Together for Hope 2024

Lead - Breakout Session: Overview of treating stimulant use disorder; Breakout Session: Practicum on harm reduction for injectors, and people who smoke or sniff drugs; and practical techniques for drug testing or drug checking 

Justin Alves is a clinical nurse educator at Boston Medical Center's Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance. In this role, he contributes to peer-reviewed publications, evidence-based clinical guidelines, the development and delivery of continuing education programs, and other resources for providers supporting patients with substance use disorders.  

Alves is also a nurse practitioner at Boston Medical Center and the nursing director of two housing-first programs operated by the Justice Resource Institute, Inc. Additionally, he has expertise in infectious diseases and their co-occurrence with substance use disorders, community outreach, and harm reduction. Alves’ work in HIV/AIDS includes serving as president of the Boston Chapter of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care and consulting for the New England AIDS Education Training Center.

Panelist - Expanding the role of nurses in SUD treatment

Panelist - Plenary Panel 2: What Does Culturally Tailored Addiction Treatment Look Like

Dr. Ethan S. Brackett is a family doctor providing general primary care and full-spectrum care to LGBTQ, trans, and HIV-positive youth at Fenway Health in Boston. Dr. Brackett spent 10 years as the site medical director of the Fenway South End office. During this time, he expanded the practice from 3 to 16 providers, added family medicine and Ob/Gyn specialties, helped start integrated behavioral health, moved the office toward serving a more diverse patient base, and shepherded the team through the pandemic. Previously, he worked at Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester, where he supervised residents and students, championed patient-centered medical home transformation, and managed the Family Medicine Department.

Dr. Brackett studied at Harvard College and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He completed his residency at Boston Medical Center and attended the Harvard Kennedy School with a Zuckerman Fellowship, where he earned a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in health policy. He later completed the Linde Fellowship in Primary Care Leadership at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Panelist - Plenary Panel 2: What Does Culturally Tailored Addiction Treatment Look Like 

Melisa Canuto is the director of behavioral health at Casa Esperanza. Before joining Casa, she worked at YouthConnect, the Boston Children’s Hospital Emergency Psychiatry Department, and Brigham and Woman’s Hospital Social Work Department.

Canuto manages the implementation and practical application of Casa’s integrated care model and oversees programming, services, and staffing at Familias Unidas outpatient clinic. She has an interest in working with marginalized communities and advocating for social justice. She currently serves as the Greater Boston representative on the board of directors for the National Association of Social Workers, is vice president for the Cape Verdean Social Workers Association, and is a member of the Greater Boston Association of Black Social Workers.  

Canuto holds a bachelor’s degree from Lesley University and master’s degree in social work from Boston College.

Plenary Panel 1: Pathways from Recovery to Professional Success in Addiction Treatment  

Dona M. Dmitrovic is the senior advisor in the Office of Recovery, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, Dmitrovic supports recovery initiatives across the agency. She previously served as the director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, where she provided executive leadership for federal efforts to improve the nation’s behavioral health through evidence-based substance use prevention approaches.  

With more than 37 years in the substance use field, Dmitrovic is experienced in raising public awareness and supporting program development and implementation for individuals with mental health and substance use conditions through advocacy, policy, and program development. Dmitrovic also has lived experience of long-term recovery and has family members in recovery. This personal experience drives her passion to ensure that opportunities exist to support others in their path to wellness.

Prior to her arrival at SAMHSA, Dmitrovic served as the executive director of Foundation for Recovery in Las Vegas, where she developed and implemented peer recovery support programs, education, and training on peer support services and led the organization’s growth to a statewide agency. Dmitrovic also served as the director of the National Office of Consumer Affairs for Optum Behavioral Health, United Healthcare, where she used her vast experience to develop peer products and tools to support individuals with substance use disorders. As the chief operating officer for the RASE Project in Pennsylvania, Dmitrovic assisted in launching the buprenorphine coordinator program serving opioid-dependent individuals with recovery support services in medication-assisted treatment, which was one of the first of its kind in the country and received two national awards for innovation. Dmitrovic was also the director of education and advocacy at Johnson Institute in Washington, D.C., and the first executive director of Pennsylvania Recovery Organizations Alliance, the statewide recovery community organization.

Panelist - Plenary Panel 2: What Does Culturally Tailored Addiction Treatment Look Like 

Haner Hernández has worked for more than 35 years in health and human services with a focus on developing, implementing, and evaluating culturally and linguistically intelligent prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery support programs for adults and youth. Hernández has more than 30 years of experience delivering mental health services, addiction counseling, and clinical supervision to professionals in the field.  

With personal experience in long-term recovery, Hernández is committed to eliminating health disparities by participating in processes that build equity. He has served as a consultant to many local and state health departments with a focus on disparities, building health equity, addiction treatment, and recovery supports. He also consults with and teaches at the New England Addiction Technology Transfer Center at Brown University and the National Hispanic and Latino Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network.
 
Currently, Hernández serves on the steering committee of the national Peer Recovery Center of Excellence and is president of the board of directors of the Massachusetts Board for Voluntary Certification of Drug and Alcohol Counselors. Additionally, he has served as a consultant to several federally funded initiatives in behavioral workforce development, HIV/AIDS, substance use disorders prevention and treatment, military service members and their families, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, and pediatric asthma. Hernández has served on faculty at the New England School of Addiction Studies since 1998 and at the School of Best Practices for more than 15 years. Hernández has presented at several state, national, and international conferences. 

Lead - Addiction 101 

Andrea Jodat is a clinical nurse educator at the Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance. In her role, she contributes to the development and delivery of continuing education programs, peer-reviewed publications, evidence-based clinical guidelines, and other resources for providers supporting patients with substance use disorders. She is also a family nurse practitioner at Boston Medical Center, an assistant professor of medicine at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and conducts research in the use of telehealth and coordinated care for people with opioid use disorder and depression. 

Speaker - Plenary Talk: Challenges and Successes Implementing Addiction Treatment in Community Health Centers 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kiame-mahaniah-b815375

Dr. Kiame Mahaniah currently serves as the Undersecretary for Health for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services of Massachusetts. His portfolio includes the Department of Public Health, the Department of Mental Health, and MassHealth.

A practicing physician in the field of addiction and primary care, Dr. Mahaniah most recently served as CEO of the Lynn Community Health Center. He is also an assistant professor in the Family Medicine Department at Tufts University School of Medicine.    

Dr. Mahaniah is the outgoing board chair of the Community Care Cooperative and was an active member of the Health Equity Compact. He holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University. 

Panelist - Expanding the role of nurses in SUD treatment

Keynote address

"Dr. Bisola Ojikutu is a nationally recognized physician leader, health equity researcher, community advocate and expert in the prevention, care, and treatment of infectious diseases. Dr. Ojikutu was appointed executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) in July 2021.

As executive director of the BPHC and Boston’s health department and commissioner of public health for the City of Boston, Dr. Ojikutu manages a budget of $180 million and leads more than 1,300 employees in six bureaus and more than 40 programs. Dr. Ojikutu is a key advisor to Boston's mayor on health issues and she builds innovative partnerships across city departments and within Boston’s communities to positively impact the health of all city residents. Among other public health priorities, she is committed to addressing racism as a public health crisis and advancing health equity.

Dr. Ojikutu is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a faculty member within the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She also holds an appointment within the Infectious Disease Division at Massachusetts General Hospital and is an adjunct faculty member at The Fenway Institute. She has led research and developed programs focused on increasing access to health care among marginalized populations funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HIV/AIDS Bureau). Most recently, Dr. Ojikutu served as director of the Community-Engaged Research Program and the associate director of the Bio-Behavioral and Community Science Core for the Harvard Center for AIDS Research. She is widely published in peer-reviewed journals and is an associate editor for the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH). She is also a co-editor of two comprehensive textbooks detailing strategies to address the ongoing HIV epidemic with Black and Latinx communities and HIV in U.S. communities of color. Among other awards, she was named one of the 100 Most Influential Bostonians by Boston Magazine in 2022.

