health Programs in the soon to be published “Physician Mental Health and Well-Being - Research and Practice.” Hall chairs the Planning Committee of the Appalachian Addiction and Prescription Drug Abuse Conference. He serves as the Executive Medical Director of the West Virginia Medical Professionals Health Program, the license board(s) designated Physicians Health Program.
Improving Addiction Outcomes: Lessons from the Physician Health Program Model


Gary Hall
Gary Hall
President and Co-Founder
Hollywood Impact Studios Rehabilitation and Vocational Corp.
Gary Skeen Hall has been a writer and producer in television for more than 20 years, writing and producing for “21 Jump Street,” “The A-Team” and Pensacola: Wings of Gold,” to name only a few. He also wrote and produced the HBO feature, “Stringer.” The son of a U.S. Naval officer, Hall graduated from UCLA with a degree in motion picture/television. He began his career at 20th Century Fox as an assistant director trainee prior to moving to Stephen J. Cannell Productions and Warner Bros. He returned to 20th Century Fox in 1998 as a Senior Vice President, heading up post production for 20th Century Fox Television. His department was in charge of an average of 30 television series and pilots per year and had an annual operating budget of over $40 million. Among the series he oversaw were, “24,” “The Simpsons,” “Bones,” “Empire” and “Homeland.” Hall is a current member of the Producer’s Guild of America, Writer’s Guild of America and Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Hall also has worked part time as a police officer for the Los Angeles Police Department for over 35 years, with multiple commendations for bravery and service. He has worked such assignments as gangs, narcotics and homicide, as well as several special assignments, including the infamous Night Stalker case. Hall currently is assigned to patrol. Police work, a side of life most of us rarely see, has brought realism to his writing and compassion to his life. In 2009, Hall combined his two passions, law enforcement and television, when he and his wife, Cyndi, founded their prison ministry Hollywood Impact Studios. This vocational program teaches the careers of the television industry to inmates inside the Los Angeles County Jail.
Correctional-Based Interventions: Treating Criminal Justice Involved Populations


Alexandra Harocopos
Alexandra Harocopos
PhD, MS, Director of Qualitative Research, Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Care and Treatment
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Dr. Alex Harocopos is the Director of Qualitative Research at the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Care, and Treatment at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She has been conducting substance use research for more than 15 years both in the United Kingdom and the United States. Her work includes studies of drug markets, drug use in post-Katrina New Orleans, and behavioral health and drug use practices, particularly as related to the use of opioids. Harocopos has an master's degree in research methods from London South Bank University and her doctorate in criminal justice from the CUNY Graduate Center.
Fentanyl and the Overdose Epidemic: The NYC Public Health Response


Patrice Harris
Patrice Harris
MD, MA, Member, AMA Board of Trustees; Chair AMA Opioid Task Force
American Medical Association
Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, a psychiatrist from Atlanta, has diverse experience as a private practicing physician, public health administrator, patient advocate and medical society lobbyist. She was elected to the American Medical Association (AMA) Board of Trustees in June 2011. Active in organized medicine her entire career, Harris has served on the board of the American Psychiatric Association, the governing council of the AMA Women Physicians Congress, the AMA reference committees, and AMA work groups on health information technology, sustainable growth rate and private contracting. She has held many leadership positions at the state level, including serving on the board and as President of the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association and on the Medical Association of Georgia’s Council on Legislation, its Committee on Constitution and Bylaws, and its Membership Task Force. She was the founding President of the Georgia Psychiatry Political Action Committee. In 2001, she was selected Psychiatrist of the Year by the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association. Starting with medical school at West Virginia University, followed by a psychiatry residency and child psychiatry and forensics fellowships at Emory University, and then as the Barton Senior Policy Fellow at the Emory University School of Law, she has worked for children both clinically and in the advocacy arena. As past director of Health Services for Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, Harris was the county's chief health officer. She continues in private practice and consults with both public and private organizations on health service delivery and emerging trends in practice and health policy. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Emory Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
More PDMPs, More CME, Fewer Opioids — So Why Is the Epidemic Worse?


Shannon Hartley
Shannon Hartley
Chief Marketing Officer
Shatterproof
Shannon Hartley is the Chief Marketing Officer for Shatterproof. She leads the teams responsible for delivering the programs focused on ending the stigma associated with addiction and the educational resources to support families seeking information on prevention, evidence-based treatment and recovery support. Her team leads the program, fundraising and volunteerism activities for Shatterproof. She has more than 20 years of marketing and strategy experience. Hartley is a founding member of FORCE (Female Opioid Research & Clinical Experts). She began her career at Procter & Gamble in customer insights and sales roles. She led neuroscience/mental health customer insight and global strategy at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Most recently, Hartley was the Managing Director of Razorfish Health, a customer engagement agency that is part of Publicis Healthcare, the largest healthcare marketing and communications network in the world. She is a graduate of Miami University and lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
Real Costs of Rx Pain Meds, Opioids and Substance Use in the Workplace: What Employers and Communities Can Do


