Our Team
Traci C. Green, PhD, MSc
Professor and Director, Opioid Policy Research Collaborative
Expertise: drug use, opioid addiction, and drug-related injury
Gail Strickler, MMHS'94, PhD'07
Research Scientist, Deputy Director, Opioid Policy Research Collaborative
Expertise: Substance use disorders, prescription drug abuse, controlled substance prescribing
Andrew Kolodny, MD
Senior Research Scientist, Medical Director, , Opioid Policy Research Collaborative
Expertise: Prescription opioids and the heroin crisis, prescription drug utilization, public health policy
Constance Horgan, ScD
Professor; Director, Institute for Behavioral Health; Co-director, Schneider Institutes for Health Policy and Research
Expertise: Organization and financing of alcohol, drug and mental health services; quality and effectiveness of behavioral health treatment
Meelee Kim, PhD'19
Scientist, Institute for Behavioral Health
Expertise: Evaluating substance use disorders, violence, HIV prevention programs; evaluating initiatives for safer prescribing of controlled substances; Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMP)
Sharon Reif, PhD'02
Professor and Deputy Director, Institute for Behavioral Health
Expertise: Health services research, with a focus on substance use disorders and other behavioral health
Cindy Thomas, PhD'00
Professor and Associate Dean for Research
Expertise: Health Policy, health technology transfer, state health reform, prescription drug policy, addiction treatment, Medicare and Medicaid coverage
OPRC Staff
Cole Altomare-Jarczyk, BA
Research Associate, Opioid Policy Research Collaborative
Expertise: Analytical instrumentation, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) sample preparation and analysis, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) data interpretation. Analytic Chemistry / Drug Checking Technician
Thomas Clark, BA
Senior Research Associate, Institute for Behavioral Health
Expertise: Qualitative research, prescription monitoring programs, addiction and behavioral health
Abigail (Abby) Edelmann, BS
Research Assistant/Drug Checking Technician, Opioid Policy Research Collaborative
Expertise: Analytical Chemistry, Organic & Inorganic Chemistry, Drug Checking, FT-IR Spectroscopy, Behavioral Health
Sarah Fielman, BS, MS
Project Manager, Opioid Policy Research Collaborative
Expertise: harm reduction, community-based health care, and translational and implementation science
Natalie Lewis-Vass, MPA
Community Programs and Research Manager, Opioid Policy Research Collaborative
Expertise: Project and program management, sexual and reproductive health, community engagement, HIV and health equity research
Shannon Raeke, MA
Research Associate I, Opioid Policy Research Collaborative
Expertise: Social psychology, inequality and social stratification, racial-ethnic socialization and identity formation, mixed-methods research
Sabrina S. Rapisarda, MA, MEd
Research Associate I, Opioid Policy Research Collaborative
Expertise: quantitative and qualitative methods, substance use and related harms, harm reduction, intimate partner and sexual violence, help-seeking
Ivy Sabal
Research Assistant and FTIR Drug Checking Technician, Massachusetts Drug Supply Data Stream (MADDS), Opioid Policy Research Collaborative
Expertise: Environmental Justice, Social Justice, Harm Reduction, Drug Checking Technician
Joe Silcox, PhD, MA
Research Associate II, Project Manager, Opioid Policy Research Collaborative
Expertise: Program Management, Qualitative Research, Substance Use Disorders, Long-term Recovery, Stigma & Identity, Policing, Harm Reduction, and Social Control
Charlie Summers, MA
Research Associate, Opioid Policy Research Collaborative
Expertise: Epidemiology, Medical Anthropology, HIV Transmissions, Ethnographic Depictions of Substance Use Disorders and Harm Reduction
Christa Thomas-Sowers, BS
Program Manager, Opioid Policy Research Collaborative
Expertise: Works closely with the community to establish a successful street outreach and peer-run drop-in centers. Supports community engagement, harm reduction and drug checking work
Affiliated Staff
Mary Brolin, PhD'05
Senior Scientist and Lecturer, Institute for Behavioral Health
Expertise: Health services research and community-based evaluation with a focus on behavioral health
Dominic Hodgkin, PhD
Professor, Institute for Behavioral Health
Expertise: Health economics, managed care, economics of mental health and substance use disorders, prescription drug utilization
Mary Jo Larson, PhD'92
Senior Scientist and Lecturer, Institute for Behavioral Health
Expertise: Behavioral health services research; pain management; prescription opioid utilization; longitudinal data analysis; clinical trials; military health system; behavioral health of military members, veterans and families; harm reduction for out-of-treatment individuals; addiction treatment gap; evaluation of system change; adoption of evidence-based practice; web-training; academic detailing
Lee Panas, MS
Senior Statistical Programmer and Lecturer, Institute for Behavioral Health
Expertise: Statistical programming and management of large state and national databases, data analysis using statistical methods such as logistic regression, survival analysis, time series and hierarchical linear modeling
Maureen Stewart, PhD'09
Visiting Research Scholar
Research Associate Professor, Boston University School of Public Health, Health Law, Policy, and Management
Expertise: policy and system approaches to improve access to and quality of alcohol and drug treatment services and to reduce disparities in treatment