Dr. Ojikutu also has significant international experience. As a senior advisor at John Snow, Inc., Dr. Ojikutu directed a $30 million project that provided program management, strategic planning, and technical assistance to improve HIV care and treatment to 15 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. She is also the former director of the Office of International Programs at Harvard Medical School.  

Dr. Ojikutu graduated from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She completed internal medicine residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell and infectious disease fellowship at Mass General Brigham. She is a former Commonwealth Fund fellow in minority health policy and has a master’s in public health in health policy and management from the Harvard School of Public Health. She is board-certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases and is a fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America. "

Alyssa Peterkin, MD, is a hospitalist at Boston Medical Center. She received her medical degree from New York Medical College and completed residency in Internal Medicine at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA. As a graduate of Boston University's Addiction Medicine Fellowship, her interests include addiction education and expanding access to treatment for substance use disorder inpatient. She regularly attends on the inpatient addiction consult service and works in Faster Paths which is Boston Medical Center's substance use disorder urgent care center.

Lead - Faith-based recovery

Leah S. Randolph is the executive director and co-owner of Commonwealth Mental Health & Wellness Center (CMHWC), a community-based behavioral clinic located in Dorchester and Lynn, Massachusetts. Randolph has been working with individuals with substance use disorder (SUD), mental health disorders, trauma, and community violence for more than two decades. Since its inception in 2014, CMHWC has become one of the largest professionally acclaimed Black-owned and operated behavioral health companies in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Randolph has also served as the Massachusetts Cochair of the Mass Black Alcohol & Addiction Council and as an executive board member of the National Black Alcoholism and Addictions Council (NBAC) since 1997. As a senior member of NBAC, Randolph has been mentored and trained by Dr. Frances L. Brisbane on best practices for working with African ancestral people with SUD and their families, cultural competency, and overcoming compassion fatigue.

Randolph earned her bachelor’s from the University of Massachusetts, Boston and her master’s from Cambridge College. She is a licensed alcohol and drug counselor (LADC I) and certified alcohol/drug abuse counselor (CADC II), and has won numerous awards from both the private and public sectors. She was awarded an honorary doctorate of human letters in philosophy for her tireless commitment and dedication to helping others.

Moderator - Plenary Panel 1: Pathways from Recovery to Professional Success in Addiction Treatment; Speaker - Plenary Presentation 1: How Can We Make Addiction Treatment More Appealing, Effective and Equitable for Black Patients? 

Phillip Reason is a senior project manager at Boston Public Health Commission, where he combines his expertise in public health, social work, and community organizing to serve underserved and underrepresented communities. Reason’s extensive experience and expertise in public health, clinical practice, and research enable him to develop innovative strategies and interventions that enhance access to addiction treatment for those in need. He also operates a sober living home for people experiencing homelessness and substance use disorder.

Lead - Addiction 101

Nancy Regan is a clinical nurse educator at the Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance. In her role, she contributes to the development and delivery of continuing education programs, peer-reviewed publications, evidence-based clinical guidelines, and other resources for providers supporting patients with substance use disorders. Regan is also a nurse practitioner, board certified in both family medicine and midwifery with more than a decade of experience working in addiction treatment. 

Panelist - Plenary Panel 2: What Does Culturally Tailored Addiction Treatment Look Like; Plenary Talk: What is the Impact of Cannabis Use on Adolescents and Young Adults? 

Twitter: @DrKMSimon
Instagram: @DrKMSimon
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drkmsimon

Dr. Kevin Simon is the City of Boston’s inaugural Chief Behavioral Health Officer, appointed by Mayor Michelle Wu. He is a physician-scientist, health policy expert, inspirational teacher, and gifted writer. Dr. Simon is a pediatric addiction medicine psychiatrist at Boston Children’s Hospital, an instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a recent Commonwealth Fund fellow in health policy at Harvard University, and the medical director of Wayside Youth & Family Support Network.  

Dr. Simon cares for youth and families through the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and the Division of Addiction Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. He has won multiple awards for research on structural violence, health equity, and mental health. Additionally, he consults for federal agencies on mental health system design and practices.  

Dr. Simon’s writings on health equity have been published in notable journals like the American Journal of Public Health and The New England Journal of Medicine.

Lead - Breakout Session: The role of psychedelics in addiction treatment 

Dr. Joji Suzuki is the director of the Division of Addiction Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), and an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. As an addiction psychiatrist on the psychiatric consultation service at BWH, his clinical work has consisted largely of providing assistance to his medical and surgical colleagues on the management of substance use disorders in the general medical setting.

Over the course of Dr. Suzuki’s career at BWH, he has successfully launched numerous treatment programs for substance use disorders, including the Faulkner Addiction Recovery Program and the Bridge Clinic. He is the inaugural program director for the BWH Addiction Medicine Fellowship program, and continues to be very active in medical student, resident, and fellow education. For the past decade, Dr. Suzuki has received continuous research funding from both public and private sources, and recently completed a National Institute on Drug Abuse K23 Career Development Award to receive mentored training in conducting clinical trials. He is now conducting National Institute of Health-funded trials to evaluate novel pharmacologic and psychosocial treatments, with an emphasis on treating patients in the hospital and emergency department. He is a sought-out speaker both locally and nationally, and currently serves on a variety of committees, workgroups, and taskforces for Mass General Brigham, Harvard Medical School, the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, and the Academy of Consultation Liaison Psychiatry.

Lead - Breakout Session: Offering outpatient methadone treatment under the 72 hour rule 

Dr. Jessica L. Taylor is the medical director of Faster Paths to Treatment, Boston Medical Center’s innovative and low-barrier substance use disorder bridge clinic. She also serves as the medical director of the Transitional Care Clinic at the same location, which provides a low-threshold, transitional housing program for those experiencing homelessness.  

Dr. Taylor also leads HIV prevention programs at BMC, and directs the HIV Pathway for internal medicine residents. Additionally, she is an assistant professor of medicine and board-certified addiction specialist at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, where she serves as core faculty in the fellowship program.

Lead - Breakout Session: Expanding the role of nurses in SUD treatment 

Kristin Wason is a clinical nurse educator at the Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance, an assistant professor of medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and a nurse practitioner at Boston Medical Center (BMC). She is also the director of the Grayken Addiction Nurse Fellowship program, the first addiction nurse fellowship of its kind in the United States, and sits on the BMC Substance Use Disorder Nursing Council.

In her role as clinical nurse educator, Wason contributes to peer-reviewed publications, evidence-based clinical guidelines, the development and delivery of continuing education programs, and other resources for clinicians supporting patients with substance use disorders. She is an expert faculty member for the Provider Clinical Support System Exchange (PCSS-X) and was co-chair of the Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance Use and Addiction 2022 conference. Kristin's clinical interests include women's health, low-barrier treatment, and the care of persons involved within the criminal-legal system. She is board-certified in addictions nursing through the Addiction Nursing Certification Board. Wason completed her undergraduate studies at the University of New Hampshire and earned her master’s in nursing from Salem State University. 

Zoe M. Weinstein, MD, MS, is a graduate of Boston University’s Addiction Medicine Fellowship and board certified in Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine. She has been the Director of Boston Medical Center’s interdisciplinary addiction consult service since July 2016. She has been NIDA grant funded on multiple studies to deliver training and technical assistance to interdisciplinary provider teams to expand treatment for opioid use disorder among hospitalized patients Her clinical and research work are also focused on long-term Office-Based Addiction Treatment (OBAT) with buprenorphine. She currently serves as Associate Director of Boston University’s Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program and is a site medical director of a local methadone clinic.

