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We have divided the conference into half-day themes, but all content is appropriate for all participants. We encourage people from all backgrounds to attend all of the sessions and share their unique perspectives.

For times and locations for each session, please view the event schedule. For detailed information on individual speakers, moderators, and panelists, please see the speakers page. 

For information on continuing education credits, please see below. 

Friday morning

Theme: "Evidence-based, individually tailored": Advances and challenges in addiction treatment

  • Keynote address: Bisola Ojikutu, MD, MPH, Executive Director, Boston Public Health Commission
  • Plenary panel 1: Pathways from recovery to professional success in addiction treatment
    • Moderator: 
      • Phillip Reason, MSW, MPH, Senior Project Manager, Boston Public Health Commission; Owner, Operator, Daily Living Recovery House; Granada House Board of Directors; Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing [MASH] Board of Directors; Justice-at-Work-Board of Directors 
    • Panelists: 
      • Dona Dmitrovic, MHS, Senior Advisor for Recovery, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA]
      • James Evans, BSN, RN, Director of Nursing Education, The Dimock Center
      • Leah Randolph, LADC-I, CADC-II, DEI Chair, MOAR; Executive Director, Co-Owner, Commonwealth Mental Health and Wellness Center
  • Plenary talk: Challenges and successes implementing addiction treatment in Community Health Centers
    • Speaker: 
      • Kiame Mahaniah, MD, MBA, Undersecretary for Health, Executive Office Of Health and Human Services; Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine
  • Plenary panel 2: What does culturally tailored addiction treatment look like?
    • Moderator: 
      • Carla B Monteiro, MSW, LICSW, LADC-I, CCTP, Behavioral Health Director for Addiction Treatment Services, Grayken Center for Addiction at Boston Medical Center; Emergency Psychiatric Clinical Social Worker, Boston Children’s Hospital
    • Panelists: 
      • Ethan S. Brackett, MD, MPA, Family Physician, Fenway Health
      • Melisa Canuto, LICSW, Chief Clinical Officer, Casa Esperanza, Inc; Emergency Psychiatric Clinical Social Worker, Boston Children’s Hospital
      • Haner Hernandez, PhD, CPS, CADCII, LADC I, Program Director, Latino Addiction Counselor Program[LACE]; Faculty, New England School of Addiction Studies; President of Board of Directors, Massachusetts Board for Voluntary Certification of Drug and Alcohol Counselors
      • Kevin M. Simon, MD, MPH, Chief Behavioral Health Officer, City of Boston; Pediatric Addiction Medicine Psychiatrist, Boston Children’s Hospital; Instructor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
  • Break/networking opportunity
  • Breakout sessions (concurrent)
    • Expanding the role of nurses in SUD treatment 
      • Led by:
        • Kristin Wason, MSN, NP-C, CARN, Clinical Nurse Educator, Fellowship Director, Grayken Addiction Nursing Fellowship, Boston Medical Center 
      • Panelists:
        • Azure Bergeron, RN, Certified Addiction Registered Nurse, Boston Medical Center
        • Aimee Marchand, RN, Registered Nurse, South End Community Health Center OBAT
        • Michelle Whitaker, RN, Registered Nurse, Supportive Place for Observation and Treatment, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program
    • Offering outpatient methadone treatment under the 72-hour rule
      • Led by:
        • Jessica Taylor, MD, Medical Director, Faster Paths to Treatment at Boston Medical Center  
