Our Team
The MISSION team is made up of leaders in the field of co-occurring disorders (CODs) treatment and research, who are working to increase the effectiveness of COD treatment services across the country. They are committed to improving the lives of the individuals struggling with these disorders.
David Smelson, Psy.D.
David Smelson, Psy.D., is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the UMass Chan Medical School and research psychologist at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts. Dr. Smelson is the developer of the MISSION model. His research on CODs has been funded through the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Dr. Smelson has worked closely with the Department of Veterans' Services, Massachusetts Department of Mental Health and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to develop, implement, and evaluate a range of services for individuals with co-occurring disorders.
DEBRA PINALS, M.D.
Debra Pinals, M.D., is the medical director of Behavioral Health and Forensic Programs in Michigan. She also has concurrent appointments as a clinical professor in the University of Michigan’s Department of Psychiatry and as the director of the program in Psychiatry, Law and Ethics. Dr. Pinals is the co-developer of the MISSION-Criminal Justice treatment model. She previously worked at the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, where she oversaw the agency’s justice and behavioral health programs, including juvenile and adult court clinic, mental health court clinical services, police training, and diversion. She also supervised mental health re-entry services and specialized veteran justice programs while providing risk management consultation throughout the agency. Dr. Pinals also previously served as the interim deputy commissioner of Clinical and Professional Services and interim state medical director of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. She has worked on matters related to behavioral and physical health integration with payment reform strategies. In addition, Dr. Pinals was an associate professor of psychiatry and director of the Forensic Education program at the UMass Chan Medical School.
Jennifer Harter, Ph.D.
Jennifer Harter, Ph.D., is one of the developers of the MISSION model and an author of the MISSION treatment manuals, consumer workbooks and supplementary materials, including a peer specialist and navigator toolkit. Her work focuses on the training of MISSION staff with experience on team-based care and evidenced-based practices. Dr. Harter is also a licensed clinical psychologist skilled in cognitive behavioral interventions and motivational interviewing.
Paige Shaffer, M.P.H.
Paige Shaffer, M.P.H. is an Instructor of Medicine at the UMass Chan Medical School Department of Medicine. Paige is an Epidemiologist with expertise in psychiatric epidemiology, the etiology of addiction, and biostatistics. Paige previously worked as the assistant director of Statistics and Evaluation for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS), and previously as an epidemiologist at BSAS. She conducts research and writes on topics related to epidemiology, public health, homelessness, psychiatry, trauma, interpersonal violence, co-occurring disorders, disordered gambling, and addiction. She has consulted on numerous addiction-related projects with Laval University, The University of Sydney, the World Health Organization, Harvard Medical School Department of Healthcare Policy, and Harvard Medical School Division on Addiction.
ABIGAIL F. HELM, Ph.D.
Dr. Helm is a Program Director in the MISSION Behavioral MISSION Behavioral Health Lab at the UMass Chan Medical School Department of Medicine. Dr. Helm earned her doctorate in psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and she joined the lab in October 2020. As a part of the lab, Dr. Helm manages state and VA-based projects, serves as a data analyst, and supports grant submissions and publications. Her research interests include developmental psychopathology, cognitive neuroscience, and e-learning.
Elizabeth E. Epstein, Ph.D.
Elizabeth E. Epstein, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychiatry at the UMass Chan Medical School, and director of the UMass National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans. Dr. Epstein also is a professor emerita of the Center of Alcohol Studies at Rutgers University. She is the principal investigator and/or co-investigator on several research grants funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and National Institute on Drug Abuse. Dr. Epstein also sees patients privately and is a master trainer and clinical training consultant for the Veterans Affairs program to implement evidence-based practices for substance use disorders. Dr. Epstein is the author of Addictions: A Comprehensive Guidebook for Clinicians (Oxford University Press) and two treatment manuals and patient workbooks.
Michael Andre, M.P.H.
Currently a Clinical Research Coordinator in the MISSION Behavioral Health Lab, Mike works on several of our criminal justice initiatives, tasked with project management, data collection/management, and data analysis. Coming to us after obtaining his bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in neuroscience from the College of the Holy Cross, Mike’s previous experience and training includes working as a research assistant in the Cognitive Neuroscience lab at Holy Cross where he helped manage projects studying craving and the cognitive neuroscience of substance use disorders, as well as working in the Stigma lab at Holy Cross, which studied the effects of possessing a stigmatizing identity (i.e. HIV positive, substance user) has on psychosocial health. Mike has recently recieved his Masters in Public Health at the University of Massachusetts Amherst/Worcester. His research interests include substance use disorders, mental health, co-occurring disorders, public health, epidemiology, psychiatric epidemiology, cognitive neuroscience, and health disparities.
Kathryn E. Bruzios, M.S.
Kat is a Clinical Research Coordinator within the MISSION Behavioral Health Lab at the UMass Chan Medical School Department of Medicine. She is also affiliated with the Edith Nourse Rogers VA Medical Center in Bedford, MA. She joined the lab in 2016 after receiving her Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from Rivier University. As a part of the lab, Kat manages VA-based projects and is tasked with data collection, analysis, and assists with grant preparation. She is also a lead in creating adaptations of MISSION materials for MISSION teams to use during their implementation of the program. Kat is currently working towards her Doctorate in Prevention Science at Washington State University. She is a member of the Improving Research through Action (IMPACT) Lab, under Dr. Brittany Cooper. Her research interests include school-based prevention, dissemination and implementation science, evidence-based program adaptation, and translational research.
Brooks Thompson, B.A.
Brooks has worked for UMass Chan Medical School for twenty plus years. He spent eighteen years studying stimulus control, equivalence class relations, and behavioral momentum theory at the E.K. Shriver Center. Currently, Brooks serves as a Research Coordinator and manages a grant through the Executive Office of the Trail Court that provides MISSION services to Drug Treatment Court participants, and a grant aimed at developing an online training course for the MISSION Model. Brooks’ research interests are in machine and distance learning technologies.