Lead - Breakout Session: Impactful storytelling for personal growth and community advocacy and change 

Elizabeth Addison is a multi-hyphenate whose work exists at the intersection of recovery and the performing arts. She has written three musicals inspired by her recovery journey, one of which, “Chasing Grace,” won best director and best musical at the prestigious SheNYC festival in July 2023. Her next show, “In Between…” premiered at the Broadway Supper Club, 54 Below, in October 2023. Addison co-designed the New Works Department at 2nd Act Recovery Theatre Company where she also recently oversaw the writing and development of their new play, “I'll Be There For You.”  

Addison speaks at conferences across the country about utilizing the arts as a therapeutic tool and is a creative recovery coach with the Meghann Perry Group, where she facilitates recovery storytelling workshops and storytelling through song workshops.

Lead - Breakout Session: Overview of treating stimulant use disorder; Breakout Session: Practicum on harm reduction for injectors, and people who smoke or sniff drugs; and practical techniques for drug testing or drug checking 

Justin Alves is a clinical nurse educator at Boston Medical Center's Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance. In this role, he contributes to peer-reviewed publications, evidence-based clinical guidelines, the development and delivery of continuing education programs, and other resources for providers supporting patients with substance use disorders.  

Alves is also a nurse practitioner at Boston Medical Center and the nursing director of two housing-first programs operated by the Justice Resource Institute, Inc. Additionally, he has expertise in infectious diseases and their co-occurrence with substance use disorders, community outreach, and harm reduction. Alves’ work in HIV/AIDS includes serving as president of the Boston Chapter of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care and consulting for the New England AIDS Education Training Center.

Lead - Breakout Session: Clinical solutions to commercial sexual exploitation 

Sandra Andrade is the co-director of Boston Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) at Massachusetts General Hospital, a clinical and peer-led outreach program for women at the intersection of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) and substance use disorder. Andrade teaches law enforcement and health care professionals locally and nationally about improving the response to sexually exploited women.  

Andrade previously developed the Dee Kennedy Project at Dorchester District Court, a court advocacy program for women exploited in the sex trade who are involved in the justice system. In addition to her role at Boston HEAT, Andrade is the assistant director of A New Path at Health Imperatives, creating innovative housing programs for women who have experienced CSE.

 Speaker - Plenary Presentation 1: How Can We Make Addiction Treatment More Appealing, Effective and Equitable for Black Patients?

Corinne Beaugard is a post-doctoral fellow focused on addiction, recovery, and harm reduction. Their focus is on health equity and increasing the acceptability of addiction treatment and interventions, especially for people with oppressed identities and those without abstinence goals. During the 2023-2024 academic year, Beaugard is a postdoctoral researcher at Boston Medical Center's Department of Psychiatry and the Grayken Center for Addiction.

Lead - Breakout Session: Experiences of people with SUD in low-barrier housing

Dr. Avik Chatterjee is a primary care and addiction medicine physician at several shelter-based clinics through Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. His areas of clinical and research interest include innovative treatment models for opioid use disorder in marginalized populations and interventions on social determinants of health, such as food insecurity.  

Dr. Chatterjee has an additional interest in racism and health care, particularly its manifestations in medical education and training. He is an assistant professor of medicine at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.

Lead - Breakout Session: Best practices for addiction treatment and harm reduction in settings of incarceration 

Dr. Ricardo Cruz is an assistant professor of medicine at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and a primary care physician at Boston Medical Center (BMC). Dr. Cruz’s clinical work focuses on primary care and treatment of substance use disorders and viral hepatitis for vulnerable populations including racial and ethnic minority communities and individuals with a history of criminal justice involvement. He is also a physician in Faster Paths to Treatment, BMC’s innovative, low-barrier substance use disorder bridge clinic.

Dr. Cruz is a graduate of the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and the Boston University School of Public Health, earning a master’s in public health in epidemiology and biostatistics. He completed his clinical training at the internal medicine residency primary care program at BU/BMC.

Panelist - Navigating access to MOUD and harm reduction in carceral settings: Challenges and opportunities for advocacy

Dr. Steven Descoteaux is board certified in internal medicine and addiction medicine. He has treated addiction in numerous settings, including primary care, urgent care, correctional facilities, and both inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment programs. Dr. Descoteaux believes in expanding access to addiction treatment that meets patients at all stages of their recovery.

Moderator - Breakout Session: Navigating Access to MOUD and Harm Reduction in Carceral Settings: Challenges and Opportunities for Advocacy 
Moderator - Plenary Panel 1: Reforming Involuntary Holds for People with Substance Use Disorders: Best Practices (Section 35 Reform) (Saturday AM)

Deborah Goldfarb has worked in the social services field with diverse patient populations throughout greater Boston for more than 10 years.  As a case manager and clinical social worker, she has focused on social determinants of health as well acute psychiatric crises, trauma, homelessness, and addiction. In recent years her work has concentrated on the intersection of behavioral health care and the criminal legal system through work in the state prison system and with Harvard Law's Criminal Justice Institute.  

Goldfarb is the director of behavioral health for Population Health at Boston Medical Center, and leads initiatives related to the criminalization of addiction at the Grayken Center for Addiction. As a passionate advocate for those facing social injustices, she leads the National Association of Social Workers Massachusetts Chapter's Criminal Justice Committee, is a board member with the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition, and teaches part time at the Boston University School of Social Work. 

Panelist - Navigating access to MOUD and harm reduction in carceral settings: Challenges and opportunities for advocacy

Kelsea Goodrow is the project coordinator and paralegal for Project RIZE, a project of the Racial Equity in Corrections Initiative of Prisoners Legal Services. In her role, Goodrow advocates for equitable access to medications for opioid use disorder and other culturally appropriate treatment options for Black and Brown prisoners with substance use disorder. 

 Speaker - Plenary Presentation 1: How Can We Make Addiction Treatment More Appealing, Effective and Equitable for Black Patients?

Daneiris Heredia-Perez  is a senior research project manager for the Grayken Center for Addiction. As an advocate for wellness and health, she is passionate about lifting the voices of those often sidelined, and researching ways to develop equitable care for Black patients with substance use disorders, as well as assisting children whose parents struggle with substance use. Heredia-Perez takes great interest in working alongside patients and is committed to collaborating with patients on research efforts. 

Speaker - Laying out a blueprint for addressing inequities in the overdose crisis

Speaker - Plenary Talk: Shooting the Messenger: Tales from industry interference in alcohol and drug research 

David Jernigan is a professor in the Department of Health Law, Policy and Management and assistant dean for practice at the Boston University School of Public Health. He is the senior policy advisor to CityHealth, an initiative of the de Beaumont Foundation and Kaiser Permanente that works on 12 policies addressing social determinants of health in the 75 largest cities in the U.S. Jernigan is a member of the Cannabis Advertising and Social Media (CASM) research group, which has pioneered measurement of the effects of exposure to cannabis marketing on youth use and problems. He co-founded the Maryland Collaborative to Reduce College Drinking and Related Problems, a statewide effort involving 18 institutions of higher education committed to reducing alcohol-related problems on campus and in the surrounding communities.

Jernigan is also the scientific chair and serves on the board of the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance. He has written more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles and has contributed chapters to seven books on alcohol issues, as well as two chapters on cannabis policy. He has served as an advisor to the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), and was the principal author of WHO’s first Global Status Report on Alcohol and Global Status Report on Alcohol and Youth, and Cannabis: Moving Forward, Protecting Health, published by the American Public Health Association Press. He also co-authored Alcohol in the Developing World: A Public Health Perspective and Media Advocacy and Public Health: Power for Prevention.

