Featured Speakers

Steve Drzewoszewski, MSW, LCSW, LCADC, CCS is the former Director of Substance Abuse Counseling Services and the Director of the Blake Recovery Center at Hackensack Meridian Health Carrier Clinic. Steve has been employed at the Carrier Clinic for 16 years and sees more than 1,200 patients a year at the Blake Recovery Center. Steve holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree of Social Work from the University of Southern California. Steve has published articles on addiction and been interviewed for multiple media sources, plus he has been a guest multiple times on WCTC “The Voice”. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Certified Clinical Supervisor, and a Motivational Interviewing Network Trainer.

Alexis LaPietra, D.O., Chief of Pain Management/Addiction Medicine at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey, created the Alternatives to Opioids Program (ALTO), which focuses on finding a solution to the prescription opioid crisis while promoting quality pain management. She has worked closely with the Center for Disease Control, American Osteopathic Association, American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physician, American College of Emergency Physician as well as legislators in Washington, D.C., to assist in finding a solution to the prescription opioid crisis while promoting quality pain management. Her work has been highlighted in national outlets such as The Guardian, The Annals of Emergency Medicine, NPR, NBC Nightly News, The New York Times, Fox News, and CNN.

Ramon Solhkhah, M.D. is the Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Jersey Shore University Medical Center and Corporate Medical Director of Meridian Behavioral Health Services. Prior to his arrival, Solhkhah served as the Vice Chairman for Education of the Department of Psychiatry and Director of the Child and Adolescent Outpatient Services at Maimonides Medical Center. He has also held posts as the associate chairman of the Department of Psychiatry, director of the Child and Family Institute and the chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center. Previously he was coordinator of substance abuse services at the New York University Child Study Center.

Christopher Hanifin, Ed.D., PA-C is Department Chair and an Assistant Professor in the School of Health and Medical Sciences. He graduated from the joint Seton Hall/UMDNJ Physician Assistant Program in 1999. Prior to becoming a physician assistant, Hanifin was an EMS volunteer for several years before deciding to pursue a career in emergency medicine. He joined the M.S. in Physician Assistant Program at Seton Hall as a full-time faculty member in 2003. Previously, Hanifin was employed in open heart surgery with Cardiothoracic Surgery of South Bend in Indiana.

Kathleen Neville, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research in the College of Nursing, is an experienced nurse educator with an extensive background in both undergraduate and graduate education with a focus on research, evidence-based practice and curriculum development. She is a graduate of New York University where she obtained both a Ph.D. and Master's degree in Nursing, and a B.S. in Nursing from Rutgers College of Nursing. Prior to joining Seton Hall in January 2018, she was Professor in the School of Nursing at Kean University and taught in the R.N.-B.S.N., Master's and Ph.D. programs.

Stanley Terlecky, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Research and Chair of the Department of Medical Sciences at the Hackensack School of Medicine, is a biomedical researcher, entrepreneur, and educator. A graduate of New York University, Terlecky received his Ph.D. from Tufts University. His research interests focus on the peroxisome - an intracellular organelle of critical importance in human health, disease and aging. Terlecky is an awarded teacher of graduate and medical students who has lectured extensively on topics in cell biology, biochemistry and pharmacology.