President

Michal Miovský

Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic

Professor of Clinical psychology, Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic). Dr. Miovsky graduated from the Philosophical Faculty of Masaryk University in Brno in 1998. In 2002, he received a Ph.D. degree in Clinical Psychology at Palacky University in Olomouc. In the same year, he was employed as a researcher at the Institute of Psychology of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic. He has worked as a professional, as a volunteer, and as a therapist in both drop-in centers and in school prevention. Later he established a therapeutic center for drug users and led a group of treatment facilities (Therapeutic community, Aftercare, Day center and Substitution center) at an NGO, Podane ruce, in Brno.

Michal is vice-dean for non-medical health study programs at the 1st Medical Faculty and Head Department of Addictology of the 1st Medical Faculty, Charles University, Prague and General Teaching Hospital in Prague. He oversees Bachelor (BC), Master (MA) and postgraduate (PHD) addiction study program at the Charles University in Prague.

He was president of ISAJE (International Society of Addiction Journal Editors) in 2015-2016 and he works as a Deputy Editor-in-Chief international Journal of Adiktologie (Addictology), established with his colleagues in 2001 (https://adiktologie-journal.eu). He is also a member of the editorial boards of Journal of Groups in Addiction and Recovery, Czech and Slovak Psychiatry and other Journals. He specializes in qualitative methods and research in the field of addictions, prevention and clinical research (e.g. ADHD).

More information on:

www.adiktologie.cz
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michal_Miovsky

Roger Peters, Ph.D., Vice President

University of South Florida, USA

Dr. Peters is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy at the University of South Florida (USF), where he has served as a faculty member since 1986, and as Department Chair from 2004-2011. Dr. Peters holds a joint appointment in USF’s College of Public Health. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the Florida State University, following a pre-doctoral internship at the University of North Carolina, School of Medicine, and is a licensed Psychologist in Florida. Dr. Peters has served as Principal Investigator and Director for several grant projects, including a NIDA P30 Research Core Center on Co-Occurring Disorders, Justice, and Multidisciplinary Research. He currently serves on the Florida Supreme Court’s Steering Committee on Problem-Solving Courts, and has been a faculty member of the National Judicial College since 2014. He also serves on the editorial boards for the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, the Drug Court Review, the Journal of Dual Diagnosis, Addictology, and the Journal for Advancing Justice. Dr. Peters served as Chair and Co-Editor of the SAMHSA/CSAT Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) #44 on “Substance Abuse Treatment for Adults in the Criminal Justice System”. He is also the lead author of the monograph “Screening and Assessment of Co-Occurring Disorders in the Justice System” (3rd edition) which was published by SAMHSA in 2019. In 2015, Dr. Peters served as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana. He received a second Fulbright Specialist grant in 2017 for work with colleagues from the Universidad Catolica in Paraguay. He has served as a consultant to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in developing guidelines on “Treatment Alternatives to Conviction or Punishment”, and is a member of the Treatment Expert Advisory Group (TEAG) for the Colombo Plan.

Igor Koutsenok, MD., Vice President

University of California San Diego, USA

Igor Koutsenok, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego, Director of the UCSD Center for Criminality and Addiction Research, Training and Application, Director of the International Technology Transfer Center-Ukraine. He completed his graduate degree as a medical doctor in 1983 from the National Medical University in Kiev, (Ukraine). In 1986, he completed his psychiatry residency training and received degree as psychiatrist from the Medical University in Sofia (Bulgaria). In 1993-1996 he completed the addiction psychiatry training and obtained a degree in addiction psychiatry at the University of London, Department of Addictive Behavior and Psychological Medicine at St. Georges Hospital Medical School. In 1996, he was recruited by the University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and since then he serves as faculty member of the Department. In 2013-2016 he served as Chief of Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, United Nations Office in Vienna. Dr. Koutsenok is also a member of the International Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT). Over the last 25 years Dr. Koutsenok led the design and implementation of multiple training and technical assistance programs for mental health and addiction treatment practitioners, primary health care and social work practitioners, criminal justice professionals in the United States and around the world. Dr. Koutsenok teaches general and addiction psychiatry to medical students, psychiatry residents, psychology trainees, social workers, criminal justice professionals, and policy makers around the world. He is a recipient of numerous national and international awards. He has authored and co-authored over 60 scientific publications, one monograph, and contributed to 5 books. He serves as Director of the Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) Coordinating Center for North American Universities, located at the University of California San Diego. Dr. Koutsenok has been invited as a presenter and trainer to hundreds of conferences and workshops in the USA and more than 40 countries around the world. He is a proud father of three and a professional jazz musician.

