Vital Strategies is assisting local partners in reforming policy, innovating programs, mobilizing communities, and improving their capacity for public health data surveillance and analysis to develop and monitor interventions that reduce overdose deaths. The Senior Technical Advisor is responsible for data-related efforts for the Overdose Prevention Program. Specific duties include: • Support, guidance, and technical assistance to city-, county-, and state-level governments for drug use data sources, analytics, coordination, and integration • Design, development, and presentation of drug epidemiologic reports for local and state jurisdictions of interest, including topical analyses and comprehensive reports • Conceptualization, development, and presentation of drug use indicator framework, technical guidance reports, and other data-focused documents • Design and analytic support for project-related evaluation efforts, including coordination with Vital Strategies initiative partners at Johns Hopkins University • Mentoring and coaching of Vital Strategies staff embedded within city, county, state agencies to support data-related projects

The Behavioral Health Analytics Unit is located within the Office of Data Analysis, Research and Evaluation within the Allegheny County Department of Human Services. My role is responsible for:• Working with key partners to design and implement a research agenda to evaluate behavioral health services administered by the Department of Human Services. • Managing the implementation of the research produced by DHS staff and contractors. • Prioritizing and inform the design of quantitative and qualitative data analysis, reporting, quality improvement, and research activities.• Collaborating with staff in program offices to identify priorities and requirements for research and reporting.• Work with key partners to find practical applications for research findings. • Representing the office and DHS at executive-level meetings, including effectively presenting on projects and research findings.• Directing and assisting in the ongoing design, development and enhancement of DHS information systems; provide guidance on the optimal data structure and system requirements to ensure that the data stored and retrieved from the system meet the research and operational needs of DHS.

As Services Innovations Specialist at AHCI, my focus was to increase the application of the science of substance use disorder treatment and recovery within the HealthChoices program (Pennsylvania's Medicaid program for behavioral health) in Allegheny County. This was accomplished by supporting the implementation of evidence-based treatments and promising practices among substance use treatment providers, using data to drive service innovations, and supporting providers with evaluation consultation.

Responsibilities include: • Research and development• Behavioral health domain expertise• Design and project management of GIS-based data visualization platform• Business development and grant writing

Responsibilities• Grant writing and scientific writing• Assured the scientific integrity of all organization publications and activities• Led collaborations and project designs with research and project partners• Project Evaluator for the Northeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center, a federally-funded center through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (SAMHSA/CSAT). -Served on several national workgroups within this network -Served as the center’s liaison to the SAMHSA and National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) Blending Initiative • Project Evaluator for the Addiction Training for Nurses using Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (ATN-SBIRT) project, a multi-year grant project funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) • Presented at professional conferences• Identified and pursued new strategic opportunities for the organizationAccomplishments• Chaired NIDA’s MIEDAR 2.0 Blending Team • Served a key role in designing and securing the ATN-SBIRT project (3-years; $250K/year) • Secured multiple grants from local foundations and service contracts from regional Medicaid managed care organizations to implement evidence-based practices in addictions treatment• Co-authored a peer-reviewed journal article on collaborative partnerships between federally-funded entities to disseminate evidence-based practices