Agenda

The preconference sessions will take place on Tuesday, April 21st from 1:00PM – 4:00PM. The main conference will start Wednesday, April 22nd from 8:30AM – 4:15PM and will conclude Thursday, April 23rd with sessions also running from 8:30AM – 4:15PM.

Tue
Apr 21
All times listed in CDT

1:00PM - 4:00PM Prevention Ethics in Action: How We Share and Deliver Prevention Messages

Amy Croll, LMSW, CPS
Capacity Coach, Iowa Health and Human Services

Angie Asa-Lovstad, MS, CPS, CTF
Capacity Coach and Trainer, Iowa Health and Human Services

3.0 Ethics (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

1:00PM - 4:00PM Ethics & the Workplace (Clinical)

Eric Preuss, IAADC, CCS
Consultant, 1187 Solutions, LLC

3.0 Ethics (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

1:00PM - 4:00PM Ethics for Peer Support Specialists and Recovery Coaches

Kellee McCrory, LMSW, MPH
Project Director – Iowa Peer Workforce Collaborative, The University of Iowa

3.0 Ethics (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

Wed
Apr 22
All times listed in CDT

8:30AM - 8:45AM Welcome

Jill Wright, MPH
ISTEP Program Manager & Community Health Consultant, Iowa Health and Human Services

8:45AM - 10:15AM Behavioral Health Service System: Year 1

Marissa Eyanson
Behavioral Health Division Director, Iowa Health and Human Services

Aaron Todd, MHCDS, MPP
CEO, Iowa Primary Care Association

1.75 Generic (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

10:15AM - 10:30AM Break

10:30AM - 11:30AM We Are The Answer to Ending America's Addiction Crisis

Ryan Hampton, 2026 TIME100 Health Honoree, Author
Founder, Mobilize Recovery

1.0 Alcohol & Drug (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

11:30AM - 12:30PM Confidentiality in 2026: Changes in the Law, Technology, and Practice

Jackie Seitz, JD
Deputy Director of Health Privacy, Legal Action Center

1.0 Ethics (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

12:30PM - 1:00PM Lunch Break & Exhibitor Hall Exploration

1:00PM - 2:00PM Breakout Session 1

1A: Compassion Fatigue
Patti Treibel-Leeds, Masters in Human Services/Capella University 2003
Independent Consultant/Trainer

1.0 Counseling Theories (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)


1B: Behavioral Health System Navigation
Abbey Ferenzi, LMHC
Senior Director of Behavioral Health Services, Iowa Primary Care Association

Emma Hall, MBA, MA
Director of System Navigation, Iowa Primary Care Association

1.0 Generic (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)


1C: Using the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) to Improve Behavioral Health Systems and Outcomes
Dr. Sarah Desmarais, PhD
President and CEO, Policy Research Associates (PRA)

1.0 Generic (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)


1D: Updates to 42 CFR Part 2: Confidentiality of SUD Treatment Records
Jackie Seitz, JD
Deputy Director of Health Privacy, Legal Action Center

1.0 Ethics (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

2:00PM - 2:15PM Break

2:15PM - 3:15PM Breakout Session 2

2A: Translating Overdose Data into County Prevention Action
Sri Chaitanya Krishna Akondy, BDS, MPH
Epidemiologist, Iowa Health and Human Services

Sarah Mergenthaler, BS
Disease Surveillance & Investigations Manager, Black Hawk County Public Health

Chandni Muralidharan, MPH
Substance Use Prevention Coordinator, Black Hawk County Public Health

1.0 Alcohol & Drug (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

 

2B: Panel Discussion on NAVIGATE, an Evidence-Based Model for Individuals Experiencing a First Episode of Psychosis
Laura Larkin, BA Sociology, MS Human Resources, LMSW
Executive Officer 2, Iowa Health and Human Services

Michaela Jens, LISW
Team Lead – First Episode Psychosis Program, UnityPoint – Eyerly Ball

Sabrina Dedore, LISW
Team Lead, Outpatient Therapist, Abbe Center for Community Mental Health- UnityPoint

Leslie McDonald-Gonzalez, LISW
Clinical Director/FEP Team Lead, Siouxland Mental Health Center

1.0 Counseling Theories (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

 

2C: Alcohol and Cancer
Dr. Jo Freudenheim, PhD, MS, RD
SUNY Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, School of Public Health and Health Professions, Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo

1.0 Alcohol & Drug (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

 