Dan Hartung
Dan Hartung
PharmD, MPH, Associate Professor of Pharmacy
Oregon State University / Oregon Health & Science University College of Pharmacy
Dan Hartung, PharmD, MPH, is a pharmacist, Associate Professor of Pharmacy in the Oregon State University / Oregon Health & Science University College of Pharmacy, and an investigator in the Pacific Northwest Evidence-based Practice Center. Hartung received his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Wisconsin, Master of Public Health with emphasis biostatistics and epidemiology from OHSU, and he completed a pharmacy residency at the Portland VA Medical Center, and outcomes research fellowship at Oregon State University. His work involves pharmaceutical health services research, with a specific focus on pharmacy benefit design and delivery within state Medicaid programs. He is currently leading a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded effort to explore how Medicaid policies involving Rx opioids affect high-risk opioid utilization and opioid-related health outcomes. He is also principal investigator on an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-funded project to develop and pilot a toolkit to help community pharmacists improve their use of state prescription drug monitoring program data and ultimately improve the safety of opioid use in the community.
Safe Rx Opioid and Naloxone Dispensing Toolkit: Pilot Study Results


Maggie Hassan
Maggie Hassan
U.S. Senator
(D-NH)
United States Senator Maggie Hassan is committed to working with members of both parties to represent New Hampshire values and to solve problems in order to expand middle class opportunity, support small businesses, and keep America safe, secure, and free. She is the second woman in American history to be elected both Governor and United States Senator, along with fellow New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen.

Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016, Senator Hassan is working to combat the heroin, fentanyl, and opioid crisis; expand access to job training and make college more affordable for our students and families; help innovative businesses grow and create good jobs; and build a more inclusive economic future where all people who work hard to get ahead can stay ahead.

She is also focused on strengthening national security; protecting Social Security and Medicare; ensuring that veterans get the services that they need and deserve; combating climate change and preserving our natural resources; and protecting a woman's right to make her own health care decisions.

Senator Hassan's committee assignments allow her to focus on these as well as other critical priorities facing New Hampshire's families, small businesses, and economy. She is a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP); the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; and the Joint Economic Committee.

Senator Hassan was drawn to public service as an advocate fighting to ensure that children like her son Ben, who experiences severe disabilities, would be fully included in their communities and have the same opportunities that all parents want for their children.

In 1999, then-Governor Shaheen asked her to serve on the Advisory Committee to the Adequacy in Education and Finance Commission. Her experience as a business attorney and as a parent of a child who experiences disabilities enabled her to provide a unique perspective as the commission did its work.

Senator Hassan was first elected to the New Hampshire Senate in 2004, serving the people of the 23rd District, which included ten Seacoast towns. During her six years in office, she was selected by her colleagues to serve as President Pro Tempore and Majority Leader of the State Senate.

In 2013, she was sworn in as the 81st Governor of New Hampshire. Throughout her two terms as Governor, she responsibly balanced the state budget; created a business-friendly environment that encouraged innovation and saw New Hampshire's unemployment rate drop to among the lowest in the nation; worked to implement a comprehensive, hands-on approach to the heroin, fentanyl and opioid crisis; and froze in-state tuition at state universities for the first time in 25 years while lowering tuition at community colleges.

Maggie Hassan earned her B.A. from Brown University and her J.D. from the Northeastern School of Law. She and her husband, Tom, who serves as the President of School Year Abroad, live in Newfields and are the proud parents of two children, Ben (29) and Meg (24).
Plenary Session: Congressional Leaders Update


Anne  Hazlett
Anne Hazlett
Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Anne Hazlett serves as the Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development at the United States Department of Agriculture. An Indiana native, she has a deep and lifelong passion for rural America, small towns and the people who call them home.

Anne has worked on agriculture and rural issues for over fifteen years. Serving as legal counsel for the Agriculture Committees in both the U.S. House and Senate, Anne has been an advocate for rural communities on many issues important to rural America from Farm Bill legislation to broadband and nutrition programs.

In addition to her service on Capitol Hill, Anne also served as Director of Agriculture for her home state of Indiana and Chief of Staff for Indiana Lt. Governor Becky Skillman. In these key leadership roles, she worked to ensure that Indiana's agriculture industry and rural business sector were a significant part of the state's economic revitalization.

At USDA, Anne is leading the Rural Development mission area to create an environment for rural prosperity, from greater access to broadband connectivity and medical care to workforce training through distance learning. In this work, she is particularly passionate about helping families and community leaders touched by the opioid epidemic find hope and partnership in building a brighter future.

