Advisory Board
Her Work: Dr. Chanon’s research in graduate school focused on the cognitive neuroscience of attention, which she continued to focus on in a Post-Doctoral Fellowship studying the attention and other cognitive factors in substance use disorders. Now, as teaching faculty at UNC for the past 6 years, her focus is on best practices in teaching and learning.
Involvement with TEACH: As the parent of two school aged children, she values the mission of TEACH and is excited to serve as the Faculty Advisor for the organization and share her knowledge around pedagogy in the development of the program curriculum.
Her Work: Dr. Ballard is an expert in adolescent development specializing in the impact of civic engagement on the health of individuals as well as communities. Her current research focuses on prevention of opioid misuse among youth.
Involvement with TEACH: While Dr. Ballard will assist us broadly with issues regarding our involvement in local communities, her most valuable contribution will lie in helping us encourage students to further engage within their communities following our lessons.
His Work: Dr. Todd Cox is a practicing psychiatrist and is on the faculties of Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University. He has been elected to the prestigious American College of Psychiatrists, named a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and recognized by a litany of other awards.
Involvement with TEACH: Dr. Cox is working with us to develop and perfect our mental health information. His training and direct experience with patients will help ensure that our content is accurate and well-designed.
Their Work: Dr. Ember has personal experience working closely with teens in recovery from addiction. They also designed and implemented an in-school prevention program that was well-received by students and teachers. Before working in the addiction recovery field, they earned their PhD in neuroscience and worked as a researcher.
Involvement with TEACH: As a person who is in long term recovery from addiction and who has worked with youth in recovery, Dr. Ember brings insight into addiction and the nuance of communication with those with substance use disorders. They have also directed a project not unlike the TEACH Initiative, so they have invaluable knowledge of the process of implementing in-school education programs.
His Work: Tom Fulton is the project coordinator for the Connecticut Center for Prevention, Wellness and Recovery. He is also an Adolescent Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (A-SBIRT) trainer.
Involvement with TEACH: He is advising us regarding evidence-based practices for addressing and facilitating care for young people as it relates to substance use. His insight has also been valuable in the realms of curriculum design, communication, school contact, and program management.
Her Work: Ms. Janos is a Ph.D. candidate in Clinical Psychology at UNC, where she studies mood disorders in children and adolescents with a focus on evidence-based treatments for youth with bipolar disorder. In addition to her research, she works as a graduate student therapist and teaches an undergraduate course in psychopathology.
Involvement with TEACH: Ms. Janos brings to TEACH her expertise with clinical populations and knowledge of evidence-based treatments for mood and anxiety disorders. Her experience teaching psychopathology to a lay audience and communicating with children and families in a therapeutic context will be especially helpful for advising on the content of the TEACH curriculum.
Her Work: Dr. Matson has extensive experience in the design of community research and systems design related to substance use disorders. She studies social determinants of disparities in substance use and other adolescent health risks.
Involvement with TEACH: Dr. Matson will be advising the TEACH Initiative team on the design of our intervention. Her expertise in social determinants of health and in community-based research will help us adapt with the communities in which we will work.
Her Work: Dr. Meehan is the Director of Miami University’s Center for School-Based Mental Health Programs. In that position, she has worked with many organizations like ourselves to ensure their success in local communities. Her primary research interests are K-12 school mental/behavioral health and K-12 student/youth success & wellness.
Involvement with TEACH: Dr. Meehan has strong personal experience with running and advising in-school education programs like ours. Her advice is invaluable for all elements of our initiative and will guide us towards manifesting our ideas into real-world change.
Her Work: Ms. Sanford is an adjunct faculty epidemiologist within the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and the School of Arts and Sciences, and advocate for overdose prevention and harm reduction for those who misuse opioids and other drugs. In 2002, as NC’s state injury epidemiologist, she was instrumental in identifying the nascent opioid epidemic in North Carolina and the U.S. In retirement she teaches overdose prevention and harm reduction within academic and criminal justice institutions.
Involvement with TEACH: Ms. Sanford has been with the TEACH Initiative since its inception. She has played a vital role in guiding our team to bring the TEACH Initiative into being, and will continue to be a vital force for the project’s success. She brings particular expertise in substance use disorder curriculum design and communication.
Former Advisory Board Members
Her Work: Dr. Becker-Haimes is interested in improving youth mental health services and ensuring that youth receive evidence-based care. She directs the Pennsylvania Hospital Anxiety Treatment for Children/Adolescents program.
Involvement with TEACH: Dr. Becker-Haimes brings insight into youth anxiety, treatment systems, and strategies for connecting patients with caregivers. She will work with us on our mental health content and communication.
Her Work: Dr. Sasek was the coordinator of NIDA’s science education program and ran a grant program that focused on improving science education for K-12 students. She also worked on development of substance use education materials. A primary interest of hers was improving science education knowledge and interest among students. In retirement, she currently volunteers in the Montgomery County Public Schools.
Involvement with TEACH: As a neuroscientist by training and an expert in youth education, Dr. Sasek will play a significant role in guiding our communication around substance use disorders. She spent her career working on education for youth, so she brings insight into the particular challenges and advantages of the population and the ways in which to tailor content to our audience.