Anthony Dekker, MD
Dr. Dekker is currently a member of the Primary Care Service Line at the Northern Arizona Veteran’s Administration Healthcare System in Prescott, Arizona. He provides primary care and telemedicine services to veterans in mid and northern Arizona areas. He is also active in the evaluation and treatment of veterans with chronic pain and addiction disorders. From 2010 to 2015, Dr. Dekker was the director of the Department of Addiction Medicine at the Ft Belvoir Community Hospital which is one of the replacement hospitals for the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He directed the four divisions in Addiction Medicine dedicated to the comprehensive evaluation and treatment for substance abuse and dependence disorders in the military. Dr. Dekker is expert in substance dependence and co-occurring disorders in Veterans and the Active Duty Service Member (ADSM) population and with military dependents, and retirees. Dr. Dekker’s areas of expertise include addiction medicine, chronic pain syndromes, infomatics, high risk youth, domestic violence and behavioral health. He has been the Chief Clinical Consultant in Addiction Medicine and Chronic Pain for the Indian Health Service, US Public Health Service and has served on several national panels addressing substance abuse in America. He served on the American Hospital Association Board on Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Issues. Current faculty appointments include clinical professorships at George Washington University (Washington DC) and the Andrew Taylor Still University (Mesa, AZ). In addition, after serving the Indian Health Service from 1998 to 2010 in Arizona, he was honored to be a member of the Joint Task Force Medical Team that specializes in the care of Wounded Warriors.
Carl Hart, PhD
Carl Hart is the Chair of the Department of Psychology at Columbia University. He is also the Dirk Ziff Professor of Psychology in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry. Prof. Hart has published nearly 100 scientific articles in the area of neuropsychopharmacology, including developing medications to treat substance use disorders. He is co-author of the textbook Drugs, Society and Human Behavior (with Charles Ksir); and his most recent book, “High Price: A Neuroscientist’s Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society,” was the 2014 winner of the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. He has also been presented with numerous other awards including Columbia University’s Presidential Teaching Award and the Humanitarian Award from Mothers Against Teen Violence. Prof. Hart has testified before the United States Congress and in State and Federal courts as an expert witness on the effects of psychoactive drugs. He serves on multiple national and international committees and boards. Prof. Hart is frequently invited to lecture around the globe; he has lectured in Africa, Asia, Europe, and both North and South America. Prof. Hart has also served in the U.S. Air Force from 1984 to 1988.
Kristine Kaplan, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIS
Ms. Kaplan is a Speech-Language Pathologist at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC), the county hospital in San Jose, California. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley, and completed her Master of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at California State University, East Bay. Ms. Kaplan is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist and has been involved in the treatment and management of patients with brain injuries at all levels of care, from acute care to inpatient rehabilitation to community needs. She works with patients of all ages, including pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric populations. Ms. Kaplan recently served on the committee at SCVMC that focused on developing an acute rehabilitation program for patients with severe brain injuries, and she was instrumental in implementing appropriate speech, language, cognitive, and swallowing assessment and treatment protocols for this unique population. She currently is an active member of the palliative care team at SCVMC in which she serves as a consultant for swallowing, communication, and cognitive functioning for end-of-life patients as well as patients with chronic pain issues. A large percentage of her acute caseload at the county hospital includes patients with alcohol and other substance abuse disorders as well as patients who have suffered traumatic brain injuries.
Eugene Kim, MD
Dr Kim is currently the Chief of Specialty Behavioral Health at Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He served previously as the Command Psychiatrist for the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), as well as Division Psychiatrist for the 82nd Airborne Division. During his time with the 82nd, he deployed twice to Afghanistan serving as the regional behavioral health consultant. He trained at University of Hawaii, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Dr Kim is board certified in both general psychiatry and addiction psychiatry. He has published in the field of military psychiatry, and given numerous presentations on topics to include PTSD, concussion care, and addiction treatment in the military population.
Linda Richter, PhD
Dr. Richter is the Director of Policy Research and Analysis at The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. Her work focuses on understanding the nature and scope of substance use and other addictive behaviors among youth and adults and the public’s substance-related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors; informing the public, policymakers, health professionals, and educators about addiction science and best practices in addiction prevention and care; and identifying and promoting effective measures for improving substance use and addiction prevention and treatment. Dr. Richter received her Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Maryland.
Stephen Wyatt, D.O.
Dr. Wyatt is an addiction psychiatrist and the Medical Director of Addiction Medicine for Carolinas HealthCare System, CHS. He is a CHS Full Professor and an adjunct faculty member of the University of North Carolina. Dr. Wyatt practiced Emergency Medicine in Michigan for 13 years before entering psychiatry training; finishing in a clinical research fellowship at the Yale School of Medicine. He is the current Chairman of the NC Psychiatric Assoc. Substance Abuse Committee and the Vice Chair of the Coalition on Physician Education in Substance Use Disorders a national organization focused on addiction medicine education in medical schools around the country. Dr. Wyatt is a past president of both the Connecticut Society of Addiction Medicine and American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine and remains a member of the Board of Trustees. He served on the Executive Board for the Connecticut Board of Mental Health and Addiction Services. He is a Co-PI on the SAMHSA granted Provider Clinical Support System for Medication Assisted Treatment, PCSS-MAT, initiatives and was a Co-Chair of the SAMHSA Buprenorphine Expert Panel. Dr. Wyatt presents across the country on various problems associated with substance use and their treatments.