Lead - Addiction 101 

Andrea Jodat is a clinical nurse educator at the Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance. In her role, she contributes to the development and delivery of continuing education programs, peer-reviewed publications, evidence-based clinical guidelines, and other resources for providers supporting patients with substance use disorders. She is also a family nurse practitioner at Boston Medical Center, an assistant professor of medicine at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and conducts research in the use of telehealth and coordinated care for people with opioid use disorder and depression. 

Lead - Breakout Sessions: Addiction 101; Speaker - Plenary Presentation 1: How Can We Make Addiction Treatment More Appealing, Effective and Equitable for Black Patients? 

Natrina Johnson is a health services researcher at the Grayken Center for Addiction. Johnson has centered her research on addressing disparities in health outcomes for marginalized populations and understanding the impact of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder on treatment outcomes for opioid use disorder. She joined the Grayken Center in 2021 as a member of the substance use disorder antiracism workgroup and is currently leading the analysis of qualitative data to inform how to make treatment for substance use more equitable and effective for Black people.  

Johnson has prior experience working as a mental health counselor for adolescents, and as a substance use counselor and house manager for adults with co-occurring substance use and psychiatric conditions.

Lead - Breakout Session: Clinical solutions to commercial sexual exploitation

Abigail Judge is a clinical and forensic psychologist whose work is dedicated to women at the intersection of commercial sexual exploitation and substance use disorder. Judge has worked with this population as a clinician, educator, consultant, program developer, and expert witness since 2010. Judge also serves as part-time clinical faculty at Harvard Medical School.

Judge founded and co-leads Boston Human Exploitation and Sex Trafficking (HEAT), a collaboration with Sandra Andrade of Massachusetts General Hospital and colleagues from the Boston Police Department’s Human Trafficking Unit. Boston HEAT provides low barrier, clinical and peer support to women whose active substance use and exploitation in the sex trade limits their access to mainstream services. In 2023, Boston HEAT received a special commendation from the Commissioner of the Boston Police Department.

Speaker 

Dr. Miriam Komaromy is a professor of medicine at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and a board-certified addiction medicine and internal medicine physician. She is the medical director for the Grayken Center for Addiction, where she leads the center’s work in enhancing clinical addiction treatment, education, and research on addiction, and vigorous advocacy for policy priorities that can improve the lives of people experiencing substance use disorder. She also leads an interdisciplinary group of researchers focused on how to make addiction treatment more appealing, effective, and equitable for Black patients.

Speaker - Laying out a blueprint for addressing inequities in the overdose crisis

Speaker - Plenary Presentation 3: Laying Out a Blueprint for Addressing Inequities in the Overdose Crisis 

Darian Leta is an Afro Dominican and Puerto Rican community health advocate born and raised in Boston. She currently serves as the senior manager for substance use disorder and recovery initiatives, managing the Mass General Brigham substance use disorder equity grant that supports community health centers in building capacity for equitable substance use service delivery for Black, Latine, and Native American and tribal communities. As a community health worker, Leta is committed to providing the best health services in Boston, state-wide, nationally, and globally by focusing on infectious diseases, community health education, and patient-centered program development. Her community work includes coalition-building around food insecurity, affordable housing/anti-gentrification, violence prevention, abolition, and other social determinants of health.

 Lead - Breakout Session: Increasing access to employment for people with substance use disorder

Brita Loftus is a senior program manager at Advocates for Human Potential, Inc., and serves as the director of the Massachusetts Access to Recovery (ATR) Program. In this role, Loftus oversees the administration of ATR across the state and leads a team of talented people who run the program behind the scenes. Loftus works closely with ATR’s funder, the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS), as well as service provider partners, to ensure that ATR participants are receiving high quality services. She has more than 10 years of experience working across the continuum of substance use disorder services and has a deep knowledge of and experience with the challenges facing people who are navigating substance use disorder and recovery. Loftus previously managed a harm reduction program in western Massachusetts. She approaches her work using her social work and public health backgrounds and is passionate about helping individuals reach their fullest potential. 

Moderator - Breakout Session: Increasing access to employment for people with substance use disorder

Aaryn Manning is the executive director of Project Place. She is dedicated to promoting equity and driven to meet goals through meaningful collaboration with community partners. Manning keeps Project Place clients close to her heart, and their stories heavily influence her day-to-day work at the organization and her vision for the future of Project Place. She is committed to creating an environment where the board of directors, staff, clients, and volunteers learn from each other as a community to best advance the agency's mission. Prior to her current role, Manning served as the vice president and chief financial officer of Westbrook Development Partners and as a second-grade teacher in the Denver Public Schools. Before that, Manning served as the director of education and job training at Project Place, in which role she was responsible for overseeing workforce development and career services programming. During her tenure, Manning increased the client completion rate of the work readiness program and managed the agency’s first performance-based grant.

Manning has a Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Montana and a master’s in education and human development from the University of Colorado, Denver. She also holds a certificate of nonprofit management and leadership from the Institute of Nonprofit Practice. 

Lead - Breakout Session: Experiences of people with SUD in low-barrier housing 

Michael Mayer is a first-year medical student at Stanford Medical School. Previously, he led a primary care-based housing navigation team that served unhoused individuals in Boston. He was also a case manager for unhoused and marginally-housed communities in East Boston and the South End. Mayer has coordinated several initiatives including partnerships with housing and social service agencies, equity initiatives, and research related to homelessness health care. He is passionate about promoting justice in health care through research and policy advocacy.

 Speaker - Plenary Presentation 1: How Can We Make Addiction Treatment More Appealing, Effective and Equitable for Black Patients?

Craig McClay is a facilitator and engagement specialist with more than three decades of experience working with diverse communities. McClay is devoted to designing interactive meeting experiences that help individuals heal and restore communities in places that have endured systemic harms. His work builds on diversity, equity, inclusion, vitality, and restorative justice. Currently, McClay works as the community engagement facilitation specialist with the HEALing Communities Study and with the substance use disorder and anti-racism team at the Grayken Center for Addiction. 

Lead - Breakout Session: Experiences of people with SUD in low-barrier housing 

Yesenia Mejia originally joined Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP) as an AmeriCorps Fellow. Since then, Mejia has taken on various roles within the organization, currently serving as program coordinator for Transgender Services and program assistant for the BHCHP Oasis Clinic, which serves as a multicultural immigrant-friendly clinic for those experiencing homelessness.  

Mejia presented at the 2023 National Healthcare for the Homeless Council Conference with other BHCHP staff about the impact of encampment sweeps on public health, safety, and substance use among BHCHP patients.

Lead - Breakout Session: Increasing access to employment for people with substance use disorder 

Victoria Patlajan is the director of education for Project Place and has more than 10 years of experience as an educator and advocate working in both public school and nonprofit settings. In her current role, she is responsible for overseeing the organization’s classroom-based learning, computer lab training, and industry credentialing program. Additionally, she manages curriculum development and career services. Prior to her current role, Patlajan worked as an adult education instructor and then manager of workforce development training at Project Place. She also has previous experience as a teacher and special education instructor. Patlajan is passionate about education and uses it as a tool to promote social equity and advancement opportunities for her clients.

Lead - Breakout Session: Impactful storytelling for personal growth and community advocacy and change 

Meghann Perry is an award-winning storyteller, theatre educator, curriculum designer, and addiction recovery coach. She creates innovative learning and performance experiences that blend theatre, storytelling, and coaching and is an international educator in the field of recovery coaching. Perry is a global speaker, storytelling coach, and creator of two groundbreaking programs, Recovery Storytelling and Embodied Storytelling. She has designed countless other customized programs for diverse groups including transgender youth and adults, adoptive caregivers, non-profit boards, and veterans.  

