Total Credits: 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s), 4 CEU Credit
Dr. Brent Schillinger is a past president of the Palm Beach County Medical Society and currently chairs the society’s Opioid Healthcare Response Initiative. This task force has been operational since 2017 with an overarching goal of reducing opioid deaths in Palm Beach County.
Dr. Schillinger received his MD at Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn New York where he went on to complete a residency program in dermatology. He has chaired the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs for both the Palm Beach County Medical Society and the Florida Medical Association. He represents the medical community on the Palm Beach Ethics Coalition.
Dr. Schillinger also serves as vice chair of the Florida Policy Institute a nonpartisan think tank that focuses on the fiscal impact of education, affordable housing, food supply, and health care issues. He holds clinical academic appointments at the medical schools of Nova Southeastern University, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Miami.
Dr. Ambrose grew up on the island of St Vincent and the Grenadines. After completing secondary school, he earned an academic scholarship to study at Lewis University, Romeoville, Illinois. He then received the presidential scholarship to the College of Medicine at Chicago, university of Illinois. He completed his residency at Jackson Memorial hospital, University of Miami. He is currently on staff, as a Hospitalist, at Jupiter Medical Center and resides in Jupiter, Florida with his wife and family.
Dr. Dale Fahie is board-certified in family practice. He earned his medical degree from Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1993 and completed his internship at Palmetto General Hospital in 1994. Dr. Fahie completed his residency at Palmetto General Hospital in 1996.
Education
Nova Southeastern University, 1993
Internships
Palmetto General Hospital, 1994, Family Medicine
Residencies
Palmetto General Hospital, 1996, Family Medicine
Certifications
American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians-Family Medicine
Hospital Affiliation
Laura Milena Ganci is the Director of Research and Planning for the Children’s Services Council of Broward County, where she oversees the performance evaluation of nearly 150 funded programs and strategic planning efforts through the Broward Children’s Strategic Plan. She holds a Ph.D. in Family Therapy with her dissertation research focusing on the training experiences of Latinas in Family Therapy education. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Qualified Supervisor in the state of Florida. She is a member of the Broward Racial Equity Latino Caucus and the United Way of Broward County’s Latino Initiative Workgroup. Laura’s clinical and research experience has largely been in the areas of child welfare, substance abuse treatment, and culturally responsive practices. She is originally from Barranquilla, Colombia and has lived in Broward County for much of her life.
Laura Milena Ganci is the Director of Research and Planning for the Children’s Services Council of Broward County, where she oversees the performance evaluation of nearly 150 funded programs and strategic planning efforts through the Broward Children’s Strategic Plan. She holds a Ph.D. in Family Therapy, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and is a Qualified Clinical Supervisor in the state of Florida. Laura’s clinical and research experience has been in the areas of child welfare, substance abuse treatment, and culturally responsive practices.
John Hulick leads Palm Beach County’s opioid response and behavioral health policy and planning efforts. He has been described as "a fierce advocate and service provider to those with addictions." John served as Governor Christopher Christie’s Policy Advisor for Human Services, Children and Families and the State’s “Drug Czar”. Prior, John directed NCADD - New Jersey's policy and public affairs for 16 years. He is founding executive director of Signs of Sobriety, Inc. and in long-term recovery for 36 years. John is informed most by navigating his daughter's care for early onset mental illness, subsequent substance use disorder, and a traumatic brain injury from a violent assault that left her comatose and on the brink of death in 2017. These experiences have focused John on developing quality of care initiatives that deliver improved outcomes and keep the client's health and well-being at the center of their care.
My interest in becoming a healthcare provider was sparked as early as my high school years. It all began while lifeguarding at a local pool one summer. At the time, I witnessed a family member drop to the ground. Not having a true understanding of what to do, I felt helpless. It was then I knew pursuing a career path in healthcare was what my heart truly desired. Since then, medicine has always been an integral part of of my higher learning and which I am truly passionate about. I watched my father practice as a pediatric Orthopedist, in Baltimore. He made a difference in peoples lives and that was what I wanted to do. Rudolf Virchow once said “Medical education does not exist to provide students with a way of making a living, but to ensure the health of the community.” And so I set out on my journey to becoming a doctor. I became a lifeguard and first responder. I had the honor of volunteering at the local fire station in high school as well as obtaining my certification as an EMT and Fire Fighter. Upon graduation I attended The George Washington University. They were one of twelve schools in the nation to have a baccalaureate program devoted to Emergency Health Services. There I obtained my undergraduate degree and paramedic certification. Unfortunately, I injured my back and was forced to reexamine my decision to become a first responder. This hurdle led me down the path of pursuing medical school.