      • Panelists:
        • Merida Brimhall, RN, MPH; Staff Nurse, Faster Paths to Treatment at Boston Medical Center
        • Jacelyn Farmerie, RN, Registered Nurse, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program
        • Zoe Weinstein, MD, MS, Primary Care Physician, Boston Medical Center
    • Coping with CORI – Criminal offender record information for people with a substance use disorder
      • Led by:
        • Nico Alicea, Western MA Regional Coordinator, MOAR
        • Julie Bunch, Boston and Northeast Coordinator, Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery [MOAR]
    • The role of psychedelics in addiction treatment
      • Led by Joji Suzuki, MD, Director, Division of Addiction Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
    • Overview of treating stimulant use disorder
      • Led by Justin Alves, MSN, FNP-BC, ACRN, CARN, CNE, Clinical Nurse Educator, Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance, BMC
    • Addiction 101
      • Led by:
        • Andrea Jodat, DNP, FNP-BC, CARN-AP, Clinical Nurse Educator, Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance, BMC
        • Nancy Regan, MSN, FNP, CNM, CARN-AP, Clinical Nurse Educator, Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance, BMC
    • Medications to decrease relapse to AUD
      • Led by Alyssa Peterkin, MD, Program Director, Grayken Addiction Medicine Fellowship; Co-Director, Learn, Experience, Advocate, Discover, and Serve [LEADS] Addiction and Health Track, Section of General Internal Medicine, Boston Medical Center
    • Presentation of oral abstracts: Addiction treatment (Session 1)
      • A BRIGHT approach to early childhood, parenting, and substance use in pediatrics (BRIGHT-Peds) - Ruth Paris, PhD, Boston University
      • Buprenorphine prescribing among clinicians: Survey results among Massachusetts providers pre- and post X-waiver requirements, 2023 - Grace Hajinazarian, MPH, Tufts University, and Thomas Stopka, PhD, MHS, Tufts University
      • CARE Faculty Scholars Program: A national learning collaborative to facilitate implementation of addiction medicine curricula - Ve Truong, BS, BMC, and Ricardo Cruz, MD, MPH, MA, BMC
      • Exploring the professional impact of social workers' own substance misuse and treatment experiences - Jeffrey Steen, PhD, MSW, Simmons University
      • BOLT - BHCHP Infectious Diseases Outreach Liaison Team: A novel interdisciplinary approach to managing complicated infections in people who use drugs - Ghulam Karim Khan, MD, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program
    • Presentation of oral abstracts: Addiction treatment (Session 2)
      • A podcast on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) education - Amy Harlowe, MPhil, Boston University
      • A national fetal alcohol spectrum disorders learning collaborative for prenatal and pediatric healthcare teams - Nicole Kitten, MPH, BMC
      • “…work really is being done and it’s very worthwhile…”:  Reflections on the benefits of being a community advisory board member in the Massachusetts HEALing Communities Study - Deborah Chassler, MSW, Boston University
      • Feasibility and acceptability of Project MATTER: a psycho-behavioral intervention to mitigate the negative consequences of stigma and shame for sexual minority men living with HIV and substance use disorders who are sub-optimally engaged in treatment - Abigail W Batchelder, PhD, MPH, Boston University/BMC
  • Lunch in Exhibit Hall, with opportunity to network, visit exhibitor tables, and view poster presentations

