About Us
The Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices
Read more details about our mission statement and values, meet the members of the board of directors
and the advisory board, and learn about how you can help.
Mission
Our mission is to make evidence-based improvements to the prescribing of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs.
The Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices’ primary objective is to significantly reduce the number of benzodiazepine withdrawal sufferers by reducing the number of new prescriptions for benzodiazepines and Z-drugs, limit the duration of use, and provide an evidence-based pathway for deprescribing. Our focus is to illustrate the problems associated with benzodiazepines, illuminate alternatives to their use, and provide tools for clinicians to assist benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome sufferers. A complementary objective is to develop and promote best practices in benzodiazepine prescribing and problem management.
Who We Are
The Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation formed in the state of Oregon. It is composed of a board of directors and an advisory board.
Our Values
Our values guide our actions. We at the Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices are devoted to resolving the benzodiazepine crisis. We are committed to the following values:
Evidence guides action
Minimize harm due to disease and prescription
Every sufferer deserves to have their story heard
Both sufferers and prescribers deserve respect
Board of Directors
Alexis Ritvo, MD, MPH
Dr. Alexis Ritvo serves as the Medical Director of the Alliance. She is a board-certified addiction psychiatrist and assistant professor of psychiatry at University of Colorado (CU) School of Medicine . She has been the program director for the CU addiction psychiatry fellowship since July 2020. She is co-chair of the Benzodiazepine Action Work Group with the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse which she co-founded with Dr. Steven Wright, the former medical director for the Alliance. She has a passion for psychotherapy, teaching and improving health systems and policies. Her professional goals are: 1. To increase psychiatry resident’s competency in evaluating and treating substance use disorders and physical dependence to benzodiazepines in general outpatient psychiatry and 2. to improve patient access to psychiatric treatment for substance use disorders and physical dependence to benzodiazepines co-occurring with other psychiatric disorders.
Richard Bailey, BSC(HONS), DPH DIPMLT, CG(ASCP), CM CLSUP, MHGSA
Richard brings a unique blend of scientific experience and benzodiazepine expertise to the Board. He has a wealth of experience in molecular pharmacology, drug biochemistry and genomics. He has over 70 published scientific works in peer-reviewed journals and as conference abstracts around the world. Richard’s career has taken him to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, the Centre for Brain Research at Auckland University in New Zealand and Mater Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. He is also a benzodiazepine discontinuation and benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction (BIND) expert. Combining his scientific experience with his benzodiazepine expertise has enabled him to reach a remarkable level of understanding of benzodiazepine dependence, discontinuation and BIND. Richard’s interests include the use of flumazenil as a treatment for benzodiazepine discontinuation and BIND, the pharmacology, structure and function of GABA A and TSPO receptors and revitalization of the medical communities knowledge of benzodiazepine-wise prescribing and their treatment of benzodiazepine discontinuation and BIND.
Lori Mor, PharmD
Lori Mor is a clinical pharmacist with a background in family medicine. She graduated from the University of Florida with her Doctorate in Pharmacy and completed her general practice residency at Duke Regional Hospital in Durham, North Carolina. She is a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and currently practices in Columbia, South Carolina. As the previous chair of Generation Rx, she completed multiple community and statewide projects working to prevent prescription drug misuse and abuse. Lori serves as a peer reviewer for the Journal of Pharmacy Practice in which she has previously published.
Cathal Cadogan, BSC. (PHARM), PHD, MPSI
Cathal Cadogan is an Associate Professor at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland. He has published several scientific papers on benzodiazepines and polypharmacy. Cathal graduated from Trinity College Dublin (TCD) with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (First Class Honors). He then worked in clinical practice as a community pharmacist while completing his PhD through an Ussher Fellowship awarded by TCD. Cathal has previously held research/academic posts at Queen’s University Belfast and the Royal College Surgeons in Ireland. Cathal’s research interests focus on the development, evaluation and implementation of interventions to ensure the safe and effective use of medicines. Cathal maintains an active research profile and has a long-standing interest in the prescribing and use of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs (BZRAs). He has examined national BZRA prescribing trends in Ireland and is currently supervising a PhD project which is looking to develop an intervention to support individuals in discontinuing long-term BZRA use. Cathal is an Associate Editor with the Cochrane Collaboration’s EPOC Group.
