Namkee G. Choi, PhD, MSW, is Professor and Louis and Ann Wolens Centennial Chair in Gerontology in the University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work. Dr. Choi’s areas of research include improving low-income, especially racial/ethnic minority, older adults’ access to mental health services and preventing late-life suicide and substance misuse. Dr. Choi is the recipient of the 2021 Gerontological Society of America’s Maxwell A. Pollack Award for Contribution to Health Aging. 

Gwendolyn Gilbert is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist, Certified Clinical Counselor and National Certified Counselor with over 15 years experience in behavioral health and substance use. Gwen graduated from East Carolina University with a M.S. in Criminal Justice and M.S. in Substance Use and Clinical Counseling. Gwen currently serves as the Chief Behavioral Health Officer at Agape Health Services, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in eastern NC that provides integrated behavioral health care and medication assisted treatment/recovery within a primary care setting, and is also the Project Director for Agape’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC).

Henry is an 63 year old veteran, who served 14 years in the U.S. Army.  He has struggled with mental illness and substance use disorder for many years.  He is currently in recovery for both and has been for a number of years. He is very active in the mental health recovery arena and in his community helping other cope with difficult situations.

Frederic C. Blow, Ph.D. is a Professor and Director of the U-M Addiction Center in the Department of Psychiatry. He is a career researcher and educator in the field of alcohol and substance use screening, interventions, and treatments. The large body of his work has been directed to providing the research base and training scholars and clinicians alike. Dr. Blow currently has two NIAAA grants and has had continuous funding from the NIAAA since 1988, and extensive funding from NIDA, VA, and NIMH during the same period. He has led many federally-funded studies including international and US training grants focused on substance misuse and abuse.

Dr. Blow has a long history of funding related to research and program evaluation, and implementation of evidence-based treatments for substance use and mental health disorders. His areas of research expertise include alcohol brief interventions in healthcare settings, substance abuse prevention, substance abuse screening and diagnosis for older adults, serious mental illness and concurrent substance abuse, suicide prevention, mental health services research, and implementation of evidence-based substance abuse and mental health practices.