Friday afternoon

Theme: "And then there's everything else going on in life": Intersectionality and addiction

  • Plenary panel 1: How can we make addiction treatment more appealing, effective, and equitable for Black patients?
    • Moderator:
      • Daneiris Heredia-Perez, MSPM, Senior Research Project Manager, Grayken Center for Addiction at Boston Medical Center
    • Panelists: 
      • Miriam Komaromy, MD, FACP, DFASAM, Medical Director, Grayken Center for Addiction at Boston Medical Center
      • Kaku So-Armah, PhD, Clinical Researcher, Boston University
      • Corinne Beaugard, PhD, MSW, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Boston Medical Center
      • Craig McClay; Community Engagement Specialist, Boston Medical Center
      • Joseph Eubanks, Jr., Council of Experts on Patient Experience
  • Plenary talk: Shooting the Messenger: Tales from industry interference in alcohol and drug research
    • Speaker: 
      • David Jernigan, PhD, Professor, Assistant Dean, Boston University School of Public Health
  • Breakout sessions (concurrent)
    • Navigating access to MOUD and harm reduction in carceral settings: Challenges and opportunities for advocacy
      • Moderator:
        • Deborah Goldfarb, MSW, LICSW, Director of Behavioral Health, Population Health, Boston Medical Center
      • Panelists: 
        • Ricardo Cruz, MD; Primary Care Physician, Boston Medical Center
        • Steven Descoteaux, MD, Addiction Medical Director, WellSense New Hampshire/Carelon Behavioral Health
        • Kelsea Goodrow, Project Coordinator and Paralegal, Prisoners Legal Service
        • Kurry Harbour, SOS Recovery Coach, North Suffolk Community Services
    • Encampment clearings and transitional housing: A qualitative analysis of encampment resident experiences
      • Led by: 
        • Avik Chatterjee, MD, MPH, Addiction Medicine Physician, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program
        • Michael Mayer; Housing Program Manager, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program
        • Yesenia Mejia; Program Coordinator, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program
    • Clinical solutions to commercial sexual exploitation
      • Led by: 
        • Sandra Andrade; Peer Advocate, Massachusetts General Hospital
        • Abigail Judge, PhD; Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Massachusetts General Hospital
    • Impactful storytelling for personal growth and community advocacy and change
      • Led by: 
        • Meghann Perry, CARC, RCPF, Founder, The Meghann Perry Group
        • Elizabeth Addison, Founder, This is Treatment
    • Practicum on harm reduction for injectors, and people who smoke or sniff drugs; and practical techniques for drug testing or drug checking (offered once on Friday and once on Saturday)
      • Led by:
        • Justin Alves, MSN, FNP-BC, ACRN, CARN, CNE, Clinical Nurse Educator, Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance, BMC
        • Andrea Jodat, DNP, FNP-BC, CARN-AP, Clinical Nurse Educator, Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance, BMC
        • Annie Potter, MSN, MPH, NP, Clinical Nurse Educator, Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance, BMC
        • Heriberto Sanchez, Director of Policy Health and Equity, Boston Public Health Commission
        • Joseph Shay, Public Health Specialist, Boston Medical Center
        • Kenneth Washington, Assistant Director, AHOPE, Boston Public Health Commission
    • Increasing access to employment for people with substance use disorder
      • Moderator: 
        • Aaryn Manning, MA, Executive Director, Project Place
      • Panelists:
        • Brita Loftus, MPH, MSW, LCSW, Access to Recovery (ATR) Project Director, Advocates for Human Potential Inc. 
        • Victoria Patlajan, MSEd, Director of Education, Project Place
    • Opportunities for practicing trauma informed care when working with people with substance use disorders in clinical and community
      • Led by:
        • Natrina Johnson, PhD, MS, Health Services Researcher, Grayken Center for Addiction at Boston Medical Center
        • Sarah Kirshenbaum, MSW, LICSW, Integrated Behavioral Health, Clinical Supervisor, Dept. of Psychiatry, BMC
        • Brooke Rogers, PhD, MPH, Clinical Psychologist, Boston Medical Center
    • Presentation of oral abstracts: Intersectionality and addiction
      • Engaging Black and Latino men with incarceration histories in substance use disorder treatment and other services - Laura McElherne, MSW, Institute for Community Health
      • Exploring stages in recovery from alcohol use disorder in a Black community     - Adam Vose-O'Neal, MA, LICSW, Brandeis University
      • Gender differences in substance use disorders: Science to practice - Shelly F Greenfield, MD, MPH, Harvard Medical School
      • Multiple marginalized identities: A qualitative exploration of intersectional perinatal experiences of birthing people of color with substance use disorder in Massachusetts - Latisha Goulland, BA, Institute for Health and Recovery
      • Recommendations from Black and Latinx Boston overdose survivors for how to improve quality of life and racial equity in substance use disorder treatment - Shannon O'Malley, MS, Boston Public Health Commission
  • Plenary presentation 2: Challenges and best practices for working with patients who are being victimized/trafficked
    • Speaker: 
      • Abigail Judge, PhD, Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Plenary presentation 3: Laying out a blueprint for addressing inequities in the overdose crisis
    • Speakers: 
      • Sarah Wakeman, MD, Senior Medical Director for Substance Use Disorder, Massachusetts General Hospital
      • Darian Leta, MPH, Senior Manager of Substance Use and Recovery Initiatives, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
      • Gene Lambert, MD, MBA, FACP, FASAM, Medical Director, Addiction Consult Service, Massachusetts General Hospital
      • Jasmine Irvin, SUD Community Engagement and Equity Manager, Massachusetts General Hospital

Saturday morning

Theme: "How we change the future of addiction in our communities": Addiction advocacy and policy

