Thomas M. Baier, MHS, LPC, CADC, CCS
Senior Executive Director for Recovery Services
JEVS Human Services
 
Tom Baier, MHS, LPC, CADC, CCS, is Senior Executive Director for Recovery Services for JEVS Human Services in Philadelphia. Tom is an adjunct faculty member for Villanova University where he was Program Coordinator for the certificate program in drug and alcohol counseling for 10 years. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Drexel University where he teaches in the behavioral health program. Tom is a past president of the Pennsylvania Certification Board (PCB) where he served three consecutive presidential terms. He continues as a member of the PCB Board of Directors and as Chairman for the PCB Education Committee and committee member for the Ethics Committee. Tom is a surveyor for the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) where he specializes as an administrative surveyor for medication assisted treatment facilities.  Tom holds a Master’s degree in Human Services (MHS), is a PA State licensed professional counselor (LPC) and holds certification as an addictions counselor (CADC) and a clinical supervisor (CCS). Tom’s current professional affiliations include:

American Counseling Association; Pennsylvania Counseling Association, Association for Counselor Education and Supervision; Temple University Multicultural Network for Education; and Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society in Social Science.

C. Scott Dehorty, LCSW-C
Pain Recovery Clinician
Ashley Addiction Treatment
 
C. Scott Dehorty has been working in the field of addiction for the past 20 years. He received his undergraduate degree from Elon University in North Carolina and his Masters of Social Work from the University Of Maryland School Of Social Work.  Scott began his career working in the admissions department at Ashley Addiction Treatment in Havre de Grace, MD.  He then went on to become the Executive Director of the Limen House, a halfway house for substance abuse, in Wilmington, DE.  He became interested in working with chronic pain patients when he started working at the Johns Hopkins Hospital as a social worker in the Department of Psychiatry in 2005.  He has now returned to Ashley Addiction Treatment to lead the clinical aspects of the Pain Recovery Program.  In addition, Scott has private practice offices in Bel Air and Lutherville, MD.
Dean Drosnes, MD
Caron Treatment Centers
 
Dr. Dean Drosnes is a staff physician at Caron Treatment Centers, where he has been practicing Addiction Medicine since 2010. He has vast experience with treatment of chronic pain which is the focus of his current practice--integrating treatment of co-occurring chronic pain and addiction. Dr. Drosnes has held various clinical positions in Ear, Nose and Throat medicine and surgery. He holds a clinical appointment as Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, at Penn State University College of Medicine.
John Dyben
Clinical Director
Hanley Center at Origins
 

John Dyben serves as the Director of Older Adult Treatment Services at Hanley Center.  In this capacity, he provides leadership to the flagship program for the treatment of addiction and comorbid conditions in older adults.  John’s academic background includes degrees in psychology (BS), Conflict (MA), Management (MS), and a Doctor of Health Science, with his doctoral practicum having focused on the dynamics, epidemiology, and treatment of substance abuse and addiction in older adults.  John is an ordained pastor, clinically trained chaplain, and board certified as both an Addictions Professional and a Mental Health Professional in the State of Florida.

Stuart Gitlow, MD
Executive Director
Annenberg Physician Training Program in Addictive Disease
 

Stuart Gitlow, MD, is Executive Director of the Annenberg Physician Training Program in Addictive Disease, which he started in 2005 to ensure medical student access to training that stimulates them to develop and maintain interest in working with patients with addiction. He serves as the Immediate Past President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, and as ASAM’s Delegate to the American Medical Association’s House of Delegates. Dr. Gitlow is the Chair of the AMA Council on Science and Public Health, as well as Courtesy Associate Professor at the University of Florida. His educational training took place at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School. He formerly produced Health Channel and ABC programming for America Online.

Lisa Hatcher, MS, CPLC
Director of Business Development and Admissions
Mount Regis Center
 
As the former President of the State Health Education Council of West Virginia and Coordinator of the Region 1 Healthcare Consortium, Lisa Hatcher has extensive experience in building community coalitions and collaborations to address public health crises.  She currently serves as the director of business development and admissions at Mount Regis Center in Salem, VA, where she works with members of the recovery community, law enforcement, colleges, universities, business leaders, elected officials, media and other interested parties in building a recovery oriented system of care for Southwest Virginia.
Peter F. Luongo, PhD, LCSW-C
Executive Director
IRETA Institute for Research, Education, Training in Addiction
 

Peter Luongo has worked in the behavioral health field for over thirty years as a social worker and administrator. In Maryland, Dr. Luongo was the Single State Authority under three governors as the director of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration. He also served within the Montgomery County, MD Department of Health and Human Services for over two decades as the Clinical Director of Adult Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. He received his B.A. and M.A. in Psychology from The Catholic University of America and his Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Maryland.

