The Predict-to-Prevent Community Advisory Board (CAB) has been integral in the work of identifying fatal opioid-involved overdose factors to be extracted from the Massachusetts Public Health Data Warehouse for analysis. The CAB meets monthly with the investigative team, sharing their experience with intervention implementation in communities across the state and grounding our research in the local, personal realities of people who are at risk of overdose. The CAB plays an ongoing role in our research, informing matters such as the real-world impact of the opioid crisis, research needed to inform policy and interventions, issues of cultural sensitivity, interpretation of findings, community needs and perspectives, and the utility, clarity, and ease of use of the data dashboard and simulation tool.
CAB Members
- Matilde Castiel, MD, Commissioner of Health and Human Services (Chair)
- James Baker, MD, MPH
- Dana Bernson, MPH, Director of Data Science, Research and Epidemiology, Office of Population Health, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
- Sai Cherala, MD, Assistant Commissioner, Director of Office of Population Health, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
- Dan Dooley, Director, Research and Evaluation Office, Boston Public Health Commission
- Claire Hoffman, MPH, Senior Public Health Planner, Metropolitan Area Planning Commission
- Debra McLaughlin, Coordinator, Opioid Task Force
- Stephanie Sloan, Director, New Bedford Health Department
- Michelle Smith, CEO, AIDS Project Worcester
- Liz Whynott, MPH, Director of Harm Reduction, Tapestry Health
- J. Cedric Woods, PhD, Director, Institute for New England Native American Studies, University of Massachusetts, Boston