Perry integrated theatre practices into youth and young adult residential treatment services for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and has worked extensively with adolescents and young adults in prevention, treatment, and recovery. She is the founder of the Meghann Perry Group and leads a team of dedicated facilitators redefining recovery, wellness, and education by offering innovative, revolutionary, custom programs.

Lead - Practicum on harm reduction for injectors, and people who smoke or sniff drugs; and practical techniques for drug testing or drug checking

Annie Potter is a clinical nurse educator the Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance, an assistant professor of medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and a nurse practitioner at Boston Medical Center. In her role at the Grayken Center, Potter contributes to peer-reviewed publications, evidence-based clinical guidelines, development and delivery of continuing education programs, and other resources for clinicians supporting patients with substance use disorders. She is also a consultant and educator for the Massachusetts HEALing Communities Study, a multi-state study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and medical director for the Massachusetts Community Health Center ECHO, and an expert faculty member of the Provider Clinical Support System Exchange (PCSS-X). Potter’s other clinical interests include treatment and prevention of HIV and hepatitis C, family planning, and care for gender-diverse individuals. 

 Lead - Breakout Session: Opportunities for practicing trauma informed care when working with people with substance use disorders in clinical and community settings

Brooke G. Rogers is the director of psychological services for addiction and a licensed psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at Boston Medical Center. She is also a clinical associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Rogers sees patients in the Addiction Psychiatry Treatment Program and within integrated behavioral health at the Center for Infectious Diseases.  

Rogers’ clinical research is focused on the intersection of mental health, substance use, and HIV and the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based treatments for special populations affected by syndemics.

Speaker - Plenary Presentation 1: How Can We Make Addiction Treatment More Appealing, Effective and Equitable for Black Patients?

Speaker - Plenary Presentation 3: Laying Out a Blueprint for Addressing Inequities in the Overdose Crisis  

Dr. Sarah Wakeman is medical director for the Substance Use Disorder Initiative at Mass General Brigham and program director of the Mass General Addiction Medicine Fellowship. She is also an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Wakeman provides specialty addiction and general medical care in the inpatient and outpatient settings at Mass General Hospital and the Mass General Charlestown Health Center. Her active research projects include a study evaluating the impact of addiction consultation on hospitalized medical patients with substance use disorder; 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.

Panelist - Plenary Panel 1: Reforming Involuntary Holds for People with Substance Use Disorders: Best Practices (Section 35 Reform); Lead - Roundtable for harm reduction specialists 

Kenneth Washington is an assistant director of AHOPE Needle Exchange, driven by a passion for harm reduction that stems from his work with at-risk youth. His lived experience has instilled in him a deep understanding of the challenges of racism, classism, and substance use, inspiring him to become a leader in the field.  

Washington’s outstanding achievements in harm reduction have earned him a seat on the Massachusetts Harm Reduction Advisory Council, a testament to his unwavering dedication to public service. His desire to help his community has led him to excel in drug checking and introduce innovative safer smoking practices to the Boston area outreach. With his knowledge and expertise, Washington has made a significant impact on the lives of countless individuals and helped to shape policies that promote safer and healthier communities. His contributions have been widely recognized and admired by peers, colleagues, and stakeholders.

Lead - Breakout Session: Overview of treating stimulant use disorder; Breakout Session: Practicum on harm reduction for injectors, and people who smoke or sniff drugs; and practical techniques for drug testing or drug checking 

Justin Alves is a clinical nurse educator at Boston Medical Center's Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance. In this role, he contributes to peer-reviewed publications, evidence-based clinical guidelines, the development and delivery of continuing education programs, and other resources for providers supporting patients with substance use disorders.  

Alves is also a nurse practitioner at Boston Medical Center and the nursing director of two housing-first programs operated by the Justice Resource Institute, Inc. Additionally, he has expertise in infectious diseases and their co-occurrence with substance use disorders, community outreach, and harm reduction. Alves’ work in HIV/AIDS includes serving as president of the Boston Chapter of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care and consulting for the New England AIDS Education Training Center.

Moderator - From the War on Drugs to Overdose Prevention Centers (OPCs) 

Oami Amarasingham joined Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA) in 2022, where she currently serves as deputy director. Prior to joining MPHA, she served as deputy legislative director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts, where she led the organization’s legislative work on criminal law reform.  

Amarasingham previously served as advocacy director of the ACLU of Maine, where she worked to pass first-in-the-nation privacy laws, expand access to abortion care, and propel public-health centered drug policy.

Panelist - Plenary Panel 1: Reforming Involuntary Holds for People with Substance Use Disorders: Best Practices (Section 35 Reform) 

Dr. Siu Ping Chin Feman is the medical director of Homeless and Outreach Services at Eliot Community Human Services. In this role, she focuses her outreach efforts on the crisis in the Melnea Cass area of Boston, while also supporting her team state-wide in their efforts to both house people who are experiencing homelessness and stabilize people after they are housed. Dr. Chin Feman has focused her career caring for individuals with severe trauma, addiction, and homelessness, including practicing in federally qualified health centers, Veteran’s Affairs (VA) medical centers, community mental health centers, and doing street outreach.  

Dr. Chin Feman received her medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans and completed her psychiatry residency training at Harvard Longwood in Boston. Following residency, she completed a fellowship in addiction psychiatry through Partners Healthcare, based at Mass General Hospital and McLean Hospital. Dr. Chin Feman is board-certified in psychiatry and addiction psychiatry and is on the faculty of UMass Chan Medical School and the UMass Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship.

Lead - Advocacy 101 for people with lived experience Executive Director, Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery (MOAR)

Maryanne Frangules has been in long-term recovery since 1981, and has leveraged her experiences into her current role as executive director of the Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery (MOAR).

Frangules and a group of volunteers founded MOAR in 1991. In her current role, Frangules has worked to organize the recovery community while also educating policymakers and the general public on the positive impact of recovery efforts. She has served as a board member of The Faces and Voices of Recovery, and is also a member of the Massachusetts Interagency Council on Substance Abuse and Prevention.

Moderator - Breakout Session: Navigating Access to MOUD and Harm Reduction in Carceral Settings: Challenges and Opportunities for Advocacy 
Moderator - Plenary Panel 1: Reforming Involuntary Holds for People with Substance Use Disorders: Best Practices (Section 35 Reform) (Saturday AM)

Deborah Goldfarb has worked in the social services field with diverse patient populations throughout greater Boston for more than 10 years.  As a case manager and clinical social worker, she has focused on social determinants of health as well acute psychiatric crises, trauma, homelessness, and addiction. In recent years her work has concentrated on the intersection of behavioral health care and the criminal legal system through work in the state prison system and with Harvard Law's Criminal Justice Institute.  

Goldfarb is the director of behavioral health for Population Health at Boston Medical Center, and leads initiatives related to the criminalization of addiction at the Grayken Center for Addiction. As a passionate advocate for those facing social injustices, she leads the National Association of Social Workers Massachusetts Chapter's Criminal Justice Committee, is a board member with the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition, and teaches part time at the Boston University School of Social Work. 

Keynote address

Dr. Robbie Goldstein was appointed Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) by Governor Maura Healey in April 2023. A physician specializing in infectious diseases, Dr. Goldstein oversees a workforce of more than 3,200 individuals. Together they are committed to health equity and promoting the health and well-being of people across the state by preventing illness and injury and maintaining strong and vibrant communities. They carry out their work through a network of bureaus and offices responsible for priorities that include maternal and child health, nutrition, infectious diseases, injury prevention, climate and environmental health, substance use disorders, emergency preparedness and response, and problem gambling. In addition, DPH licenses health professionals and health care facilities, and operates the state public health laboratory and four public health hospitals.