Jolene Bressi, PharmD, PMP
Dr. Jolene Bressi completed her degree at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia in 2003. She has a diverse practice background with over 20 years experience in community, hospital, industry, and managed care pharmacy practice, working with groups at McNeil Consumer Healthcare, CVS, Rite Aid, Benecard PBF, and Appriss Health. She has worked on controlled substance management programs over the previous decade to ensure best practice utilization for large patient groups
Chris Blazes, MD
Dr. Blazes is Asst. Prof. of Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine at OHSU. He is triple board-certified in psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and emergency medicine and is the director of the OHSU addiction psychiatry Fellowship. Dr Blazes is a clinician educator whose practice is based out of the Portland VA Medical Center. He lectures widely and publishes on such topics as benzodiazepines, synthetic fentanyl analogues, buprenorphine, and the neurobiology of addiction and recovery.
Judd Katz, JD, MHA, MS
Currently with the FDA as a lead counsel within CDER, Judd has used his career experience to help others. Prior to joining FDA, Judd was a consultant for several pharma companies, and was also a Vice President of Legal and Compliance within Tricida Inc. At Array Biopharma he was an Executive Director of Legal and Compliance and Privacy Officer. Judd has served in the pharmaceutical industry for many years, and in several different capacities. Prior to relocating to the Colorado area, Judd was with Depomed Inc. focusing on healthcare compliance along with DOJ, State, and Senate investigations related to the opioid space. Before joining Depomed, Judd handled all compliance related monitoring, auditing, and investigations at Questcor Pharmaceuticals. The transition to Questcor occurred after helping to implement and execute a Corporate Integrity Agreement at Allergan Pharmaceuticals. Beyond the corporate side of the industry, Judd spent time at FDA in the Office of the Commissioner during his law school tenure. He also spent time at the Department of Justice in the Office of Consumer Protection. A unique aspect of Judd’s background is that he started his career as a sales representative for companies such as AstraZeneca and Bayer Pharmaceuticals. Judd earned his Bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University prior to obtaining his Juris Doctorate from Michigan State University. He obtained a Master in Healthcare Administration at Seton Hall University, a Master’s of Science degree from Johns Hopkins University, and another Master’s of Science from Columbia University. Judd has graduate certificates from American University in Genetics, Medicine, International Health, Bioethics, and Pharmaceutical Law. Judd also has a Healthcare Compliance Certificate from Seton Hall University School of Law. He is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health at Yale University.
Andora Hightower, BS, GCFM
Andora Hightower serves as a Board Member for the Alliance with a focus on Fundraising and Development. Andora earned both her Graduate Certificate in Fundraising for Nonprofits in 2022 and a Bachelors Degree in 2012, from Thomas Edison State University.
Andora has over two decades of management experience and has a keen interest in development. As someone who is seasoned in the programmatic aspects of Care Coordination, Public Policy, and Advocacy, she understands the comprehensive landscape and the necessary elements for success in the nonprofit world.
As a Communications and Development Manager with the National Center for Advocacy and Recovery, (NCAAR), Andora is responsible for a strategic development plan inclusive of digital platforms and leads the volunteer fundraising committee.
Her long lived inspiration to be part of the solution is woven in great part, by the loss of her sister Donna, to a fatal overdose where Benzodiazepine misuse was a major component due to a lack of education, over prescribing, and tragic withdrawal ramifications.
JadenBrandt, BSc.Pharm, MSc.
Jaden Brandt is a practicing community pharmacist with research expertise on the pharmacoepidemiology and clinical use of benzodiazepines. He is a clinical teacher at the University of Manitoba’s College of Pharmacy. He has presented to students, pharmacists, physicians and other health professionals on BZRA use and was the consulting pharmacist representing the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba in the drafting of a new (2020) Standard of Practice for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba on optimal prescribing and patient management practices for BZRA medication. He is interested in using knowledge translation and implementation science methods to improve BZRA policies and prescribing.