Kendra L. Caputo, B.A.
Kendra is a Clinical Research Assistant in the MISSION Behavioral Health Lab. She mainly works within the STAR-COD project, which combines MISSION with medication-assisted treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder and co-occurring mental health disorders. She performs recruitment strategies, conducts clinical assessments, and has a number of administrative, analytical, and collaborative responsibilities. She graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 2021 with a degree in Neuroscience on the Pre-Med track. While at Holy Cross, she worked as a registered EMT and currently holds licensure both locally and nationally. She plans to move forward with her academic career in graduate school and hopes to work in a clinical setting. Kendra’s research interests include behavioral neuroscience, neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience, psychiatric disorders, and neurological disorders.
Sarah Marcus, B.S.
Sarah is a Clinical Research Assistant in the MISSION Behavioral Health Lab. Her work is focused at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts where she is a part of the MISSION-CJ and Hot Spotter projects. Sarah graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2022 with a degree in Biology. While at UMass Amherst, Sarah worked as an EMT-B as well as a peer advisor for fellow biology students. She plans to move forward with her academics in medical school and hopes to work as a physician.
Eleni A. Kachadoorian, B.A.
Eleni is a Clinical Research Assistant within the MISSION Behavioral Health Lab at UMass Chan Medical School in the Department of Medicine. She graduated Hofstra University in May of 2021 with a double major in Psychology and Criminology. As part of the lab, Eleni works on HEAL STAR-COD, which combines MISSION with medication-assisted treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder and co-occurring mental health disorders. Eleni also coordinates Cape Cod II, a project implementing MISSION for criminal justice-involved individuals with co-occurring mental health disorders within the Barnstable Drug Treatment Court in MA. Eleni plans to move forward with her academic career in graduate school, and hopes to obtain her PhD and work in a clinical setting. Her research interests include mental health, psychopathology, co-occurring disorders, sensation and perception, cognitive psychology, and personality.
Marinna Kaufman, B.S.
Marinna is a Clinical Research Assistant in the MISSION Behavioral Health Lab at the UMass Chan Medical School Department of Medicine. As part of the lab, she mainly works within the WEST project and the HEAL STAR-COD project. She joined the lab in 2022 while finishing her undergraduate degree from UMass Amherst in Psychology on the Neuroscience and Pre-Med track and a minor in the Arabic language. While at UMass Amherst, Marinna worked as a Research Assistant in the Social Processes and Health (SPAH) Lab. She plans to move forward with her academic career in medical school and hopes to become a pediatric psychiatrist. Marinna’s research interests include adolescent and adult mental health, behavioral neuroscience, psychiatric disorders, and neurological disorders.
Herschelle Reaves, Recovery Specialist II / Case Manager
Herschelle previously worked on many grants over the years and is finishing up her bachelor’s degree in human service ( spring 2023) and will get her graduate degree at University in Massachusetts in Public Health. Herschelle’s beginning was with a social justice organization ARISE for Social Justice tackling issues in her community like substance abuse, HIV/AIDS prevention and education, prison reform , police brutality and needle exchange in Western Mass.
Herschelle’s relatability and lived experience makes her the go to for those who are in need, bringing with her a wealth of knowledge and respect for under-served communities.
She is also a published author of her memoirs and a spoken word artist who uses poetry to articulate the pain of those who are still struggling.
Past Team Members
Amy Cardolino, Recovery Support Specialist II/Case Manager
Ayorkor Gaba, PSY.D.
Lexi L. Williams, BA - Thomas Jefferson University, MFT
Bailey Pridgen, BA - University of Alabama Burmingham Doctoral Program
Dara C. Drawbridge, PH.D.
Hannah S. Lipper, M.P.H.
Camilo Posada Rodriguez, B.A.
Juan-Sebastián González Martínez, B.S.
Kelsey Clary, B.A. – University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health
Mary Kate Duffy, B.A. – M.B.A. Candidate, Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell
Ian Farquhar, B.A. – Research Assistant, Massachusetts General Hospital
Nathan Guevremont, B.A. – J.D. Candidate, Yale Law School
Autumn Harnish, B.A. – Human Ecology P.h.D. Candidate, School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin
Rachel Mullins, M.S.W. – Mental Health and Substance Abuse Clinician, Community Healthlink, Inc.
Kathryn O’Connor, B.A. – Kinesiology P.h.D. Candidate, School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan
Elizabeth Aaker Orvek, M.S., M.B.A. – Database and Application Developer, Department of Quantitative and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Pooja Patnaik, B.A. – M.D. Candidate, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Leon Sawh, M.P.H. – Criminal Justice and Public Health Researcher, School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago
Odile Scherrer, B.A. – Masters in Psychology, University of College London
Julianne Siegfriedt, M.A. – Sociology P.h.D. Candidate, College of Liberal Arts, University of Massachusetts Boston
Stephanie Singer, M.S. – Clinical Psychology Ph.D./J.D. Candidate, College of Arts and Sciences, Drexel University
Stefan Sprinckmoller, M.P.A. – Database Manager, Imperial College London, England
Max Trojano, B.A. – M.D. Candidate, Penn State College of Medicine
Sigella Vargas M.D. – Medical Resident, Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center
Roshani Vanmali, B.A. – Clinical Psychology Psy.D. Candidate, School of Arts and Sciences, La Salle University
Jennifer Vessella, L.C.S.W. – Social Worker, Bedford VA Medical Center
Brittany Walker, B.A. – Regulatory Assistant, Yale Cancer Center
Joining Our Team
To learn more about opportunities to join the MISSION team, please contact us.