Dr. Goldstein previously served as senior policy advisor at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he focused on public health emergency response, infectious diseases, and strategic policy initiatives. Prior to his work at CDC, he founded and was medical director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Transgender Health Program, a clinical resource offering a safe and affirming environment for the transgender and nonbinary community. His clinical interest involved caring for those living with and at risk for HIV, an experience that continues to drive his passion to identify and eliminate barriers to equitable access to care. Dr. Goldstein is a graduate of Tufts University, where he also earned his medical degree and doctorate degree. 

Panelist - Reforming involuntary holds for people with substance use disorders: Best practices (Section 35 reform)

Tami Gouveia is the director of the Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health and the Paul Farmer professor of practice. She has extensive experience as a leader in social work and public health, policymaking, and change management. Throughout her 25-year career, Gouveia has used her expertise to drive meaningful change, improve community health outcomes, and promote economic and racial equity. She has served in key leadership positions in nonprofit, philanthropic, and governmental organizations, including as director at the Massachusetts State Auditor’s Office, The Rippel Foundation, Tobacco Free Mass, and the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center. Gouveia also founded and led several efforts, including the Lowell Roundtable on Substance Abuse Prevention and the Massachusetts Chapter of the Women’s March. 

Gouveia was elected to two terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where she passed legislation to combat the opioid crisis, defend reproductive justice and LGBTQ+ rights, advance housing and climate justice, reform education funding and the criminal legal system, and invest in programs to prevent and treat childhood trauma. 

Gouveia has taught courses at the Boston University School of Public Health and Salem State University School of Social Work. She has been a guest speaker at dozens of state and national conferences and an invited lecturer at many universities.

Gouveia holds a Doctor of Public Health in management, leadership and policy, a master’s in public health from the Boston University School of Public Health, and a master’s in social work from the Boston University School of Social Work. 

Lead - Lessons Learned from International Approaches to Opioid Use Disorder Treatment and Overdose Prevention; Panelist - Nuts and bolts of implementing Overdose Prevention Centers: best practices, and learning from other states 

Dr. Miriam Harris is an addiction expert at Boston Medical Center and an assistant professor of Medicine at the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. She is the medical consultant for Rhode Island's first safe consumption space. Her research interests focus on the intersection of women’s health and substance use including increasing sexual, reproductive, and HIV prevention services in substance use treatment spaces; substance use treatment while pregnant and parenting; and gender-responsive harm reduction. Dr. Harris provides community-based methadone treatment and attends the general medicine units and the Addiction Consult Service at Boston Medical Center.

Lead - Information impacts action: Debunking myths about the family and recovery

Lead - MedMoth: Stories of hope

Dr. Nidhi K. Lal is a board-certified family medicine physician at Boston Medical Center and a clinical associate professor of family medicine at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. Dr. Lal has extensive experience caring for underserved populations, teaching medical students and residents, and advocating on local and state levels. She is devoted to training more general practitioners in India to promote global health and to improve maternal child health outcomes in tribal communities. 

Panelist - Reforming involuntary holds for people with substance use disorders: Best practices (Section 35 reform)

Erin Pritchard is a recovery support navigator at Boston Medical Center’s, Project ASSERT, where she assesses patients and connects them to outpatient and inpatients services. She began working in the field of addiction in 2017 as a recovery specialist in both short-term acute treatment services and long-term residential facilities. Pritchard was drawn to this work as someone with a personal history of substance use disorder (SUD) who has also experienced the negative implications of the correctional system. She is currently working on her licensing as a drug and alcohol counselor, and is passionate about helping people with SUD connect to treatment and leading a life of recovery. 

Panelist - Plenary Panel 2: Mandatory Reporting Regulations During Pregnancy and the Impact on Health of Families (51A Reform) 

Julia Reddy is a fourth-year doctoral student at the UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health and a research assistant with the Children’s Data Network. Previously, Reddy served as the women and families’ addiction treatment system coordinator for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  

Reddy’s educational and professional trajectory has been characterized by a consistent dedication to leveraging empirical science, intersectionality theory, and complex systems analysis to better understand and improve the health and well-being of women and families. Currently, her research examines public service systems and social welfare policies that impact women with substance use disorder, sexual exploitation, and involvement with the criminal legal and child protection systems. 

Panelist - Plenary Panel 2: Mandatory Reporting Regulations During Pregnancy and the Impact on Health of Families (51A Reform) 

Daniel Rodrigues is the director of substance use disorder and outreach programs at Duffy Health Center in Hyannis. In his role at Duffy, Rodrigues provides clinical oversight for all the health center’s substance use disorder services, including a program designed to support pregnant and parenting women with histories of substance use disorder. The Moms Do Care program is a Bureau of Substance Addiction Services grant-funded program rooted in supporting equitable care, community-based services, and access to reproductive health care.  

Prior to his current position, Rodrigues worked in the field of substance use disorders and mental health, including inpatient co-occurring treatment, outpatient residential treatment, and hospital-based social work on maternity and pediatrics. Rodrigues graduated from the Smith College School for Social Work.

Panelist - Plenary Panel 2: Mandatory Reporting Regulations During Pregnancy and the Impact on Health of Families (51A Reform)

Daniel Rodrigues is the director of substance use disorder and outreach programs at Duffy Health Center in Hyannis. In his role at Duffy, Rodrigues provides clinical oversight for all the health center’s substance use disorder services, including a program designed to support pregnant and parenting women with histories of substance use disorder. The Moms Do Care program is a Bureau of Substance Addiction Services grant-funded program rooted in supporting equitable care, community-based services, and access to reproductive health care.  

Prior to his current position, Rodrigues worked in the field of substance use disorders and mental health, including inpatient co-occurring treatment, outpatient residential treatment, and hospital-based social work on maternity and pediatrics. Rodrigues graduated from the Smith College School for Social Work.

Lead - Advocacy 101 for healthcare professionals

Jeneczka Roman is the assistant director of advocacy and communication at the Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA). She joined the organization in 2020, after graduating from Boston University School of Public Health with a dual concentration in community assessment, program development, implementation and evaluation, and health law and policy. Roman brings to her work a commitment to racial justice and systems-level change through community power-building, coalition-building, and policy advocacy.

Panelist - Mandatory reporting regulations during pregnancy and the impact on health of families (51A Reform)

Patti Rosell is a clinical social worker on the inpatient obstetrics team at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is embedded in the Special Care Nursery as part of the multidisciplinary team caring for babies and their parents. Rosell has more than 20 years of experience working on behalf of patients impacted by trauma, intimate partner violence, trafficking, substance use, and complex medical presentations. She is a trained debriefer and consultant in high acuity, complex cases. She brings warmth and a grounded approach to create safety and connection in all her interactions with patients and colleagues.

Moderator - Plenary Panel 2: Mandatory Reporting Regulations During Pregnancy and the Impact on Health of Families (51A Reform) 

Dr. Davida Schiff is a general academic pediatrician, addiction medicine physician, and health services researcher focused on improving care for families impacted by substance use disorder (SUD). She is the director of Perinatal and Family-Based SUDs Care at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she founded the HOPE Clinic, a multidisciplinary program caring for pregnant and parenting people with SUD and their families.

Dr. Schiff has received federal funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), SAMHSA, and the Department of Justice. Her work has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Addiction, among other journals. She is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.  