Melody Heaps, Treasurer/Secretary

Melody M. Heaps founded TASC (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities), in 1976 and led the NGO to become a nationally recognized agency before she retired as president in 2009. Under Ms. Heaps’ leadership, TASC grew from a small pilot program in Cook County, Illinois, to a 20 million dollar, statewide organization providing treatment alternatives to incarceration services in the criminal justice system to 20,000 individuals annually. She is currently providing consulting services on public policy related to public health and addiction in the United States and internationally. Currently, Ms. Heaps is the Chair of the International Society of Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Professionals (ISSUP) and on the Board of the International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction (ICUDDR). A graduate of Northwestern University, Ms. Heaps received the university’s prestigious Service to Society award in 1995. She has co-written a number of published articles, including Recovery-Oriented Care for Drug-Abusing Offenders in 2009, Toward a Recovery-Oriented System of Care Within the Criminal Justice System in 2008, Toward a Rational Drug Policy: Setting New Priorities in 1994, and Making the Connection: Substance Abuse and the Use of Intermediate Punishments in 1992. She is also the President of MMH and Associates.

H.E. Dr Hamad Al Ghafri MBBS, MPH, PhD

Dr Hamad Al Ghafri is the Former Director General of the WHO Collaborative Centre for substance use prevention and treatment of substance use disorders, National Rehabilitation Centre Abu Dhabi, UAE. In the period from 2008 – June 2022. He received his medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology in 1999 and his master’s in public health from Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, USA in 2002 with delta omega certificate. He obtained his PhD from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom in 2013.

Dr Hamad Al Ghafri serves in many national and international bodies. He is the Head of Higher Committee for Treatment, Rehabilitation and Social Re-integration and a Board Member of Anti Dugs Council in the UAE. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences of the United Arab Emirates University and head of advisory board of school of environmental health in Sh. Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum Smart University in Dubai, UAE.

Internationally he is the Chair of the Commissioners of the International Centre for Credentialing and Education of Addiction Professionals (ICCE) of the Colombo Plan. He is also the Vice President of the Arab Federation for Drug Prevention since 2005-2008. He was a member of the Management Board that established the new journal the International Journal of Prevention and Treatment of Drug Use Disorders (IJPTSUD). Under his leadership, this was re-launched as the International Addiction Review (IAR) in 2017 where he serve as a chair for its mamegment board. He is a Mental Health Advisor to the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) of the WHO and Chair of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of UNODC and WHO 2009-2010. He is a Board member of the International Society for Addiction Medicine and was the chair of the local organizing committee of ISAM 2017 conference and a Board Member of the International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction (ICUDDR). He is also Emeritus Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan.

His research interests include public health aspects and prevention of addiction, particularly in Arab countries. He has published widely in these areas. He has a particular interest in promoting research in the developing world and dissemination of research information.

In recognition of his contribution to his field and the country, Dr. Hamad Al Ghafri was awarded the Sheik Rashed Award for Science and Culture in 2003 and 2014. In 2017, he was awarded the honor of Lifetime Membership of the American Society for Addiction Medicine.

Dr. LE Minh Giang

Dr. LE, Minh Giang is an Associate Professor in epidemiology and global health at Hanoi Medical University, Vietnam. Since 2019, he has led the Center for Training and Research on Substance Abuse and HIV (CREATA-H) to become a national center of excellence for addressing the burden of HIV, substance use, mental health and other co-morbidity among most vulnerable populations in Vietnam. Since 2012, he has been the Principal Investigator and Director of the Vietnam-HIV Addiction Technology Transfer Center (V-HATTC) and then Vietnam-International Technology Transfer Center (V-ITTC) with the goal of building addiction workforce in Vietnam. He has been Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator of multiple grants funded by the US National Institutes of Health and one grant by ANRS. He is the Chief of the Sexual Health Promotion (SHP) Clinic of Hanoi Medical University Hospital, a unique one-stop-shop health care facility for gay men and transgender women in Hanoi. Dr. Le graduated doctor of medicine from Hanoi Medical University and PhD in sociomedical sciences from Columbia University in the City of New York.