Bernie Silvernail, MS
The spouse of a benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction (BIND) sufferer and a former high tech manager, Bernie is a founding member and President of the Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices.
Some of the Directors and Advisors, along with other medical professionals, were interviewed about their experience and knowledge of benzodiazepines. You can access these interviews HERE.
MEET THE EXPERTS WHO HELP GUIDE THE ACTIONS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
Advisory Board
Sumit Agarwal, MD
Dr. Sumit Agarwal is a physician and health policy researcher at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He has done research on topics including benzodiazepine prescribing, physician burnout, blue-collar workers’ ACA insurance gains, and Medicare’s new billing codes. He received the Mack Lipkin Senior Associate award for his research on benzodiazepine prescribing patterns and trends, and his work has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, and Health Affairs as well as featured on CNN and NPR. He sees patients as a primary care physician at the Phyllis Jen Center for Primary Care at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Akhil Ananad, MD
Dr. Anand is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Cleveland Clinic. He works as a staff psychiatrist at the Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center, where he is responsible for managing the inpatient withdrawal unit. Additionally, he serves as the Program Director of the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program. Dr. Anand is double-board certified in both psychiatry and addiction psychiatry. He is a clinician-scholar who has published several peer-reviewed articles and presented his research nationally. His areas of interest include benzodiazepines, alcohol, nootropics, psychedelics, inpatient and outpatient drug withdrawal management, alcohol-associated liver disease, harm reduction, recovery models, and medical education. Dr. Anand is a strong advocate for prudent and forward-thinking benzodiazepine prescribing, and he has joined the alliance with the hope of learning and networking with other healthcare providers who appreciate the potential short and long-term risks of benzodiazepines on their patients.
Jessica L. Angleson, PharmD, MBA, BCPS
Jessica has established herself as a distinguished figure in pharmacy practice. With a Doctorate of Pharmacy degree from the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jessica has consistently demonstrated her commitment to advancing patient care.
Her journey began as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Primary Care at Kaiser Permanente Colorado, where she gained invaluable experience in patient-centered healthcare. Throughout her career, Jessica has remained deeply involved in the Colorado Pharmacists Society, serving in various leadership capacities, including her current role as Pharmacy Practice Advancement Lead. In addition to her work with the Society, Jessica contributes her expertise part-time at Union Square Pharmacy, an independent pharmacy in Lakewood, Colorado. She also collaborates with Consana Health, focusing on medication therapy management to optimize patient outcomes.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Jessica is a passionate advocate for individuals battling alcohol and substance use disorder. Her dedication to community health extends to her volunteer work with Advocates for Recovery Colorado. With her multifaceted contributions and unwavering dedication, Jessica Angleson continues to shape the future of pharmacy practice while making a meaningful impact on the lives of those she serves.
Jamie Berry, MBA
Jamie Berry is the spouse of a benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome survivor. Jamie has spent his professional career working as a fundraiser for nonprofits working in the foundation fundraising space. Currently, Jamie is the Director of Partnership Research and Operations at World Relief, an international NGO providing humanitarian and disaster assistance worldwide. In addition, Jamie consults with numerous nonprofits on fundraising best practices around the country.
Jamie lives in Aurora, Colorado, with his wife Misty and two sons, Kosse and Alazar. He holds an MBA from the Edinburgh Business School and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from James Madison University.
Dr. Michael Bohan
Dr. Michael Bohan is Board Certified Addiction Medicine Specialist who recently retired from active practice in Virginia Beach, VA. Now he is devoting his time to teaching and writing about addiction medicine topics, primarily benzodiazepine toxicity and withdrawal.