Dr. Schiff completed her medical training at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, followed by a pediatrics residency in the Boston Combined Residency Program at Boston Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital, a general pediatrics research fellowship at Boston Medical Center, and a master’s program in health services research from the Boston University School of Public Health.

Lead - Information impacts action: Debunking myths about the family and recovery

Lead - Lessons Learned from International Approaches to Opioid Use Disorder Treatment and Overdose Prevention

Lead - Publishing Addiction Research 101

Alexander Y. Walley is an associate professor of medicine at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and director of the Boston Medical Center Addiction Medicine Fellowship program. His research focus is on the medical complications of substance use, specifically HIV and overdose, and he is an active investigator on clinical trials and cohort studies.  

Dr. Walley provides primary care and office-based addiction treatment for patients with HIV at Boston Medical Center and methadone maintenance treatment at Health Care Resource Centers. He is the medical director for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Opioid Overdose Prevention Pilot Program.

Lead - Advocacy 101 for healthcare professionals

Massachusetts Public Health Association

Alexis Walls is the assistant campaign director at the Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA), where she fosters relationships with community-based partners to help shape MPHA priorities, build capacity for local policy change, and advocate for transportation justice. She is passionate about partnering with communities to create positive, systems-level change. Prior to joining MPHA, Walls coordinated substance use prevention initiatives designed to build a healthier future for Boston youth. Walls graduated from Boston University School of Public Health with a concentration in health policy and management. 

Panelist - Plenary Panel 1: Reforming Involuntary Holds for People with Substance Use Disorders: Best Practices (Section 35 Reform); Lead - Roundtable for harm reduction specialists 

Kenneth Washington is an assistant director of AHOPE Needle Exchange, driven by a passion for harm reduction that stems from his work with at-risk youth. His lived experience has instilled in him a deep understanding of the challenges of racism, classism, and substance use, inspiring him to become a leader in the field.  

Washington’s outstanding achievements in harm reduction have earned him a seat on the Massachusetts Harm Reduction Advisory Council, a testament to his unwavering dedication to public service. His desire to help his community has led him to excel in drug checking and introduce innovative safer smoking practices to the Boston area outreach. With his knowledge and expertise, Washington has made a significant impact on the lives of countless individuals and helped to shape policies that promote safer and healthier communities. His contributions have been widely recognized and admired by peers, colleagues, and stakeholders.

Lead - Breakout Session: Overview of treating stimulant use disorder; Breakout Session: Practicum on harm reduction for injectors, and people who smoke or sniff drugs; and practical techniques for drug testing or drug checking 

Justin Alves is a clinical nurse educator at Boston Medical Center's Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance. In this role, he contributes to peer-reviewed publications, evidence-based clinical guidelines, the development and delivery of continuing education programs, and other resources for providers supporting patients with substance use disorders.  

Alves is also a nurse practitioner at Boston Medical Center and the nursing director of two housing-first programs operated by the Justice Resource Institute, Inc. Additionally, he has expertise in infectious diseases and their co-occurrence with substance use disorders, community outreach, and harm reduction. Alves’ work in HIV/AIDS includes serving as president of the Boston Chapter of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care and consulting for the New England AIDS Education Training Center.

Panelist - Plenary Panel 1: Challenges and Emerging Approaches in Harm Reduction 

Panelist - Nuts and bolts of implementing Overdose Prevention Centers: best practices, and learning from Rhode Island

Dennis A. Bailer is currently the overdose prevention program director at Project Weber/RENEW (PWR), a peer-based harm reduction and recovery support organization leading harm reduction efforts in Rhode Island. He has been with the organization for more than seven years. He is also co-director of the nation’s first state sanctioned and regulated overdose prevention center (safe consumption site) which will be opening in Providence, Rhode Island later this year.

Lead - Practicum: Wound care in the era of xylazine

Casy Calver is the Editorial Director at the Grayken Center for Addiction and the Clinical Addiction Research & Education (CARE) Unit at Boston Medical Center, where she works on the newsletter Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Health: Current Evidence and the journal Addiction Science & Clinical Practice. Casy’s doctoral dissertation in Editorial Studies at Boston University was an annotated edition of the 1937 pamphlet Authors Take Sides on the Spanish War. She also has an MSc in Global Health Policy from the University of Edinburgh, and serves as Executive Officer of the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors.

Panelist - Plenary Panel 1: Challenges and Emerging Approaches in Harm Reduction 

Jim Duffy is a nationally recognized advocate for advancing traditional harm reduction services. As director of Smoke Works, he has helped syringe service providers in more than 40 states expand by incorporating pipe distribution for safer smoking. By advancing access to injection alternatives, Duffy has created and promoted tools to address health inequities, overdose, and infectious disease among people who use drugs. Duffy’s career has been guided by personal experience and time with Boston’s AHOPE, which formed a foundation for work focused on the intersectionality of stimulant use and HIV/HCV prevention. 

Lead - Practicum: Wound care in the era of xylazine 

Dr. Jessie M. Gaeta has practiced internal medicine at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program since 2002, and served as its chief medical officer from 2015-2022.  

Dr. Gaeta has dedicated herself to advocacy for and with people living with substance use disorders, particularly when they are disconnected from traditional pathways to care. She is always learning more about homelessness, opioid use disorder, and harm reduction from people with lived experience.  

Over the past two decades, Dr. Gaeta has spearheaded numerous innovative initiatives to rethink how we approach care for individuals with substance use disorder and complex health conditions, particularly when these conditions are exacerbated by severe poverty, racism, trauma, and social stigma.

Dr. Gaeta completed a physician advocacy fellowship at the Institute on Medicine as a Profession at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2007.

Plenary speaker

Eilene Davidson Grayken is a theatre producer working in London’s West End and on Broadway. She formerly worked as an actress, writer, and dramaturg in Europe and the USA. She is in the President’s Circle at BAFTA and is producing her a feature film later this year. Her focus is on producing new work and she is currently developing two new musicals for production in 2025. She sits on the board of several prominent London theatres. Along with her husband, John Grayken, Eilene is a committed philanthropist in the areas of addiction medicine, children’s cancer care, and education, both in the USA and Europe.  

Lead - Lessons Learned from International Approaches to Opioid Use Disorder Treatment and Overdose Prevention; Panelist - Nuts and bolts of implementing Overdose Prevention Centers: best practices, and learning from other states 

Dr. Miriam Harris is an addiction expert at Boston Medical Center and an assistant professor of Medicine at the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. She is the medical consultant for Rhode Island's first safe consumption space. Her research interests focus on the intersection of women’s health and substance use including increasing sexual, reproductive, and HIV prevention services in substance use treatment spaces; substance use treatment while pregnant and parenting; and gender-responsive harm reduction. Dr. Harris provides community-based methadone treatment and attends the general medicine units and the Addiction Consult Service at Boston Medical Center.

Lead - Practicum: Wound care in the era of xylazine

Vanessa Loukas is a clinical nurse educator for the Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance, an assistant professor of medicine at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and a nurse practitioner at Boston Medical Center. She has expertise in managing substance use disorders, co-occurring psychiatric conditions, and infectious diseases in primary care settings. Her clinical interests include harm reduction, low-barrier treatment, medical addiction groups, and improving care for those involved in the criminal-legal system. Through her primary role on the Grayken TTA team, Loukas contributes to peer-reviewed publications, evidence-based clinical guidelines, development and delivery of continuing education programs, and other resources for providers supporting patients with substance use disorders.

Prior to joining the Grayken TTA team, Loukas practiced as a nurse practitioner and was the program director for the addiction treatment program at the South End Community Health Center, caring for high-risk patients with substance use disorders and psychiatric diagnoses. Her work integrated harm reduction, on-demand treatment, infectious disease treatment, and medical addiction groups including within the male/female re-entry/recovery units at the Suffolk County House of Corrections. Loukas received her master’s in nursing from Simmons University and is a certified addiction registered nurse – advanced practice through the Addictions Nursing Certification Board. 