Iryna Pinchuk

Dr. Iryna Pinchuk is а Director of the Institute of psychiatry of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Vice-President of the Association Psychiatrists of Ukraine, Head of ISSUP Chapter Ukraine, member of the Board of Directors of ICUDDR and Country Director of International Technology Transfer Center (ITTC Ukraine). Iryna Pinchuk graduated as a medical doctor in 1991 at the Donetsk Medical University (Ukraine). After completing psychiatry residency training Iryna Pinchuk worked as a psychiatrist in Psychiatric Hospital, Deputy Chief Doctor of the Psychoneurological Dispensary, chief doctor of the City Psychoneurological Hospital, Director of the Institute of Psychiatry. From 2005-2009 and 2012 – 2017 Chief Psychiatrist and Addiction Psychiatrist of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Iryna Pinchuk serve as an expert on mental health for the Ministry of Health of Ukraine since 2021. Has continuing experience in clinical work with adults with mental health and substance use disorders. Provides training for undergraduate medical students and postgraduate mental health specialists on SUD and mental health. Organized the WHO project Mobile Community Mental Health Teams in 2015-2016 and participated in the WHO project Mobile Community Mental Health Teams in 2020-2021 as WHO Consultant. Over the last 15 years Iryna Pinchuk participated and led the design and implementation of multiple research and pilot projects in mental health and addiction treatment. She is an author of more than 150 scientific works, including monographs and training manuals.

Diana Lesme Romero

Diana S. Lesme Romero holds a degree in Clinical Psychology (Universidad Católica “Ntra. Sra. De la Asunción”) and a Masters Degree in Educational Sciences. She participated in an internship and professional development program at the University of Minnesota, the Hennepin County Prevention Center, and Prevention Alliance, and served as the Coordinator of the Education Department at a civil organization focused on the prevention of drug use. Ms. Lesme focuses her research in clinical and developmental psychology. She has a background of 34 years in private practice counseling with families, children, adolescents, and adults. She is a co-author of five books, mainly in the field of families, psychological development, adolescence, violence prevention, and bullying. Ms. Lesme served as President of the Sociedad Paraguaya de Psicología (National Association of Psychologists) and is currently serving as Coordinator of the Scientific and Academic Committee. For the last 29 years, she has been working as a Professor at the Psychology School of the same university in Asunción and Itapúa Campus. She is also a Member of the Board of Directors of ISSUP-Paraguay Chapter of ISSUP.

Fernando Salazar

Dr. Fernando Salazar is Principal Professor at the Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University in Lima - Peru. Dr. Salazar received his doctorate in 1994 from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill School of Public Health. He has over 15 years of experience conducting evaluations in the field of substance use prevention in school and community settings. Currently, he is principal investigator of a randomized trial involving secondary schools in Lima, Callao and Cajamarca to evaluate the effectiveness of the Universal Prevention Curricula (UPC) on substance use prevention among school children.

Rehana Kader

Dr. Rehana Kader is a Clinical Psychologist at the Mindwize Clinic, Rondebosch Medical Center. She provides psychotherapy for a wide range of clinical disorders, including mood disorders, anxiety related disorders, adjustment disorders, relationship issues and generally helping people to cope with life stressors. She offers individual and family therapy as well as group psychotherapy. Dr. Kader is also competent in clinical practice, research, and training in substance abuse prevention and treatment. She has published several articles in peer reviewed journals. She is a certified Global Master Trainer for training health professionals internationally on the Universal Prevention and Treatment Curriculum for Substance Use Disorders. She trained health professionals from Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mexico, Peru, Fiji, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and participants among other countries.

Prapapun Chucharoen

Dr. Prapapun Chucharoen is a program director of Master of Art in Addiction Studies, ASEAN Institute for Health Development, Mahidol University, Thailand. She has led the Non-Degree (Training), master (MA) and postgraduate (PHD) addiction study program at the Mahidol University since 2004. She earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience 2003 and served as a Research fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Education 2008. She is on the editorial board of Journal of Public Health and Development and is a member of Asian Pacific Society for Neurochemistry (APSN) and The Society for Neuroscience (SFN). She is a former Director of the Education and Research Department at the National Institute for Child and Family Development, Mahidol University. Her research specialty is Child and Family Development and Substance Use Disorder. Dr. Prapapun was recently appointed to the Colombo Plan’s ICCE Commission and serves as Educational Provider and Lead of Asia Pacific Regional Collaboration Center of ICUDDR.