After medical graduation from The George Washington University School of Medicine, Dr. Bohan entered the Navy and became an internist. In 1971, working with some others he helped start the Navy alcohol use disorder treatment programs. In 1978 while Chief of Medicine at Portsmouth (Virginia) Naval hospital he started a benzodiazepine slow taper clinic using diazepam. Following retirement from the Navy in 1982, Dr. Bohan entered private practice in addiction medicine in Virginia Beach VA. He continued his special interest in benzodiazepines and developed a special interest in sex addiction treatment in 1991.
Dr. Bohan served on the World Board of Trustees of Narcotics Anonymous as a non-addict from 1981 to 1987. He served on the Board of the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH) from 1998 to 2004. He was co-chair of the SASH annual conference in 2018. He is on the volunteer faculty at Eastern Virginia School of Medicine as an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine. He is Board certified in Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine.
Lesley Brooks, MD
Chief Medical Officer for Sunrise Community Health and Assistant Medical Director for the North Colorado Health Alliance. A board certified family physician, she has practiced full scope family medicine including obstetrics in northern Colorado since 2008. In her role as Assistant Medical Director, she is responsible for oversight of care plans for Medicaid patients enrolled in the Regional Care Collaborative Organization (RCCO), and for coordination of an integrated team of providers working to better manage the use of opioids for treatment of chronic non-cancerous pain. She has also helped to lead the implementation of a robust opioid oversight and management team for the community health center where she practices, a large FQHC serving over 30,000 persons per year. She thrives on the synergy of her clinical work at Sunrise with the focus on population health that characterizes her work for the Alliance. Dr. Brooks is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Malawi from 1995-1997 and a former research administrator for Denver Health. Her professional interests include indigent care, women’s health, health disparities, and community and population health. She studied medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and completed her residency at North Colorado Family Medicine in Greeley.
Christian Campbell, MBA
Mr. Campbell has spent the majority of his career in the life sciences industry, focused on commercial technology and marketing in the consumer and medical device sectors. He is also a benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction (BIND) survivor. He has held leadership positions in several different healthcare specialties such as diabetes, orthopedics, outpatient surgery centers, hospital monitoring, connected healthcare solutions, and mergers & acquisitions. Mr. Campbell earned his undergraduate degree in Marketing from Saint Joseph’s University, and his M.B.A. from Georgetown University. He has had the opportunity to work in companies ranging in size from Fortune 500, to pre-revenue startups, to his own digital marketing consultancy.
David Crabtree, MD
Dr. Crabtree grew up in a small mining and farming community in Virginia. He spent many hours shadowing physicians at his local community hospital, which is what helped him decide that he wanted to pursue medicine. Dr. Crabtree received an academic scholarship to attend East Tennessee State University, where he was accepted to medical school after completing his freshman year. He went on to attend ETSU’s Quillen College of Medicine, a school nationally recognized for rural medicine and primary care training. He also used this time to work on health policy and education issues for US Senator Mark Warner. After earning his MD with AOA honors, Dr. Crabtree headed west for his residency training at the University of California – San Diego. After completing an internship in UCSD’s Department of Psychiatry, Dr. Crabtree began training in preventive medicine in UCSD’s Department of Family Medicine & Public Health. After residency, Dr. Crabtree completed fellowship training in addiction medicine at the University of Utah. Dr. Crabtree is board certified in both preventive medicine and addiction medicine and works full time in addiction medicine. Outside of medicine, Dr. Crabtree spends time with friends and his Shiba Inu dog.
Sharon Donnelly, MS
Sharon is an independent consultant/board member assisting organizations in meeting their healthcare transformation goals through strategic planning, proposal development, program management and process redesign. She has diverse experience supporting/chairing non-profit, public and for-profit boards and committees.
Previously, as SVP Development for Comagine Health (formerly HealthInsight and Qualis Health) she advanced strategic initiatives for a multi-state corporation and with national partners. Her experience included strategic planning as well as developing, acquiring funding for, managing, and evaluating collaborative efforts in healthcare quality improvement. Ms. Donnelly has a deep interest in clinical practice transformation, specifically, using data to inform system and individual change; facilitating health information technology (HIT) adoption to improve patient care; and payment and delivery system reform. Throughout her career she has been instrumental in designing strategies and programs in these areas, including HealthInsight’s Beacon Community and Regional Extension Center programs and piloting use of the ECHO™ model in quality improvement initiatives.