  • Keynote address: Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
  • Plenary panel 1: Reforming involuntary holds for people with substance use disorders: Best practices (Section 35 reform)
    • Moderator: 
      • Deborah Goldfarb, MSW, LICSW, Director of Behavioral Health, Population Health, Boston Medical Center
    • Panelists: 
      • Siu Ping Chin Feman, MD, Medical Director, Eliot Community Human Services, Psychiatrist, Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program [HOAP]
      • Tami Gouveia, DrPH, MPH, MSW, Director, Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health, BU School of Social Work
      • Erin Pritchard, LADC-II, Health Promotion Advocate, Project ASSERT, Boston Medical Center
      • Kenneth Washington, Assistant Director, AHOPE, Boston Public Health Commission
  • Breakout sessions (concurrent)
    • From the "war on drugs" to overdose prevention centers (OPCs)
      • Moderator: 
        • Oami Amarasingham, Esq., Deputy Director, Massachusetts Public Health Association
      • Panelists:
        • Craig Andrade, RN, MPH, DrPH, Associate Dean of Practice, BU School of Public Health
        • Carrie Richgels, Manager of Policy and Advocacy, Fenway Health
        • Ilaria Fiorenza, MA, Project Manager, Department of Health and Human Services, City of Worcester
    • Lessons learned from international approaches to opioid use disorder treatment and overdose prevention
      • Led by:  
        • Alexander Walley, MD, MSc, Addiction Medicine Physician, Boston Medical Center
        • Miriam Harris, MD, MS, Primary Care Addiction Specialist
    • Information impacts action: Debunking myths about the family and recovery
      • Led by: 
        • Matt Heerema, LMHC, Clinical Research Coordinator, Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance at Boston Medical Center
        • Lisa Schott, LICSW, Behavioral Health Consultant, Group Disability, Sun Life
    • Advocacy 101 for healthcare professionals
      • Led by: 
        • Alexis Walls, Assistant Campaign Director, Massachusetts Public Health Association
        • Jeneczka Roman, Assistant Director of Advocacy and Communications, Massachusetts Public Health Association
    • Advocacy 101 for people with lived experience
      • Led by:
        • Scott Francis, Regional Coordinator Metro-West Massachusetts, Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery (MOAR)
        • Maryanne Frangules, Executive Director, Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery (MOAR)
        • Noel Sierra, Regional Coordinator Southeastern Massachusetts, Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery (MOAR)
    • MedMoth: Stories of hope
      • Led by:
        • Nidhi Lal, MD, MPH, Family Medicine Physician, Boston Medical Center
        • Brett Lewis, MD, Family Medicine-Psychiatry Program Resident, Boston Medical Center
        • Phaedra Moore, BA, Peer Recovery Specialist, Boston Medical Center
        • Harrison Usher, Harm Reduction Specialist, North Shore Health Project
    • Presentation of oral abstracts: Policy and advocacy
      • Politics versus policy: Insights from stakeholders on stigma and overdose prevention center policymaking in the United States - Ju Nyeong Park, PhD, MHS, Brown University
      • Low-threshold services: Addressing housing structural barriers for BIPOC unsheltered Bostonians who use drugs - Jeffrey Desmarais, MA, Institute for Community Health, and Krystal Garcia, MSPH, Boston Public Health Commission  
      • Real-time drug checking as a pivotal tool in enhancing safety of people who use drugs (PWUD) and harm reduction strategies - Kelly Celata, MS, LADC-I, Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, and Darlene Andrade Fonseca, BS, Brockton Neighborhood Health Center
      • Learning Collaboratives (LCs) in the HEALing Communities Study: A community-engaged training and technical assistance (TTA) approach in a multi-site overdose reduction intervention - Maria Rudorf, MA, BMC
      • Overdose detection sensors acceptability among commercial and nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island - Ryan Koch, BA, Rhode Island Hospital
      • Benefits and challenges of hiring people who use drugs (PWUD) in harm reduction settings - Gary Langis, BMC
      • The Civil Right to MOUD - Ruchi Shah, DO, Boston Medical Center, and Amelia Caramadre, JD, MPH, Kaplan and Grady LLC
  • Plenary panel 2: Mandatory reporting regulations during pregnancy and the impact on health of families (51A Reform)
    • Moderator:
      • Davida Schiff, MD, Director of Perinatal and Family-Based SUD Care, Massachusetts General Hospital
    • Panelists: 
      • Julia Reddy, MA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-Department of Maternal and Child Health
      • Daniel Rodrigues, LICSW, PMH-C, Director, Substance Use Disorder Programs, Duffy Health Center
      • Tatiana Rodriguez, Founder and Director, Family Matters First Boston
      • Patti Rosell, MSW, LICSW, Clinical Social Worker, Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Plenary abstract presentations 
    • "A place to stay is the best first step to change:" short-term outcomes of a new low-threshold transitional housing initiative on individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness and substance use disorder - Sumaiya Miah, MPH, Boston Public Health Commission, and Sunday Taylor, PhD, Boston Public Health Commission
    • A Sober Living Program: Collaboration Between a Peer, Community Health Center, and Health Plan - Jason Worcester, MD, Boston University/Boston Medical Center
    • Recovering Safety: A Pilot Study of a Women's Empowerment Group for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence with Substance Use Disorders - Amanda Sedgewick, DO, McLean Hospital
    • Implementing a public health approach to reduce fatal overdose upon release from incarceration: Descriptions and lessons learned - Kamala Smith, MPH, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program
  • Lunch in Exhibit Hall, with opportunity for networking, to visit exhibitor tables, and to view poster presentations