Xavier Ferrer

Dr Ferrer is a specialist on clinical psychology and expert on health promotion. Working in addictions since 1978, he has been linked to prevention and research in the field of higher education, organizing seminars on addictions at the University of Barcelona (UB) (1978-85), and published a proposal (1983) to create a multidisciplinary specialist course on addictions at the University level. In 1986, the UB approved the creation of such a postgraduate Master Degree on Drug Dependence: http://www.ub.edu/drogodependencies/es/. He is currently Director, finishing his 32nd year. Since then, more than 600 professionals belonging to more than 10 different professions and 15 countries have graduated. The degree includes a wide range of interventions (from a traditional therapeutic approach to harm reduction and, of course, prevention), and a large cooperation scheme with public and NGO programs, with more than 45 centers available for the students' internship, which cover more than half of the 82 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) of the Degree.

Apart from his position as UB, Xavier Ferrer is the Executive Director at FSC (Foundation Health and Community), (www.fsyc.org) a professional-led NGO operating in Spain, now employing 1600 professionals in more than 130 centers and programs, including 37 focusing in addictions. The FSC also runs programs for victims of social exclusion, abused women, former prisoners, the elderly, mental patients, and more. In the drug field, he has been both designing new centers and working personally in outpatient settings, harm reduction, safe injection rooms, therapeutic communities, and more. In prevention, he has been active in drug abuse prevention at school, and researched on prevention through the family and the media. In the mid-1990s, he coordinated the PHARE project on Drug Demand Reduction for the European Commission, which opened cooperation with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe before their incorporation to the Union.

Prof Jallal Toufiq, MD

I completed my specialization degree in psychiatry at the Rabat Faculty of Medicine in 1992.  I was granted fellowships in Psychiatry and addiction medicine in France.  I then opted for a sub-specialization in substance use and applied-epidemiology back in 1993.  I was selected as a NIDA research fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and studied there in 1994 and 1995.  I became an Associate Professor in Psychiatry in 1997.  I contributed to the creation of the first center for drug abuse treatment in 1999.  As a full professor of Psychiatry, I took over as the Director of the University Psychiatric Hospital in Salé in 2005.  I hold the position of the Moroccan Representative at the MedNET Network of the Pompidou Group (since 2006).  I was appointed the Permanent Correspondent for Morocco at the Pompidou Group (the Council of Europe).  I co-founded the Middle East and North Africa Harm Reduction Association (MENHARA).   In 2011, I was nominated as the Director of the newly created National Observatory on Drugs and Addictions.  I served as expert and consultant for many organizations such as WHO, UNODC, African Union, and Council of Europe. In 2015, I was elected by the ECOSC as a member of the UN International Narcotics Control Board in Vienna for which I was re-elected for a second five-year mandate in 2020.  I chaired and participated in many committees and commissions, nationally and internationally in the filed of substance use.  I also served as the Minister of Health advisor for mental health and drug use issues in the early 2000.  I teach at the University of Rabat Faculty of Medicine.  I’m the founder of the University Diploma on Addictology at the University of Rabat. I give lectures and contribute to teaching activities in many European and African countries in the area of substance use.

Prof. Tarek A. Gawad

Prof. Abdel Gawad is a Professor of Psychiatry at Cairo University, Cairo Egypt.

He graduated in 1981 from the Faculty of Medicine at Cairo University where he received his M.B. BCh ; Master degree in Psychological Medicine and Neurology (1985) ; MD Psychiatry (1991) and a Diploma in Addiction Behaviour from the Institute of Psychiatry, London University (1987) .

Since his graduation, he was appointed as staff member at the department of Psychiatry Faculty of Medicine at Cairo university, where he is still holding his position as professor since 2001.

Internationally, he is a member of the ICUDDR Board of Directors since Jan. 2023. He served as the past President of the International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM) as well as the past Chair of the World Psychiatric Association Section of Addiction Psychiatry (WPA). Treatment & Rehabilitation Director at NRC, UAE (2011 – 2022).

He participated and published numerous research covering a wide array of psychiatric subjects, notably in addiction. He is primarily interested in comorbidy studies and developing addiction psychiatric services. He is the Co-PI of the Fogarty grant of Addiction Research between Cairo university and UCLA since 2012.

His goal is to participate in establishing scientifically based collaborative facilities of drug addiction with suitable network, both regionally and internationally.