She earned her master’s degrees in statistics from the University of Tennessee (UT), where she also taught statistics, computing and research design and was a statistical research consultant to the UT Medical Research Center.
Darrin Mangiacarne, DO, DFASAM
Dr. Darrin Mangiacarne graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM). He received his master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Southern Mississippi and completed his family medicine residency at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem, PA. Darrin became the second addiction medicine fellow at Geisinger Health System. He is a Certified Physician Executive and a Medical Review Officer.
Dr. Mangiacarne is board certified in family medicine from the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians (AOBFP) and addiction medicine from the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) and (AOBFP). He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (DFASAM) and a fellow of the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine (FAOAAM). He also currently holds the title of Secretary/Treasurer for the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine.
Dr. Mangiacarne has worked in the addiction field for the past 11 years in both inpatient and outpatient settings. He co-chaired the Indiana Attorney General’s Task Force on addiction. Dr. Mangiacarne is the Past-President of the Indiana Society of Addiction Medicine. Before joining Banyan, he served as the Regional Medical Director for another program, overseeing their medication assisted treatment programming throughout the Midwest. He is the Chief Medical Officer and a proud addition to the Banyan team.
Tim MacDonald, MBBS(H1), FRANZCP
Dr. MacDonald is a Consultation-Liaison and Addiction Psychiatrist affiliated with Griffith University as a Senior Lecturer, and works full time as the Unit Director (Dual Diagnosis) at Currumbin Clinic. He graduated with first class honours from Monash University and with the Geoff Conron Prize in Psychiatry. He is a Committee Member for the Queensland Faculty of Addiction Psychiatry, an Opioid Treatment Program prescriber in QLD and NSW, is a reviewer and editor for numerous domestic and international journals, and has led clinical trials and observational studies in the private sector.
Ian Martin, BBA, PMP
Ian is an experienced solution delivery professional specializing in clinical information systems, with a distinguished track record of successfully implementing technology initiatives across diverse business domains. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with honors from the University of Newfoundland and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health at the Yale School of Public Health. Driven by personal experiences, Ian is dedicated to advancing public health and enhancing patient outcomes through evidence-based practices and innovative technologies. He combines his technical expertise with a keen interest in epidemiological research to inform his approach to improving health outcomes in the domains of mental health and substance use disorders.
Valsa Medhava, MD
Dr. Valsa Madhava has a diverse medical background. Having treated thousands of patients with addictions of various types, she is an expert in supervised withdrawals and rehabilitation. Dr. Madhava is board certified in Internal medicine and Addiction Medicine. She is also certified in Functional Medicine from the Institute for Functional Medicine.
Her work in the specific treatment of benzodiazepine dependence has now become a focus of her career. She is committed to researching and exploring what is still unknown. Why is it that benzodiazepines create the response they do in such a high percentage of us? And is the damage it can cause to your brain function, reversible?
She has developed a unique out-patient treatment program for those wishing to relieve themselves of the dependence, and to treat the root cause for being prescribed them, through a step process of discovery and using functional medicine.
Kentucky Morrow, MSHM
Kentucky Morrow is an executive with experience in the healthcare, consumer, and industrials sector. Currently he is Co-Founder of Ralli, a CPG company focused on alcohol health and wellness. Prior to founding Ralli, he was a Vice President at England & Company, a middle market investment bank focused on the healthcare, technology, and industrial sectors. While at England & Company he advised Boards and executive teams of leading middle market companies on mergers and acquisitions, raising growth capital, and strategic advisory. In addition to his work as an advisor, he led numerous internal initiatives directly with the firm’s CEO.