Saturday afternoon

Theme: "Meeting people where they are": The role of harm reduction 

  • Plenary talk: What is the impact of cannabis use on adolescents and young adults?
    • Speaker: 
      • Kevin M. Simon, MD, MPH, Chief Behavioral Health Officer, Boston Public Health Commission, Assistant in Psychiatry, Boston Children’s Hospital, Instructor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School)
  • Plenary: Presentation of abstracts
  • Breakout sessions (concurrent)
    • Nuts and bolts of implementing Overdose Prevention Centers: best practices, and learning from Rhode Island
      • Led by:
        • Ana Bess Moyer Bell, MA, RDT, Senior Advisor, Office of Governor Daniel J. McKee, Rhode Island
      • Panelists:
        • Dennis Bailer, Overdose Prevention Program Director, Project Weber/Renew
        • Miriam Harris, MD, MSc, Primary Care Addiction Specialist, Boston Medical Center
        • Alexandria Macmadu, PhD, Presidential Postdoctoral Research Associate in Epidemiology, People, Place, and Health Collective, Brown University School of Public Health
    • Practicum: Wound care in the era of xylazine
      • Led by:
        • Tehya Johnson, AGPCNP-BC, Nurse Practitioner, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program
        • Christina Bailey, MSN-PH, RN, CARN, Nurse Practitioner, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program
    • Peer grief support group for direct service providers
      • Led by: 
        • Jill Shanahan, Grief Support Group Facilitator, Support After a Death by Overdose [SADOD]
        • Gabriel Quaglia, CHW, Director Service Provider Program Coordinator, Support After a Death by Overdose
    • Publishing addiction research 101
      • Led by:
        • Alexander Walley, MD, MSc, Addiction Medicine Physician, Boston Medical Center
        • Casy Calver, PhD, Editorial Director, Grayken Center for Addiction and the Clinical Addiction Research and Education [CARE] Unit, Boston Medical Center
    • Spirituality through cultural dimensions
      • Led by:
        • Father Joe White; Director, Catholic Archdiocese Recovery Support; Board Vice President, Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery [MOAR]
        • Leah Randolph, LADC-I, CADC-II; DEI Chair, MOAR; Executive Director, Co-Owner, Commonwealth Mental Health and Wellness Center
    • Implementing contingency management
      • Led by:
        • Justin Alves, MSN, FNP-BC, ACRN, CARN, CNE, Clinical Nurse Educator, Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance, BMC
        • Kristin Parent, LMHC, Program Manager, Stimulant Treatment and Recovery Team [START] Clinic, Boston Medical Center
        • Rachel Xue, BS, Project Management Specialist, Boston Medical Center
    • Practicum on harm reduction for injectors, and people who smoke or sniff drugs; and practical techniques for drug testing or drug checking
      • Led by:
        • Brittany L. Carney, CNP, FNP-BC, Clinical Nurse Educator, Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance, BMC
        • Vanessa Loukas, MSN, FNP-C, CARN-AP, Clinical Nurse Educator, Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance, BMC
        • Annie Potter, MSN, MPH, NP, Clinical Nurse Educator, Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance, BMC
        • Heriberto Sanchez, Director of Policy Health and Equity, Boston Public Health Commission
        • Joseph Shay, Program Manager, Project Trust, Boston Medical Center
        • Kenneth Washington, Assistant Director, AHOPE, Boston Public Health Commission
    • Presentations of oral abstracts: Harm reduction and housing
      • Centering people engaging in the commercial sex industry in harm reduction and recovery programs - Matisse Monty, MPH, Victory Programs
      • Drug checking expansion across the United States and Latin America: An annual survey - Erin Thompson, MPH, Rhode Island Hospital
      • Offering smoking supplies engages people who smoke in harm reduction services: The Project TRUST experience - Glory Ruiz, MD, BMC
      • Removing abstinence as a requirement for care: Effectiveness of a virtual intensive outpatient program using a harm reduction model -  Peter S Ward, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital
      • "I don't think of it as a shelter. I say I'm going home":  A program evaluation of a low-threshold shelter for women who use drugs - Andrea Farina, PhD, St. Francis House
      • Substance use and pain curriculum innovation: establishing a student-faculty partnership for lasting curricular change - Rory Vu Mather, MS, Harvard Medical School
  • Plenary talk
    • Speaker: 
      • Eilene Davidson Grayken
  • Plenary panel: Challenges and emerging approaches in harm reduction
    • Moderator: 
      • Sarah Mackin, MPH, Director, Harm Reduction Services, Boston Public Health Commission
    • Panelists: 
      • Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP, Director, Massachusetts Overdose Prevention Helpline, Harm Reduction Program Manager, Clinical Addiction Research and Educational Unit, Boston Medical Center
      • Jim Duffy, Executive Director, Smoke Works
      • Sarah Bagley, MD, Primary Care Physician, Boston Medical Center

Continuing education information

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