Dr Rania Mamdouh

Dr Rania Mamdouh has a PhD degree in Psychiatry from Cairo University,Egypt, 2007 . ISAM Diploma in Addiction Medicine, 2004. She received intense training by Prof Rakhawy on Group therapy. Her MD thesis was on the impact of different type of group therapy on substance use patients. She received Addiction Research internship course in UCLA and ISAP, California, 2014. She received UTC Training, ICUDDR and ISSUP, 2019- 2020. Dr Rania is currently associate Professor of Psychiatry, Addiction Unit, Psychiatry department, Cairo University.

Dr Rania Participated in developing and implementation of the Egyptian National Program for Prevention Of Drug Use in Schools and Youth Centers,2004 till 2011 . She also worked for one year with the WHO- EMRO in development of the Middle East Life Skills Program for Adolescents. She developed “Serenity Girls Program” psychiatric and Addiction Program for Women in Cairo, 2007 and currently she is the Program Manager . She participated in many researches in the domain of Women Addiction, adolescents drug use and prevention programs implementation, mindfulness techniques among opiate use patients, Impact of group therapies among substance use patients, researches on synthetic drugs and has international and national publications. She began the family intervention program in the Addiction Unit Cairo University, 2015 till current.

Dr Rania participated with the ministry of health in the National biannual Surveys on drug use 2009 till 2018 .

Dr Rania is a consultant Addiction Psychiatry in Al Amal Hospital, Sultanate Oman, 2017.

She shared in development of the Egyptian National Program for Pregnant Addict Women who won the best practice in Africa, 2021 by the African Union.

She is currently sharing in training of the multidisciplinary team of the National MAT Program ( Medications Assisted Therapy). She leads the training of the Team of Egyptian National Women Substance Use Program. 2021, she joined the technical committee of the Egyptian National Observatory of Drugs and Drug Use. Dr Rania has a 22 years of practice, teaching and lots of training in Addiction Psychiatry and prevention.

She joined ICUDDR Africa and organized the UTC training for 42 psychiatrist and psychologist in Egypt. 2021, she is a board member in African Global Health Association ( for expanding the Health Harm Reduction Programs.

Kevin P. Mulvey, PhD, Executive Director

Dr. Kevin Mulvey is an Applied Sociologist with over 30 years of experience in the prevention and treatment of Substance Use Disorder. He had been with SAMHSA for 22 years. He has experience working as a Senior Technical Advisor for HIV and Drug Use Prevention and Treatment Interventions. Since 2020, he has been a Senior Public Health Advisor within SAMHSA. His last position was as the Program Development Lead in the Office of Prevention Innovation within the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. His focus was on policy, data strategies, performance monitoring and evaluation for the office and CSAP leadership. He has held positions with the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), Division of Systems Development as the Acting Division Director, and the Chief of the Performance and Technical Assistance Branch. His previous projects at CSAP involve the development and implementation of sound prevention programming through training and technical assistance, materials development and dissemination, and program monitoring and evaluation. From 2007 to 2020, he worked in the SAMHSA PEPFAR Program. His last assignment was to Hanoi where he was the Regional Substance Abuse Treatment Advisor. He also had assignments in the Ukraine and Central Asia Republic Region (August 2016-August 2018). He has done prevention, treatment and recovery work in Viet Nam, Cambodia, Thailand, China, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Myanmar/Burma, and Ukraine.

As an Applied Sociologist, he has held positions with the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), Division of Services Improvement and the Division of Pharmacological Treatments as Sr. Public Health Advisor. His previous projects at CSAT involved the development and implementation of sound treatment programming through training and technical assistance, materials development and dissemination, and program monitoring and evaluation.

He is a program evaluator, having directed several research programs in the field of Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention. He has worked in clinical programs as a counselor and intake staff particularly in Boston. Prior to Federal Service, Dr. Mulvey worked in the Massachusetts Department of Health within the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services and the Boston Public Health Commission within the Office of Health, Research and Data Systems. He has a Graduate Certificate in Public Health from the University of North Carolina, a PhD from Northeastern University in Sociology, a MA in Applied Sociology and a BA in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts Boston.

He is a Senior Lecturer in Liberal Arts at Northeastern University where he received the 1998 Garth Pittman Award for Teaching Excellence and currently teaches distance learning hybrid courses in the Opioid Crisis, Alcoholism: Etiology and Epidemiology, Alcoholism: Treatment and Prevention, Sociology of AIDS, Drugs and Society, Research Methods, Techniques of Data Analysis and Statistics.