Kentucky was previously an Associate at Capitol Partners, a private equity firm focused on the healthcare and industrials sector. In addition, he has served as an advisor to multiple early-stage startup companies in the healthcare and consumer sector. Outside of his professional activities he regularly volunteers with Johns Hopkins University. In addition to his volunteering with the University he regularly mentors college students. Kentucky holds a Masters of Science degree in Healthcare Management from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics, with a concentration in Finance, and Political Science and Economics from Emory University.
Jocelyn Pedersen
Teacher, survivor of benzodiazepine dependence and withdrawal, publicist and videographer.
Arwen Podesta, MD
Dr. Podesta is board certified in psychiatry, addiction medicine, holistic & integrative medicine, and forensic psychiatry. She applies all of her training and knowledge to create a multi-disciplinary, evidence-based practice. In addition to her boutique private practice that provides: nutritional counseling, massage therapy, psychotherapy and acupuncture, she is medical director of ACER addiction centers in Louisiana. She also works closely with judges and specialty courts mostly in Louisiana but also in other states. She became the President of the Louisiana Chapter of the American Society of Addiction Medicine in 2017.
Dr. Podesta continues to teach and pursue academics, is Tulane Clinical Faculty, teaches at the NOPD Academy, and consults with several other organizations and institutions. She became the current President of the Louisiana Chapter of the Society of Addiction Medicine in 2017. She is a well renowned speaker, and travels to teach and speak on the subjects of Addiction Medicine, Forensic Psychiatry and Integrative Psychiatry.
Jezel Rosa, APRN, PMHNP-BC
Jezel is a psychiatric nurse practitioner who has been a nurse for over 23 years (since 1999). She obtained her Advanced Practice Degree 3 years ago and became certified in integrative mental health practices in October of 2022. She shifted her practice from conventional psychiatry to taking an integrative/holistic approach when she saw a need to reduce harm and help patients taper off benzodiazepines. She has now dedicated her practice to limiting patient harm by searching for root causes of mental illness, putting skills before pills, and helping patients safely come off their psychiatric medications. She is the principal behind Levelheaded Mind, and has produced many benzodiazepine and mental health awareness videos that can be accessed through the site.
Hiten Soni, MD
Dr. Soni’s treatment philosophy is patient centered, an approach placing the primary focus on improving quality of life and making it well suited to address addiction. It is an evidenced based approach including behavioral, social and medication intervention tailored to the needs of the individual. Dr. Soni’s awareness of benzodiazepine abuse arose with his first patient death, which was attributed to benzodiazepine overdose. Later, in his own practice, cognizant that benzodiazepines do not treat any condition and are correlated with injury and death, he has developed extensive experience in successfully tapering and discontinuing benzodiazepines for numerous patients.
Dr. Soni recently learned of the Alliance and immediately contacted Bernie communicating his desire to become a member. He hopes to join his efforts and experience with ours in reducing benzodiazepine related morbidity and mortality. Dr. Soni would like to work in collaboration with the Alliance to increase awareness at local, state and legislative levels and participate in prescription practice reform.
Kartin Sood, MBA, MS
Kartin is a seasoned pharma strategist with 12+ years of experience in the life sciences industry. She advises pharma/biotech clients and enables successful product launches through cross-functional expertise in R&D, regulatory, and commercial strategy. Her most recent experience has been advising C-suite clients on product positioning and commercialization strategies to maximize market potential and enable successful product launches for both pipeline and existing drugs. She is also a strong advocate for equity in healthcare and advises clients on enhancing their evidence packages to include diverse patient populations.
In addition to her professional experience, Kartin also brings fundraising experience to the table. She has raised funds for the COVID crisis in India, and led donor relations and fundraising initiatives at the Association for India’s Development, NY Chapter. Additionally, Kartin is a founding member of the Becca Blanco Women in Business Scholarship Fund at Cornell University, having raised over $500K in endowments within three months.
Erick Turner, MD
Professor, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU); Staff Psychiatrist, Mental Health and Behavioral Neurosciences, VA Portland Health Care System.