Kenneth J. Martz, PsyD, CAS
Special Assistant to the Secretary
Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs
 

Kenneth J. Martz, PsyD, CAS, is a licensed psychologist and the Special Assistant to the Secretary in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  He has worked in substance use disorder treatment and management of special populations including criminal justice clients in community corrections and in prison settings for the past 20 years. Dr. Martz has also worked in a variety of settings, including outpatient, residential and therapeutic communities—providing treatment of addictions including gambling.   Dr. Martz has a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Loyola College, a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the American School of Professional Psychology, Virginia Campus, and Masters of Business Administration from Argosy University. He has a number of publications and international presentations in the addictions treatment field.

Julie Miller
Editor-in-Chief
Addiction Professional and Behavioral Healthcare
 
Julie Miller has more than 14 years of experience observing, analyzing and reporting on various aspects of the healthcare industry. She is an award-winning journalist with proven editorial leadership among business-to-business brands in specialty niches, including behavioral health, addiction, managed care and pharmaceuticals. As the Editor in Chief of Addiction Professional and Behavioral Healthcare, she launched a series of exclusive surveys examining industry attitudes on legislative policy, counselor caseloads and EHR technology. Her reporting has also taken her on exclusive international workshop experiences where she studied the healthcare systems of two European countries.
Joshua D. Nirella, BSW, MSOL
Regional Director
Acadia Healthcare
 
Joshua has been working in the addiction field in some capacity since 2001, when he began working with Auberle, a local group home for kids.  In 2006, Joshua achieved his Master's of Organizational Leadership through Geneva College and obtained a leadership position with Discovery House, a national organization offering methadone maintenance treatment.  He is currently serving as Regional Director with Acadia Healthcare.  Over the last decade, Joshua has been providing care to thousands of people directly affected by addiction.  He has consulted with and taken part in regulation reform with the Department of Health, insurance companies, hospitals and residential treatment facilities.  He is the Vice President of PATOD (PA Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence) and has been a CARF Surveyor since 2014.  Joshua has also been happily married to his "College sweet heart" since 2002, has five children and is an ordained minister.
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Karen A. Plavan, PhD, CIP
Executive Director
The Oasis Recovery Center & Chair, (CLEAR)
 
Dr. Plavan is the Executive Director of The Oasis Recovery Center and a Certified Intervention Professional.  She serves as Chair, The Coalition for Leadership Education and Advocacy for Recovery (CLEAR) and the Co-Chair of The Pittsburgh Pastoral Care Conference.  Dr. Plavan taught in the Graduate Program in Addiction Studies, Penn State University.  She served as President of the Allegheny County Alcohol and Drug Planning Council and served on the GOAL Project Board of Directors, teaching addiction studies abroad.  Dr. Plavan received her M.Ed. & Ph.D. in Counselor Education from The University of Pittsburgh
Mel Pohl, MD, FASAM
Vice President of Medical Affairs and Medical Director
Las Vegas Recovery Center (LVRC)
 

Mel Pohl is a Board Certified Family Practitioner. He is Vice President of Medical Affairs and the Medical Director of Las Vegas Recovery Center (LVRC). Dr. Pohl was a major force in developing LVRC’s Chronic Pain Recovery Program. He is certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine, certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM), and a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM).  He is the former chairman of ASAM’s AIDS Committee, a member of the Symposium Planning Committee, a member of the planning committee for ASAM’s Annual “Common Threads, Pain and Addiction” Course and co-chair of ASAM’s Pain and Addiction Workgroup. Dr. Pohl is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. He was elected by his peers for inclusion in Best Doctors in America® from 2009 to 2013. He is a nationally known public speaker and co-author of: Pain Recovery: How to Find Balance and Reduce Suffering from Chronic Pain (Central Recovery Press, 2009); Pain Recovery for Families: How to Find Balance When Someone Else’s Chronic Pain Becomes Your Problem Too (Central Recovery Press, 2010); The Caregiver’s Journey: When You Love Someone with AIDS (Hazelden, 1990); Staying Sane: When You Care for Someone with Chronic Illness (Health Communications, 1992). He is also the author of A Day Without Pain (Central Recovery Press, 2008), which won a silver medal from Independent Publisher Book Award in May 2009.  His newest book with Kathy Ketcham from Da Capo Press is The Pain Antidote -Stop Suffering from Chronic Pain, Avoid Addiction to Painkillers, and Reclaim Your Life.