I worked as a Scribe in the ER and Paramedic/Fire Fighter in Baltimore while taking post-baccalaureate classes at GW and studying for the MCAT. After completing DO school at Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine I completed my internship/residency in West Islip, NY at Good Samaritan Hospital with focus on emergency medicine and trauma. I had the opportunity to train in New York, New Jersey, and in Baltimore at the prestigious Shock Trauma Center. My first job as a physician took me to Northern California where I launched the first ER Scribe program as well as worked as the Pre-hospital EMS Medical Director. I spent a great deal of time teaching in the clinical setting.
For the past 9 years I have called South Florida my home, working at JFK Medical Center in Atlantis Florida and now exclusively work at JFK North as the medical director. I also spend quite a bit of time investing in the education of the students that rotate with us. Yes, medicine is my passion but so is teaching. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the light in a student’s eyes when they get to have exciting experiences or understand a new concept. It is my calling as a provider to pass on the knowledge and the excitement to my students. I am the medical director for Health Career Institute College in West Palm Beach, FL teaching regular lectures to the EMT/Paramedic students. Additionally, I work in conjunction with local EMS departments. I am the Assistant Medical Director for West Palm Beach Fire Department, Medical Director for Palm Beach Shores Fire Department, Medical Director for Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue, Assistant Medical Director for Palm Beach County Fire Rescue and Chairman of the EMS Medical Director’s Association. Recently I took on another role as the doctor for the West Palm Beach SWAT Team keeping our team safe in the line of duty. I look forward to a long career and giving back to my students and the community. Who knows one day one of my students may take care of me or my family down the road!
Jay Kuchera, MD, FASAM - Algiatry, Addiction Medicine, Anesthesiology; Director, Specialized Opioid Support Services, Resolute Pain Solutions, Envision Physician Services.
Working as the only addiction board-certified pain doctor at Resolute Pain Solutions, a large, multi-site South Florida pain practice, Doctor Kuchera has extensive experience with complex opioid care. He is the Director of Specialized Opioid Support Services, which inspires the retention and treatment of high-risk pain patients who would otherwise be discharged. Advocating for the improved care of opioid patients and opioid use disorder in non-addiction specialized settings, he is co- chair of the Substance Use Disorder Shared Interest Group at the American Academy of Pain Medicine. He is a member of the Pain Quality Committee at Envision Physician Services. He is active in Celebrate Recovery and CR Inside for incarcerated individuals.
Taking to the front lines of the drug wars, Bob Stutman made a 25-year career as one of America’s highest profile DEA Special Agents, 5 of which he worked undercover. As head of DEA’s largest office in the world, New York, Bob became so visible; Pablo Escobar had at one time targeted him for assassination. He’s been called a “True American Hero” by Dan Rather.
Bob has been featured on hundreds of national television shows and has been a drug consultant for both CBS and PBS News. His autobiography, “Dead on Delivery” was published by Warner Books and was the basis for the television movie “Mob Justice”.
Bob was named “Man of the Year” by various national and local law enforcement agencies. He attended the JFK School of Government at Harvard University. He has traveled with the DEA to 73 countries and met with three sitting presidents; George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
Maia Szalavitz is the author, most recently, of Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction, which is the first history of the movement aimed at focusing drug policy on minimizing harms, not highs.
Her previous New York Times bestseller, Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction wove together neuroscience and social science with her personal experience of heroin addiction. It won the 2018 media award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
She writes regularly for the New York Times and has written for numerous other publications including TIME, Wired, Elle, the Nation, Vice, the Guardian and Scientific American.
Lovelace Twumasi-Ankrah, PharmD is a clinical Pharmacist with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital & health care industry and Academia. Skilled in Medication Reconciliation, Customer Service, Pharmacy Practice, Medication Therapy Management, Ambulatory Care, Strategic Planning, and Team Building. Strong healthcare services professional with a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) from Regis University.
Whitney Van Arsdale is an epidemiologist and biostatistician in the Division of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County, where she leads the Overdose Data to Action innovative overdose surveillance program, which uses multidisciplinary data integration to examine the overdose epidemic. A life-long resident of South Florida who has seen the devastation caused in our communities from substance use disorder, she earned her bachelor's degree in biology from Nova Southeastern University and master’s degree in public health with a concentration in epidemiology from the University of South Florida. Van Arsdale is certified in public health and is a statistical analysis system-certified specialist in programming. Currently, she is also training other OD2A jurisdictions in spatial analytics using geographical information systems; developing a public-facing overdose surveillance dashboard to communicate findings quickly and efficiently; and serving as the data manager for the interagency overdose fatality review committee in Palm Beach County (launching Fall 2022).