Moderator - Plenary Panel 1: Challenges and Emerging Approaches in Harm Reduction 

Sarah Mackin is the director of harm reduction services at the Boston Public Health Commission, where she began her work in harm reduction and substance user health in 2010. She oversees the AHOPE Needle Exchange, the largest needle exchange and harm reduction program in New England, which provides comprehensive substance user health services to more than 8,000 people a year.  

Mackin has more than 15 years of experience in public health, substance use, harm reduction, HIV/AIDS, and homelessness.

Panelist - Nuts and bolts of implementing Overdose Prevention Centers: best practices, and learning from Rhode Island

Moderator - Nuts and bolts of implementing Overdose Prevention Centers: best practices, and learning from Rhode Island

Ana Bess Moyer Bell received her master’s degree in drama therapy from New York University and has been a practicing clinician since 2014. She is the founder of COAAST (now 2nd Act) and has almost 10 years of experience running nonprofits. She has practiced and taught drama therapy nationally and internationally and is a commissioned playwright. Moyer Bell is currently on the advisory board at the Rhode Island Department of Health helping to create and maintain medical regulations for the nation's first legal harm reduction centers. She is a senior advisor to Rhode Island Governor Daniel J. McKee on substance use, harm reduction, and recovery.

Panelist - Plenary Panel 1: Challenges and Emerging Approaches in Harm Reduction

Lead - Practicum on harm reduction for injectors, and people who smoke or sniff drugs; and practical techniques for drug testing or drug checking

Annie Potter is a clinical nurse educator the Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance, an assistant professor of medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and a nurse practitioner at Boston Medical Center. In her role at the Grayken Center, Potter contributes to peer-reviewed publications, evidence-based clinical guidelines, development and delivery of continuing education programs, and other resources for clinicians supporting patients with substance use disorders. She is also a consultant and educator for the Massachusetts HEALing Communities Study, a multi-state study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and medical director for the Massachusetts Community Health Center ECHO, and an expert faculty member of the Provider Clinical Support System Exchange (PCSS-X). Potter’s other clinical interests include treatment and prevention of HIV and hepatitis C, family planning, and care for gender-diverse individuals. 

Lead - Peer grief support group for direct service providers 

Gabriel Quaglia is the direct service provider program coordinator for Support After a Death by Overdose (SADOD). A certified community health worker, Quaglia has worked since 2016 in service delivery, program development, and training for harm reduction, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment programs, and peer grief support. As a person in long term recovery, Quaglia has worked for more than 12 years in advocacy and direct action with people who use drugs and people experiencing homelessness. In their current role at SADOD, they assist direct service providers experiencing grief and loss as well as offering training and technical assistance.

Lead - Faith-based recovery

Leah S. Randolph is the executive director and co-owner of Commonwealth Mental Health & Wellness Center (CMHWC), a community-based behavioral clinic located in Dorchester and Lynn, Massachusetts. Randolph has been working with individuals with substance use disorder (SUD), mental health disorders, trauma, and community violence for more than two decades. Since its inception in 2014, CMHWC has become one of the largest professionally acclaimed Black-owned and operated behavioral health companies in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Randolph has also served as the Massachusetts Cochair of the Mass Black Alcohol & Addiction Council and as an executive board member of the National Black Alcoholism and Addictions Council (NBAC) since 1997. As a senior member of NBAC, Randolph has been mentored and trained by Dr. Frances L. Brisbane on best practices for working with African ancestral people with SUD and their families, cultural competency, and overcoming compassion fatigue.

Randolph earned her bachelor’s from the University of Massachusetts, Boston and her master’s from Cambridge College. She is a licensed alcohol and drug counselor (LADC I) and certified alcohol/drug abuse counselor (CADC II), and has won numerous awards from both the private and public sectors. She was awarded an honorary doctorate of human letters in philosophy for her tireless commitment and dedication to helping others.

Panelist - Plenary Panel 2: Mandatory Reporting Regulations During Pregnancy and the Impact on Health of Families (51A Reform)

Daniel Rodrigues is the director of substance use disorder and outreach programs at Duffy Health Center in Hyannis. In his role at Duffy, Rodrigues provides clinical oversight for all the health center’s substance use disorder services, including a program designed to support pregnant and parenting women with histories of substance use disorder. The Moms Do Care program is a Bureau of Substance Addiction Services grant-funded program rooted in supporting equitable care, community-based services, and access to reproductive health care.  

Prior to his current position, Rodrigues worked in the field of substance use disorders and mental health, including inpatient co-occurring treatment, outpatient residential treatment, and hospital-based social work on maternity and pediatrics. Rodrigues graduated from the Smith College School for Social Work.

Panelist - Plenary Panel 2: What Does Culturally Tailored Addiction Treatment Look Like; Plenary Talk: What is the Impact of Cannabis Use on Adolescents and Young Adults? 

Twitter: @DrKMSimon
Instagram: @DrKMSimon
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drkmsimon

Dr. Kevin Simon is the City of Boston’s inaugural Chief Behavioral Health Officer, appointed by Mayor Michelle Wu. He is a physician-scientist, health policy expert, inspirational teacher, and gifted writer. Dr. Simon is a pediatric addiction medicine psychiatrist at Boston Children’s Hospital, an instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a recent Commonwealth Fund fellow in health policy at Harvard University, and the medical director of Wayside Youth & Family Support Network.  

Dr. Simon cares for youth and families through the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and the Division of Addiction Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. He has won multiple awards for research on structural violence, health equity, and mental health. Additionally, he consults for federal agencies on mental health system design and practices.  

Dr. Simon’s writings on health equity have been published in notable journals like the American Journal of Public Health and The New England Journal of Medicine.

Lead - Lessons Learned from International Approaches to Opioid Use Disorder Treatment and Overdose Prevention

Lead - Publishing Addiction Research 101

Alexander Y. Walley is an associate professor of medicine at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and director of the Boston Medical Center Addiction Medicine Fellowship program. His research focus is on the medical complications of substance use, specifically HIV and overdose, and he is an active investigator on clinical trials and cohort studies.  

Dr. Walley provides primary care and office-based addiction treatment for patients with HIV at Boston Medical Center and methadone maintenance treatment at Health Care Resource Centers. He is the medical director for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Opioid Overdose Prevention Pilot Program.

Panelist - Plenary Panel 1: Reforming Involuntary Holds for People with Substance Use Disorders: Best Practices (Section 35 Reform); Lead - Roundtable for harm reduction specialists 

Kenneth Washington is an assistant director of AHOPE Needle Exchange, driven by a passion for harm reduction that stems from his work with at-risk youth. His lived experience has instilled in him a deep understanding of the challenges of racism, classism, and substance use, inspiring him to become a leader in the field.  

Washington’s outstanding achievements in harm reduction have earned him a seat on the Massachusetts Harm Reduction Advisory Council, a testament to his unwavering dedication to public service. His desire to help his community has led him to excel in drug checking and introduce innovative safer smoking practices to the Boston area outreach. With his knowledge and expertise, Washington has made a significant impact on the lives of countless individuals and helped to shape policies that promote safer and healthier communities. His contributions have been widely recognized and admired by peers, colleagues, and stakeholders.

Lead - Spirituality through cultural dimensions

Father Joe White is the Recovery Support Director for the Catholic Archdiocese   and serves as the parish priest for St Joseph’s Church in Boston. Father Joe is well known in the community for his dedication to ministering to those in recovery.