Janice L. Pringle, PhD
Director Program Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU)
University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy
 
Janice Pringle is an epidemiologist by training with extensive experience in health services research. She is the founder and Director of the Program Evaluation Research Unit (PERU) within the University of Pittsburgh, School of Pharmacy.  Her particular area of expertise includes addiction services research, especially research involving the application of screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) within various healthcare settings. She has conducted numerous health services research studies and program evaluation efforts involving innovative addiction treatment, intervention and prevention models. She is the Co-Chair of the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Program’s Clinical Standards Committee, and is a consultant to the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in their review of state behavior health homes.  Dr. Pringle was selected as an Innovation Advisor within the Center of Medicare and Medicare Innovations (CMMI).  She has also conducted health services research involving community pharmacy services. She led the evaluation of a Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) funded initiative within Pennsylvania and one funded by Merck being conducted in Tennessee that involved the application of SBI techniques by community pharmacists for the purpose of improving medication adherence.  Dr. Pringle has also conducted a number of other medication adherence studies involving the application of other strategies within different healthcare settings.  Throughout her career, Dr. Pringle has secured over $120 million in grants from a variety of sources, and she has developed healthcare policy research and briefs that have been used to inform policy development at both the state and federal level.
Bradley D. Stein, MD, MPH PhD,
Senior Scientist
RAND Corporation
 
Dr. Stein, is a practicing psychiatrist and Senior Scientist at the RAND Corporation. A health services researcher and clinician experienced in working with individuals with substance use disorders, Dr. Stein’s research activities focus on improving access to quality of care provided to individuals with mental health and substance abuse disorders being treated in community settings.
Liz Sump, MA, LMHC,
Behavioral Health Therapist,
Questa Health Center
 
Liz Sump, MA, LMHC, is a behavioral health therapist at Questa Health Center in northern New Mexico. She has intensive Dialectical Behavioral Therapy training through the Linehan Institute, PESI, and Hudson Valley Psychodrama Institute. With work ranging from wilderness therapy programs to Potomac Pathways IOP in the D.C. metro area, Sump has developed an understanding of the multi-faceted nature of opioid-addiction. Her treatment strategies combine DBT work, harm reduction models and Suboxone treatment. Sump has in depth experience working somatically with chronic pain clients through mindfulness groups, one-on-one therapy, and experiential activities.
Melissa A. Townes, CIP, CTR
Regional Service Coordinator
White Deer Run Treatment Network
 
Melissa Townes serves as Regional Service Coordinator for White Deer Run Treatment Network and services Allegheny County.  Townes’ day to day responsibilities include coordinating care for those suffering from Chemical Dependency, Developing, Maintaining and Expanding referent community within Allegheny County, and to provide customer service to clients and potential/current referrals sources.  Townes also provides professional trainings on multiple substance abuse topics.
 
Townes has over fifteen years’ experience in Behavioral Health field in various settings and has worked in many areas of the Chemical Dependency field including,  Substance Abuse Treatment Coordination, Mobile Evaluations, Developing and implementing  mobile assessment model for Physicians, Attorneys’ Offices and Hospitals.   Townes has also worked in Case Management field serving the Co-occurring HIV positive patient population, Education and Intervention, and Communicable Disease Training.  Townes is a certified Hepatitis and HIV/AIDS Trainer, and is licensed to provide HIV testing and counseling in the state of Pennsylvania, she sat on the Pennsylvania HIV Prevention Board from 2006-2009 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 
 
Townes attended Marist College majoring in Business Administration and is currently a student of Capella University and looking forward to obtaining her Degree in Healthcare Management.  

Joseph A. Troncale, MD, DFASAM
Retreat Premier Addiction Treatment Centers

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 by Addiction 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. After graduating from the University of Alabama in 1974 he went on to complete his residency at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine in 1979. Since then he has taken on various roles within the medical field focusing primarily on addiction medicine. In the past, he has served as the Medical Director of two other prominent inpatient facilities.