2D: Living the Good Life in a Resource-Rich Community
Dr. Shawn Dorius, PhD
Professor of Sociology and Demography, Iowa State University

1.0 Generic (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

3:15PM - 4:15PM Understanding Grief After a Death from Suicide

Buffy Peters, BS
Director, Hamilton’s Academy of Grief & Loss

1.0 Special Populations (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

Thu
Apr 23
All times listed in CDT

8:30AM - 9:15AM Welcome to Day 2

Deann Decker
Deputy Director, Division of Behavioral Health, Iowa Health and Human Services

0.75 Generic (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

9:15AM - 10:15AM Toxicology Today: Trends and Toxins

Dr. Joshua Trebach, MD, FAACT
Medical Toxicologist, Emergency Medicine Physician, Iowa Poison Control Center

1 Alcohol & Drug (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

10:15AM - 10:30AM Break

10:30AM - 11:30AM Substance Use and the Brain

Dr. Andrea Weber, MD, MME, FASAM, FACP
Associate Director, University of Iowa Addiction and Recovery Collaborative

1 Alcohol & Drug (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

11:30AM - 12:30PM Cannabis and Mental Health: What the Science Says and What it Means for Prevention and Intervention

Jason Kilmer, Ph.D., Clinical Psychology
Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine

1 Alcohol & Drug (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

12:30PM - 1:00PM Lunch Break & Exhibitor Hall Exploration

1:00PM - 2:00PM Breakout Session 3

3A: Policy-Based Approaches to Reducing Harms from Tobacco Use
Dr. Mark Vander Weg, PhD in Clinical Psychology
Professor, University of Iowa

1 Alcohol & Drug (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)


3B: Peer Partnerships: Using Lived Experience in Diverse Settings
Courtney Hammond, PCI
Behavioral Health Coordinator, University of Iowa

Tracy Gryp, RCP, RCPF
Director of Corrections Recovery Program, Full Circle Recovery

Jason LaRoche, Certified Peer Support Specialist, BA Psychology
Lead Crisis Response Peer Support Specialist, Heartland Family Service

Amber Sheppard, Peer Recovery Specialist
Programs Coordinator/ Peer Recovery Specialist, CRUSH Recovery Community Center

1.0 Racial/Ethnic (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)


3C: C3 De-Escalation: Practical Crisis Response Strategies for Behavioral Health Professionals
Marla Smith, LMHP, LMHC
Behavioral Health Practitioner II, Munroe Meyer Institute

1.0 Counseling Theories (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)


3D: Unlocking the Updates: The ASAM Criteria: Fourth Edition and the Future of Adult Recovery
Diana Kelly, MSW, LCSW
Clinical Director; Master Trainer Consultant, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

1.0 General (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

2:00PM - 2:15PM Break

2:15PM - 3:15PM Breakout Session 4

4A: What is the Syndrome Model of Addiction, and How Can it Inform the Treatment of Problem Gambling?
Dr. Heather M. Gray, PhD
Director of Academic Affairs, Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance

1.0 Special Populations (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)


4B: Prevention Across the Lifespan: A Focus on Adults
Chuck Klevgaard, CSPS
Technical Assistance Provider, SPTAC

1.0 Special Populations (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)


4C: Building Partnerships with Youth: Where Do You Start?
Jill Wright, MPH
ISTEP Program Manager & Community Health Consultant, Iowa Health and Human Services

Kayla Powell
Office of Youth and Family Engagement Coordinator, Iowa Health and Human Services

1.0 Special Populations (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)


4D: Methamphetamine Use and Overdose: Insights from Toxicology and Death Investigations
Dr. Kelly Kruse, MD, MPH
Associate State Medical Examiner, Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner

Justin Grodnitzky, PhD, F-ABFT
Criminalist, Iowa DCI Criminalistic Laboratory

1.0 Alcohol & Drug (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)

3:15PM - 4:15PM Closing Keynote: Journey to Recovery

Laura Semprini, MSc, Mental Health Peer Recovery Specialist, Certified Yoga Instructor
Remote Peer Support Coordinator, NAMI Johnson County

Katey Rascon, PRS, RCP
Center Manager, Full Circle Recovery

Allison Jones, CCAR certification
Recovery addict, Rise Recovery Center

Ellen Schardt, BA, CPRS
Recovery Services Coordinator (NAMI) and Mobile Crisis Outreach Program Supervisor (Foundation 2 Crisis Services)

1.0 Generic (Approved by Iowa Board of Certification)