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2026 Agenda

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      • Day 1

        800

        Attendee Check-in and Exhibits

        8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

        Welcome! Check in, grab your badge, and enjoy time with exhibitors before sessions begin.

        900

        Welcome and Opening Remarks

        9:00 AM – 9:15 AM

        915

        Keynote I - From Narratives to Navigation: Integrated Addiction and Infectious Disease Care

        9:15 AM- 10:30 AM

        Ellen Eaton, MD, FIDSA
        Associate Professor
        The University of Alabama at Birmingham

        Room: 217B-D

        1030

        Break and Exhibits

        10:30 AM – 10:45 AM

        Transition time to move between sessions, visit exhibits & posters, and connect with colleagues.

        1045

        Opening Panel - Communities Matter: Science-Driven Solutions for Recovery and Resilience

        10:45 AM – 12:00 PM

        Facilitator:

        Jennifer Sharpe Potter, PhD, MPH
        Senior Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation
        UT San Antonio

        Speakers: 

        Ellen Eaton, MD, FIDSA
        Associate Professor 
        The University of Alabama at Birmingham 

        Muhammad Ali Chaudhary, MD 
        Director of Adolescent and Youth Clinical Services, Be Well Clinic,
        Assistant Professor, UT San Antonio 

        Brenda Mannix, LCSW-C
        Disaster Response Consultant
        Former Project Director,
        SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center

        Erika M. Borrego, MSW 
        President and CEO  
        Corazon San Antonio  

        Room: 217B-D

        1200

        Lunch on Your Own

        12:00 PM – 1:15 PM

        1315

        Hands on Workshops (HOWs)

        1:15 PM – 2:15 PM

        Building the Field of Recovery Science

        Facilitator:

        Enya Vroom, PhD, MS
        Assistant Professor
        UT San Antonio

        Speakers: 

        Christina E. Freibott, PhD, MPH
        Postdoctoral Associate
        School of Public Health
        Boston University
         
        Noel Vest, PhD
        Assistant Professor
        Boston University
         
        Carma Deem-Bolton, PhD, MS
        Instructor of Research
        UT San Antonio

         

        Room: 215

        Pragmatic Implementation Science and Advancing the Field of Recovery Housing for Individuals taking MOUD

        Speakers:
         
        Serena Rodriguez, PhD, MA, MPH
        Assistant Professor
        School of Public Health
        UT Health Houston 
         
        J.Michael Wikerson, PhD
        Associate Professor
        School of Public Health
        UT Health Houston 
         
        Sheryl McCurdy, PhD, MA
        Professor
        School of Public Health
        UT Health Houston
         

        Kathryn R. Gallardo, PhD, LMSW 
        Assistant Professor 
        School of Public Health
        UT Health Houston

         

        Room: 216A


        From Resistance to Recovery: Rethinking Methadone for the Fentanyl Era

        Speakers:

        Daryl Shorter, MD
        Medical Director
        The Menninger Clinic
         
        Crispa Aeschbach Jachmann, MD
        Medical Director
        Addiction & Psychotherapy Services
         
        Room: 217B-D

        Turning Evidence into Action: A Science-Based Wrap Around Care Model for Opioid Recovery

        Speakers:

        Susannah Harris, MPH, CHES
        Data Analyst
        University Health
         
        Adrienne Henze, MS
        Assistant Director
        Community Initiatives & Population Health
        University Health
         
        Room: 218

        1415

        Transition to Workshop

        2:15 PM – 2:30 PM

        1430

        Hands on Workshops (HOWs)

        2:30 PM – 3:30 PM

        Peer Specialists Behind the Walls

        Facilitator:

        Ijeoma Achara, PsyD
        President
        Achara Consulting

        Speakers:

        Trisha Bos, MPsych, PSS, RSPS
        Peer Specialist Supervisor
        Texas Department of Criminal Justice
         
        Shawn Wright
        Case Manager & Reentry Coordinator
        Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Bartlett Unit
         
        Room: 215

        Closing the Gap: The Pivotal Role of Opioid Treatment Programs in Hepatitis C Elimination

        Speaker:

        Chethan Bachireddy, MD, MSc, FACP
        Clinical Associate Professor 
        Baylor College of Medicine 
        University of Houston         College of Medicine 

        Room: 216A

        Reviving Texas: Innovative Paths to Naloxone Access

        Facilitator:

        Andrea Rochat, MFA
        Director of Healthcare Communications & Outreach
        Be Well Institute on Substance Use & Related Disorders,
        UT San Antonio

        Speakers: 

        Teresa Wagner, DrPH, MS, CPH, RD/LD, CPPS
        Associate Professor
        UNT Health Fort Worth
         
        Mercedes Ingram, PhD, LPC
        Senior Director
        Mental Wellness Initiative
        University Health
         
        Ashley Emmerich, MS
        Program Manager
        UT San Antonio
         

        Bert Nitzke
        Section Chief, Training Division
        Texas Division of Emergency Management 

         

        Room: 217B-D


        Halos of Protection, Black Holes of Risk: Environmental Drivers of SUD in the Intellectual Developmental Disorder Community of El Paso, Texas

        Speakers:

        Shawna Scully, DO
        Chief Medical Officer
        Emergence Health Network
         
        Rebeka Issac
        Project and Data Evaluator
        Emergence Health Network
         
        Room: 218

        1530

        Break and Exhibits

        3:30 PM – 3:45 PM

        Transition time to move between sessions, visit exhibits and posters, and connect with colleagues.

