Opioid Task Force Members
Chair
Marcia G. Ory, PhD, MPH
School of Public Health
mory@tamu.edu
- Public health and community engagement professional with expertise in opioid and aging issues
- Implements and disseminates evidence-based programs for chronic disease and pain management in rural and underserved populations
- Evaluates best practices for self-management programs
- Builds bridges between clinical and community settings and populations
- Surveys physicians and patients about perceptions of pain and opioid treatment and management
Co-Chair
Joy Alonzo, PharmD
College of Pharmacy
jalonzo@tamu.edu
- Clinical pharmacist with experience in acute care, ambulatory care, long term care, managed care, community settings
- Serves as preceptor/trainer for health professionals, students, community leaders engaged in opioid education and naloxone distribution
Director
Chinelo Nsobundu, RN, DrPH CHES
School of Public Health
opioidtaskforce@tamu.edu
- Registered Nurse with experience in caring for adult populations in long-term acute care facility and home health care
- Research Interests include aging; chronic disease self-management education; program planning, implementation and evaluation of health promotion programs; clinical and community linkages; and quality improvement in healthcare settings
Task Force Members
Steven Bender, DDS
College of Dentistry
benderdds@tamu.edu
- Orofacial pain specialist dentist with extensive clinical experience in the diagnosis and management of patients with head, face, and oral pain
- Director of the facial pain and sleep medicine program at Texas A&M College of Dentistry
- Teach undergraduate and graduate students comprehensive and multimodal approaches to pain management
- Provide continuing education in opioid safety to community dental teams
Starr Flores, MBA
Texas A&M Coastal Bend Education Center | Healthy South Texas
starrflores@tamu.edu
- Health educator with special attention to building community and clinical partnerships for Healthy South Texas initiatives in a region with one of the largest number of people who died from opioid-related causes in Texas
- Develops, implements and coordinates chronic disease self-management and opioid awareness programs for the Coastal Bend Health Education Center and oversees continuing education programs for multiple health professions
Mansoor Khan, PhD
College of Pharmacy
mkhan@tamu.edu
- Pharmacist with expertise in abuse deterrent formulations
- Provides guidance about aspects of abuse deterrent formulations and conducts research about formulations design and development
Carly McCord, PhD
College of Medicine
cmccord@tamu.edu
- Clinical psychologist with expertise in promoting mental health
- Develops remote telehealth programs for addressing mental health needs and engages in interprofessional education around mental health issues
Darlene McLaughlin, MD
College of Medicine
dmclaughlin@tamu.edu
- Clinical psychiatrist and co-clerkship director for third-year medical students
- Teaches about substance use disorders as part of the general clinical psychiatry curriculum and promotes law enforcement best practices about opioid overdoses using Narcan with the Police Physicians Section for the International Association of Chiefs of Police
Cheryl Pullium, DNP, MSN, ACNS-BC
College of Nursing
pullium@tamu.edu
- Advanced practice nurse
- Provides first-hand experience of opioid crisis from clinical practice at free clinic
Matthew Lee Smith, PhD, MPH, CHES
School of Public Health
matthew.smith@tamu.edu
- Assesses risk behaviors and substance use issues across the life-course
- Develops and evaluates behavior change interventions in community, clinical, and corporate settings
- Works with communities to identify and embed practical and effective upstream innovations and solutions to foster collaborative action
Sloane Williams
Texas A&M Health Marketing & Communications
sloane.williams@tamu.edu
- Media, public relations and communications professional
- Plans, implements and oversees initiatives aimed at promoting Texas A&M Health's excellence in research, education and practice
Bree Watzak, PharmD, BCPS
College of Pharmacy
bwatzak@tamu.edu
- Clinical Representative from A&M Rural & Community Health Institute
- Engages in addiction research and education, especially in rural populations, and offers continuing medical education and interprofessional education
Meredith Williamson, PhD
College of Medicine
meredith.williamson@tamu.edu
- Clinical psychologist with expertise in evidence-based psychological interventions and interprofessional treatment of health conditions including chronic pain
- Provides psychological treatment for individuals with chronic pain, collaborates with physicians on psychosocial interventions for chronic pain, and participates in the development of evidence-based policies for opioid management at the Texas A&M Physicians Clinic
Lixian Zhong, PhD
College of Pharmacy
zhong@tamu.edu
- Researcher with expertise in pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research
- Conducts research using national and Texas state-side data to assess the impact of the opioid crisis
- Evaluates cost-effectiveness of interventions and programs for opioid treatment and management