Christine is a native Kentuckian and the daughter of missionary parents who served Eastern Kentucky for more than 40 years. She relocated to North Carolina in 1981 and has come to call the Raleigh area home. After several years in corporate America, including work in diabetes management, Chris began her nonprofit career with a faith-based,…
Jon is a senior public health scientist in the Behavioral Health Research Division at RTI International, where he conducts behavioral epidemiological research on risk factors and health outcomes associated with the illicit drug use and drug injection. He is a medical anthropologist by training with two decades of community-based, epidemiological field experience in the areas…
Community Advocate for Dare County. I started the Syringe Exchange in Dare County. Lived life experience with a Problematic heroin addiction. I love working with the PWUD community and helping them get and learn about resources available to them. Food, clothing, shelter (this is very limited and only run in the winter months in Dare)…
Melissia is an experienced public safety project director with over 19 years within the area of criminal justice and public safety initiatives, primarily geared towards local communities. In her work with North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC) she oversees the development and implementation of Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) sites across the State. As a…
Sherani is has been the North Carolina Public Health Analyst with Atlanta-Carolinas HIDTA program for the past two years, in this role, she supports the Injury and Violence Prevention Branch as an overdose epidemiologist. She is also supporting the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition in implementing a justice-involved overdose prevention education and naloxone distribution program.…
Lead Medical Director-Government Programs Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina As Lead Medical Director for Government Programs, Dr. Rao-Patel oversees the Medical Directors responsible for the utilization and care management activities for Medicare Advantage, Federal Employee Program (FEP), and the NC State Health Plan lines of business at Blue Cross Blue Shield of…
Carrie is the Chief Medical Officer for Behavioral Health & IDD for North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services. A graduate of Princeton University, she received her medical degree from Duke University’s School of Medicine, a Master’s in Public Health from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and trained in Psychiatry at…
Erika serves as the Director of the Office of Healthy Opportunities for the NC Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, she leads the Department’s comprehensive strategy to effectively deliver health, not just health care by addressing the medical and non-medical drivers of health including housing, food, transportation and interpersonal safety. Erika started…
Scott is the Medication-Assisted Treatment Director of SouthLight Healthcare in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill’s Master of Social Work Program. Luetgenau currently sits on the board of Addiction Professionals of North Carolina while also serving as their Vice President of the South Central Region. He also serves as the…
Rebecca Planchard is the Senior Early Childhood Policy Advisor for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. In this role she works collaboratively with DHHS leadership, other state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and families across North Carolina to develop and take action on statewide goals for early childhood. She is the lead on the…