John Umhau, MD, MPH
My professional career has been dedicated to helping people stay healthy. I enjoy directing and consulting on research. Today my private medical practice focuses on assisting those who sometimes lose control over how much they drink. I provide evidence-based medical and nutritional strategies to help professionals – without depending on willpower-based treatment methods. I use telemedicine as it can provide “off-the-grid” and private care without the risk of an electronic medical record.
With twenty years of experience as a Senior Clinical Investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health, I have extensive expertise in leading multidisciplinary neuroscience research teams in early drug development and the investigation of nutritional therapy. I also have experience as a medical officer at FDA tasked with reviewing psychiatric drugs and leadership experience as a Clinical Director in various organizations: An Indian Health Service hospital in Arizona, a consortium of community clinics in Seattle, and a comprehensive program for the homeless in Washington D.C. I have decades of experience treating alcohol use disorder. I completed a residency in Clinical Preventive Medicine at Johns Hopkins University.
Jayne Violette, PhD
Dr. Jayne Violette is an Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, in Bluffton, South Carolina. For over 30 years, Dr. Violette has taught a wide variety of human communication courses including health communication, persuasion, media studies, intercultural communication, storytelling, training and development, interpersonal communication, leadership, and a host of special topics courses.
While the majority of her scholarly publications and presentations have centered around instructional communication research and theory, Dr. Violette is currently engaged in health narrative research dedicated to raising awareness of the over-prescription of benzodiazepine medications, patient experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, and communicating social support. Recent publications have appeared in The Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, The Kentucky Journal of Communication, The International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, and Cases in Higher Education Spaces. A breast cancer survivor, Dr. Violette also serves as a volunteer counselor for breast cancer patients and is regularly invited to speak to organizations supporting women’s health and cancer education.
In addition to her professional affiliation with the Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices, Dr. Violette is associated with the National Communication Association, the Southern States Communication Association, and the Carolinas Communication Association. Dr. Violette holds her doctorate from the University of Kentucky.
Josef Witt-Doerring, MD
Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring is board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in the accurate identification of psychiatric adverse drug reactions. Previously, Dr. Witt-Doerring served as a Medical Officer within the Division of Psychiatry at the Food and Drug Administration, where he analyzed emergent safety issues for psychiatric drugs and proposed strategies to mitigate risk. Before that, he completed a fellowship in Psychiatric Drug Development at Janssen Research & Development whilst also holding the post of Assistant Professor at Drexel College of Medicine. He completed his psychiatric residency at Baylor College of Medicine and graduated from the University of Queensland Medical School in Australia. Throughout his career Dr. Witt-Doerring has focused on the scientific process for determining causal relationships between psychiatric interventions and emergent side effects. On this issue he has been an invited speaker at multiple scientific conferences and has appeared on online and television interviews. Currently, Dr. Witt-Doerring runs a private practice with his wife, Dr. Marissa Witt-Doerring, that specializes in treating psychiatric adverse reactions. The majority of these patients suffer from benzodiazepine-related injuries and are undergoing tapers.
Marissa Witt-Doerring, MD
Dr. Marissa Witt-Doerring is board-certified psychiatrist currently working in private practice with her husband, Josef Witt-Doerring. Witt-Doerring Psychiatric Consulting specializes in the treatment of psychiatric adverse reactions with a focus on benzodiazepine-related injuries and tapers. She completed her first two years of residency at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital then transferred to Baylor College of Medicine to join her husband. She received her medical degree at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She has spent dedicated research years managing neurological clinical trials and implementing quality improvement initiatives
Become a Member of the Alliance
The Alliance is actively seeking advisers who have expertise in the following areas:
- Benzodiazepine receptor agonist neuropharmacology
- Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome (BZWS)
- Benzodiazepine risks & adverse outcomes other than BZWS
- The role of benzodiazepines in the opioid crisis
- Epidemiology with an interest in benzodiazepines
- Alternatives to benzodiazepine use
- FDA and DEA process
- Communications (inter-organizational, media)
- Outreach & fundraising
- Medical and/or tax law
- Website design
- Video editing
You can contact us by providing your information in the fields below: