NJPN Annual Addiction Conference 2022

Judith M. Persichilli, R.N., B.S.N., M.A., New Jersey Commissioner of Health

Donna Jackson Nakazawa Science Journalist, Author, International Speaker

Judith M. Persichilli, R.N., B.S.N., M.A., began serving as Acting Commissioner of Health on August 5, 2019. She was confirmed by the State Senate on January 9, 2020. Prior to leading the department, Ms. Persichilli served as the Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of University Hospital in Newark. Ms. Persichilli was president emerita of CHE Trinity Health, the health ministry formed in May 2013 by the consolidation of Catholic Health East and Trinity Health of Livonia, MI. She previously served as the interim president and chief executive officer (CEO) of CHE Trinity Health. Prior to this appointment, Ms. Persichilli was President and CEO of Catholic Health East. Ms. Persichilli joined CHE in 2003 as the Executive Vice President of the Mid-Atlantic Division. She was promoted to Executive Vice President of acute care for the system in 2008 and then to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in December 2009 before assuming the role of CEO. Prior to joining CHE’s SystemOffice, she served for eight years as CEO at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton. Ms. Persichilli received her nursing diploma from St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing, a Bachelor’s in Nursing summa cum laude from Rutgers University, and a Master of Arts in Administration summa cum laude from Rider University. She also received an honorary Doctor of Health degree fromGeorgian Court University and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. In 2006, Ms. Persichilli was inducted into the NJ State Nurses Association Hall of Honor. She also received the 2008 Richard J. Hughes Humanitarian Award. In 2011, was named one of the 50 most powerful people in New Jersey health care by NJBiz, received KYWNewsradioWomen’s Achievement Award, and the 2011 Edward J. Ill Excellence in Medicine Award for Outstanding Medical Executive. In 2011, Ms. Persichilli was awarded the Benemerenti Medal, by Pope Benedict XVI and the Lifetime Achievement Award by Philadelphia Business Journal. Persichilli was named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s “300 Hospital and Health System Leaders to Know” list in 2012, and Modern Healthcare named Persichilli to its 2013 list of Top 25Women in Healthcare.

Dr. Lia Nower Director of the Center for Gambling Studies | Rutgers University Dr. Lia Nower is a Professor and Director of the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University. Her research focuses on the etiology and treatment of problem and pathological gambling and co-morbid addictive disorders and gambling-related policy issues. Dr. Nower has served as an NIH pre-doctoral fellow, a Fulbright fellow, and a research intern at the National Research Council at the National Academies. She is currently Co-Editor of International Gambling Studies and a consultant and grant reviewer for international, national and state agencies. Dr. Nower is also a member of the legislative and research boards and a clinical supervisor for the National Council on ProblemGambling inWashington D.C. A former criminal prosecutor, she serves as a forensic consultant in state and federal court cases involving gambling-related crimes. Current research includes developing a sub-group specific screening instrument for problem gamblers, exploring risk and resiliency factors among youth gamblers, and developing diversion programs for individuals charged with gambling-related crimes. Dr. Nower has also co-authored several policy initiatives, including a model for self-exclusion programs and an industry framework promoting informed-choice in gambling venues. Specialties: Dr. Nower specializes in behavioral addictions; gambling research/studies; policy analysis; prevention, intervention and treatment of problem gambling; behavioral addiction; impulse control disorders; psychometric measurement; mental health law. Donna Jackson Nakazawa is an award-winning science journalist, author of seven books, and an internationally-recognized speaker whose work explores the intersection of neuroscience, immunology, and human emotion. Her upcoming book, Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety, Depression, and Social Media (RandomHouse/Harmony 9/13/2022) is available for pre-order wherever books are sold. Donna’s other books include The Angel and the Assassin: The Tiny Brain Cell That Changed the Course of Medicine, named one of the best books of 2020 by Wired magazine, Childhood Disrupted, a finalist for the Books for a Better Life Award, and The Last Best Cure. Her writing has appeared inWired, The Boston Globe, Stat, The Washington Post and Health Affairs. For her writing on health and science, she received the AESKU lifetime achievement award and the National Health Information Award. She has appeared on The Today Show and NPR and is a regular speaker at universities, including the Harvard Division of Science Library Series, Rutgers University, Johns Hopkins, Learning and the Brain, and the AndrewWeil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. Donna is also the creator and founder of the narrative writing-to-heal program, Your Healing Narrative, which uses a process called Neural Re-Narrating™ to help participants recognize and override their brain’s old thought patterns and internalized stories, and create a new, powerful, inner healing narrative that calms the body, brain, and nervous system.

Jason Piotrowski Captain, New Jersey State Police

Captain Jason Piotrowski began his law enforcement career in 1995 as a local police officer before joining the New Jersey State Police in 2001. Jason was selected as an initial member of the state fusion center in 2006. Jason represented the State of New Jersey at the National Operations Center inWashington, D.C., during his fusion center tenure, serving multiple tours. During his time in the fusion center, Jason served as a supervisor in terrorism threat and violent crime units before being selected to help develop the New Jersey Drug Monitoring Initiative. Jason now directs the Office of Drug Monitoring and Analysis, overseeing the collection, analysis, intelligence production, and training and outreach efforts related to the drug environment and overdose epidemic. Jason is also currently a Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellow and Master of Public Health Candidate at Johns Hopkins University, focusing on overdose and addiction.

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