Dianna Fusco Motel, Associate Director for Operations and Financing

Dianna brings with her a master’s degree in Public Administration, from Appalachian State University and a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership from Mountain State University. She has 20 years’ experience in business administration and oversight, with a passion for the nonprofit sector. Dianna has been involved with economic impact services since 1998, assisting in the development and implementation of a national nonprofit for women.

Carly Searcy, Associate Director for Programming and Membership

Carly Searcy has 25 years of nonprofit management experience, holds a Master’s in Information Science (MIS) from the University of Michigan, and a Graduate Certificate in Holistic Health from Western Michigan University. In her work before joining ICUDDR, Carly has served as a university faculty member, an adjunct instructor, a library director, a technology project manager, and an AmeriCorps VISTA. She is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Certified Scrum Master (CSM). The common thread in Carly’s work is fighting poverty through collective impact and education. Carly is the author of "Project Management in Libraries," published by the American Library Association.

Dr Carmel Clancy, PhD, RGN, RMN, PGCertHE, FPH, ICAP III, Dean Emeritus

Dr. Carmel Clancy is the current Associate Director of ICUDDR Global Center for Credentialing and Certification (ICUDDR-GCCC). She holds the esteemed title of Dean Emeritus at the School of Health, Social Care, and Education at Middlesex University in London, UK. She earned her doctorate from St. Georges Medical School of London, UK, and is currently registered with the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) as a mental health and adult nurse. She has over 30 years’ of experience in delivering nursing education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including curriculum development, specifically in the area of addiction; and was the course developer of the first masters degree in co-morbidity (dual diagnosis) in Europe. In 2014, with funding from Health Education England, Dr. Clancy established My Care Academy – a knowledge building community in partnership with Camden University and Islington NHS Foundation Trust and Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust, and is currently the Project Director. Between 2020-2023 Carmel held the office of President of the International Nurses Society on Addiction (IntNSA).

Dr. Clancy was appointed Chair of the Research Advisory Panel (RAP) in 2022 for the new Universities UK (UUK) Task Force on Student Drug Use. This taskforce was set up to help universities understand and address student drug-use. The taskforce is due to publish evidence-led sector guidance, developed with students, staff, and wider stakeholders, and include recommendations firmly based on harm reduction, in the summer of 2024.

She has written extensively in this area and in 2017 co-chaired a Public Health England working group on the nurses’ role in the treatment and recovery addiction pathways. Dr. Clancy has also served as a member of the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD)(2002 -2011) – a standing committee which advises the UK Government on drug issues and policies. In 2015, in recognition of her contribution to addiction practice, she was awarded a Fellowship by Distinction and entered onto the membership registry for the UK Faculty of Public Health. She has provided training to addiction professionals throughout the world and is a member of The International Society of Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Professionals (ISSUP) and holds credentials ICAP-III from the GCCC.

Kaleb Brooks, Program Specialist

Kaleb Brooks graduated from the University of Iowa with his bachelors in Public Health and MPH in Epidemiology. He is an experienced prevention professional, overseeing prevention efforts at a nonprofit in Eastern Iowa before coming to work for ICUDDR. Prior to entering the substance misuse prevention field, Kaleb’s work focused on injury and violence prevention. He is passionate about using data to create positive change in the world.

Samitha Gunasakera, MS, Senior Program Officer with ICUDDR Global Center for Credentialing and Certification

Samitha Gunasekera leads the coordination efforts with addiction professionals worldwide on the credentialing and certification process. Driven by her firm belief that credentialing and certification significantly enhane the professionalization of the drug demand reduction workforce, Samitha is a dedicated advocate contributing to the growth and development of the GCCC initiatives across the globe.

Prior to joining the ICUDDR as the Senior Programme Officer of the GCCC, Samitha was part of the GCCC team under the umbrella of Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme (CPDAP) for nearly a decade; initially as a Programme Officer (Credentialing) and later on as a Senior Programme Officer (Credentialing). She has a wealth of experience in the development field having worked in various organizations based in Sri Lanka, including The Asian Development Bank (ADB), The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), and The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Samitha holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from the University College of Dublin, Ireland, and an Executive Master of Science in Project Management from Asia-e-University in Malaysia. She lives with her husband and daughter in Sri Lanka.