        1545

        Plenary - Beyond Sobriety: Early, Integrated Care for Functional Recovery in Adolescents

        3:45 PM – 5:00 PM

        Muhammad Ali Chaudhary, MD
        Director of Adolescent and Youth Clinical Services, Be Well Clinic
        Assistant Professor, UT San Antonio

        Room: 217B-D

        1700

        Reception, Exhibits, and Poster Session

        5:00 PM – 6:30 PM

        Join us for a reception offering time to explore exhibitors, view poster presentations, and connect with fellow attendees.

        Room: 217A & Tower View Foyer

      • Day 2

        800

        Attendee Check-in and Exhibits

        8:00 AM – 8:30 AM

        Welcome! Check in, grab your badge, and enjoy time with exhibitors before sessions begin.

        830

        Opening Remarks

        8:30 AM – 8:45 AM

        845

        Keynote II - Future-Ready Behavioral Health: What Disaster Models are Teaching Us About the Next Generation of Care

        8:45 AM – 10:00 AM

        Brenda Mannix, LCSW-C
        Disaster Response Consultant
        Former Project Director,
        SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center

         
        Room: 217B-D

        1000

        Break, Posters, and Exhibits

        10:00 AM – 10:15 AM

        Transition time to move between sessions, visit exhibits & posters, and connect with colleagues.

        1015

        Hands on Workshops (HOWs)

        10:15 AM – 11:15 AM

        No Gaps, No Barriers: Sustaining Methadone Treatment for Vulnerable Populations Across Care Transitions

        Speakers: 

        Blair Walker, MD
        Associate Professor of Psychiatry,
        Dell Medical School
        The University of Texas at Austin
         
        Alex Meagher, MD
        Medical Director
        Travis County Sheriff’s Office
         
        Snehal Patel, MD, FACP
        Associate Director
        Central Health
         
        Emily Watson, RN, ADN
        Nurse Supervisor,
        Wellness and Holistic Addiction Medicine,  
        CommUnity Care 
         
         
        Room: 215

        Trauma-Informed and Peer-Delivered Services During Community Re-Entry

        Speakers:

        Shana Jones, AS, CAS
        Founder & Executive Director
        New Purpose House
         
        Amanda Cassidy-Trejo, RSPS
        Re-entry Support Services Director
        Unity Recovery
         
        Room: 216A

        Substance Use Research and Discovery: Innovations in Care & Technology (Part 1)

        Facilitator:

        Adrienne Lindsey, DBH, MA
        Director, Center for Substance Use Training & Telementoring,
        UT San Antonio
         

        Speakers:

        Emeka Okafor, PhD, MPH
        Assistant Professor
        UT San Antonio

        Charles Green, PhD
        Professor
        McGovern Medical School,
        UT Health Houston

        Poorvanshi Alag, MD, DABOM
        Assistant Professor and Director of Addiction Services,
        Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

        Room: 217B-D

        Supervision: Looking for the Heart of It

        Speaker: 

        Kimberly Scales, PhD, LPC-S, LCDC, PSS
        Clinical Director
        North Texas Addiction Counseling & Education, Inc
         
        Room: 218

        1115

        Transition to Workshop

        11:15 AM – 11:30 AM

        1130

        Hands on Workshops (HOWs)

        11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

        Kratom in Clinical Practice: Regulatory and Treatment Approaches to Mitigate Emerging Risks

        Speakers: 

        John Weems Embers, MD
        Associate Director of Addiction Medicine,
        Dell Medical School
        University of Texas at Austin

         
        Claire Zagorski, MS, LP
        Addiction Biology Fellow 
        University of Texas at Austin
         
        Phil Owen, HRS, PRSS, PSS, RSPS
        Program Manager
        Communities for Recovery
         
        Sean O’Brien
        Director
        MAP Health Management
         
        Room: 215

        Treating Co-Occurring Physical Health Conditions During SUD Treatment

        Speaker:

        Curtis Bone, MD, MHS
        Assistant Professor
        UT San Antonio

        Ellen Kitchell, MD
        Professor
        UT Southwestern

        Room: 216A

        Substance Use Research & Discovery: Innovations in Care & Technology (Part 2)

        Facilitator:

        Adrienne Lindsey, DBH, MA
        Director, Center for Substance Use Training & Telementoring,
        UT San Antonio
         

        Speakers: 

        Elise Marino, PhD
        Director of Research Operations,
        Be Well Institute on Substance Use & Related Disorders,
        UT San Antonio
         
        Jeremy Davis, PsyD, ABPP-CN
        Associate Professor
        UT San Antonio
         
        Ducel Jean-Berluche, PhD, MS
        Postdoctoral Research Fellow,
        Be Well Institute on Substance Use & Related Disorders,
        UT San Antonio
         
        Room: 217B-D

        Family Engagement in the Recovery Process

        Speaker:

        Armani Je Balderas, RSPS, MHPS
        Training Institute Program Manager
        Rise Recovery
         
        Room: 218

        1230

        Grab Your Lunch and Take a Seat

        12:30 PM – 12:45 PM

        1245

        Closing Summit - 2026 Forecast: High Value Opportunities and Strategic Directions

        12:45 PM – 1:45 PM

        Facilitator:

        Jon Comola
        CEO & Founder
        Wye River Group

        Speakers: 

        Anna G. Taranova, MD, MS 
        Vice President
        Health Innovation         
        University Health  

        Jessie Higgins, MA, LPC, LMFT 
        Chief Mental Health Officer
        City of San Antonio

        Darilynn Cardona-Beiler, MSSA, LCSW 
        Senior Vice President
        Adult Systems of Care
        Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute         

        Chethan Bachireddy, MD, MSc, FACP
        Clinical Associate Professor 
        Baylor College of Medicine 
        University of Houston          College of Medicine

         
        Room: 217B-D

        1345

        Closing Remarks

        1:45 PM – 2:00 PM