Hazlett is a graduate of Kansas State University and the Indiana University School of Law. She also holds a master's degree in agricultural law from the University of Arkansas.
Plenary Session: Agency Update Part 2


Barbara Henry
Barbara Henry
RPh, Clinical Pharmacy Coordinator
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Barbara Henry has nearly 30 years of managed care experience and is currently a Lead Pharmacy Specialist at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC) serving members in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Connecticut. In this role her responsibilities focus on the development and management of multiple formularies, and the creation of quality programs with a patient-centric and value-based approach. She also provides leadership in the execution of pharmacy strategy including comprehensive drug cost management initiatives and monitoring medical and pharmacy drug trends. Her areas of professional interest focus on appropriate opioid prescribing, substance use disorder, and adolescent behavioral health. She leads HPHC’s cross functional team addressing the opioid crisis and participates in her local coalition and the Norfolk County Prescription Drug Task Force lead by the District Attorney.
Health Plans Address America’s Opioid Epidemic with Evidence-Based Strategies


Daniel  Hicks
Daniel Hicks
Manager, Prevention Services
Ventura County Behavioral Health
Dan Hicks is Manager of Prevention Services for Ventura County Behavioral Health Department. A graduate of Princeton University, Hicks has been an alcohol and drug policy advocate more than 20 years, working closely with city and county governments, public safety agencies and retail establishments. He has facilitated policy discussions of among elected officials, police officers, parents groups and regional media; led policy change efforts to address underage and binge drinking and youth marijuana abuse; and has advanced Rx drug and heroin prevention strategies in cooperation with schools and law enforcement to achieve common goals. Physician outreach and education, direct mail and e-marketing, and paid media placement have all been employed to destigmatize overdose response and facilitate local action. Since October 2014, Hicks has co-led Ventura County’s Overdose Prevention and Rescue Project, reaching thousands of county residents with potentially life-saving information. The project places a heavy focus on quality data collection and analysis in order to target precious prevention resources. Today, fatal and nonfatal overdose data are combined with other community indicators to systematically expand and target overdose prevention efforts for this community of 850,000 residents.
The Intersection of Law Enforcement and Healthcare: Increased Utilization of California's PDMP


Seth S. Himelhoch
Seth S. Himelhoch
MD, MPH, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry
University of Kentucky College of Medicine
Seth S. Himelhoch, MD, MPH is a board-certified psychiatrist and a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Himelhoch completed his internship and residency at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, and completed a fellowship in health services research at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine under the auspices of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program (2001-2003). He is currently a Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Kentucky. Himelhoch’s program of research focuses on developing and testing interventions to improve access and outcome of care for people with co-occurring psychiatric and drug use disorders. This work has been funded by The National Institutes of Mental Health, Drug Abuse, and Heart, Lung and Blood grants, among others. Throughout his career, he has published extensively in high impact journals, including the American Journal of Psychiatry, AIDS, JAIDS, American Journal of Addictions, and Psychiatric Services. Of note, he is currently a Fellow of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program (2017-2020), where he and his team are working to develop interventions to assist rural communities suffering from the consequences of the opiate epidemic.
Do the Next Right Thing: A Family-Centered and Multidisciplinary Approach to Substance Abuse Treatment among Perinatal Women


Julianne Himstreet
Julianne Himstreet
PharmD, BCPS, VA Academic Detailing Service National Program Manager
VA Eugene VA Healthcare Center
Dr. Julianne Himstreet graduated from Oregon State University with a bachelor’s degrees in pharmacy and microbiology in 1995 and completed a Doctor of Pharmacy at Oregon State University/Oregon Health Sciences University in 1997. She then completed a PGY2 Residency in Ambulatory Care at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She worked for two years as a Pharmacy Supervisor at the U.S. Army Medical Clinic in Hohenfels, Germany, and then transitioned to the VA Roseburg Healthcare System-Eugene Healthcare Clinic, where she worked for 15 years as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Primary Care. During this time, she also worked for VA Central Office's Office of Public Health as the Senior Clinical Advisor, providing tobacco cessation education for clinical staff at VA medical facilities. She is now an Education and Training National Program Manager for VA Pharmacy Benefits Management Service's Academic Detailing Service and works out of Eugene, Oregon.
VA Best Practices: S.T.O.P. P.A.I.N Initiative and Practice Guidelines


Kim Holland
Kim Holland
MBA, Vice President, State Affairs
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
Kim Holland is Vice President, State Affairs, for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. The Blue System is the nation's largest health insurer covering more than 106 million people – one-in-three Americans – providing coverage to individuals in every ZIP code across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In her role with BCBSA, Holland is responsible for ensuring that Blue Cross Blue Shield Plan interests are represented in the development of federal and state legislative and regulatory positions and priorities involving commercial insurance and Medicaid. Additionally, Kim she is BCBSA’s corporate lead in the association’s response to the nation’s opioid epidemic. Prior to joining BCBSA, Holland spent over 20 years as an employee benefit consultant and independent agency executive. In 2005, she was appointed Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner by Gov. Brad Henry to fill an unexpired term, and in 2006 became the first woman elected to the post. Holland resides in Ft. Worth, Texas, with her husband Jim and near her son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.
The Role of Third-Party Payers in Promoting Multi-Disciplinary Care