Ashley Becker, MPA, Program Officer with ICUDDR Global Center for Credentialing and Certification

Ashley Becker is an experienced nonprofit professional with over thirteen years of experience in international and local organizations; focused on the use of digital platforms to support overall organizational goals. Ashley holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Clemson University and a BA in Journalism/Broadcasting from Oklahoma State University. She currently serves as a Programme Officer for the Global Centre for Credentialing and Certification (GCCC) where her primary focus is overseeing the management and development of the organization's website, maintaining the credentialing application portal including the issuing of credentialing results, preparing analytics reports, and offering support in credential development initiatives. She strives to contribute to the overall growth of GCCC's mission globally and ensure a professionalized workforce to address challenges related to alcohol and drug demand reduction.

Sungjoo Park, MPH, Program Officer with ICUDDR Global Center for Credentialing and Certification

Sungjoo Park is a Project Officer for ICUDDR-GCCC. He interned for ICUDDR this past summer, and recently joined full-time in August 2024. He has a master's degree in Public Health with a concentration in Global Health from George Mason University. He also has a dual Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Human Development from Virginia Tech. Prior to his current role, he has had clinical experience in a pediatric primary care setting as a Medical Assistant. Sungjoo currently lives in Northern Virginia about 20 minutes from Washington, D.C. in the U.S.

Hala Najm, Program Manager for Research

Hala Najm is a registered pharmacist holding a master's degree in public health from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. She furthered her education through the prestigious Fulbright Hubert Humphrey Fellowship, specializing in substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery at Virginia Commonwealth University, USA.

Over the past decade, Hala has forged collaborations with local and regional non-profit organizations, higher education institutions, and governmental entities across the Middle East and North Africa. Her endeavors have been marked by the successful design, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based programs.

In her role as a senior abatement program researcher, she spearheaded the development of a comprehensive toolkit for the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority, addressing various facets of opioid prevention, treatment, and recovery. Currently, she dedicates part of her time to the International Society for Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) as a scientific support coordinator.

Hala's dedication to substance use advocacy is evident through her ICAP-prevention credentials and her position as a trainer in educational prevention programs like INEP+, eUPC, Unplugged, and Line Up Live Up, among others.

Veronica Felipe, Coordinator for Educational Programs and Regional Support

Veronica Felipe has a rich and diverse background in the field of Substance Use Disorders (SUD). Her extensive qualifications and experience make her a vital asset to the ICUDDR team.

Verna's career has been marked by her remarkable contributions to the Asia Pacific region, where she has played a pivotal role in advancing the Drug Demand Reduction field as former Director of the Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Program. Her work as a UTC Global Master Trainer further underscores her proficiency in training and educating professionals in the field, ensuring the highest standards of care and support are maintained. With over 20 years of experience as an academic practitioner, she prepares the future workforce by teaching and mentoring her students, and at the same time helping rehabilitation centers, civic societies, and local government units, design and implement their treatment programs.

With a Master's in Clinical Psychology, she possesses a deep understanding of the intricate nuances of substance use and mental health. She is a Registered Psychologist and a Licensed Professional Teacher in the Philippines and has ICAP I. Verna is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Addictive Disorders and Recovery Studies at Texas Tech University and is working on program evaluation and understanding the barriers and facilitators for implementing EBPs in low and middle-income countries.

Anna Fuchs, Administrative and Financial Assistant

Anna Fuchs joined ICUDDR as an Administrative and Financial Assistant in October 2024. She holds a Master of Science in Strategic Marketing and a Bachelor of Arts in International Tourism Management. Before assuming her current role, Anna gained substantial administrative experience in higher education, where she supported the Academic Dean and Faculty Leadership Team for the Health, Social Care, and Education faculty at Middlesex University.

In her previous position, Anna excelled in coordinating schedules, managing correspondence, and organizing travel for senior executives, highlighting her strong skills in executive coordination and project management. Her diverse experience across the higher education and hospitality sectors has further developed her expertise in business management, strategic planning, and problem-solving.

Anna brings a wealth of experience in administrative support and project management to her role at ICUDDR. She is currently based in London.

Taylor Cook, Digital Marketing Specialist

Taylor Cook is an instructional designer passionate about developing and sharing resources to support the field of Substance Use Prevention and Treatment education. She has a bachelor's in Health Promotion and Education and a Master of Education degree in Instructional Design. These two worlds help her develop palatable and engaging resources for Substance Use Disorder professionals.