Dr. Hendrée E Jones is an internationally recognized expert in the development and examination of both behavioral and pharmacologic treatments for pregnant women and their children in risky life situations. She has received continuous National Institutes of Health funding since 1994 and has written more than 195 publications. Dr. Jones has also authored two books, one on treating patients for substance use disorders and the other on comprehensive care for women who are pregnant and have substance use disorders. She also has written multiple textbook chapters on the topic of pregnancy and addiction. In 2012 Dr. Jones won the Betty Ford Award from The Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance Use and Addiction (AMERSA) for her scientific contributions in advancing women’s addiction treatment. In 2018 she won the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, Inc. (NASADAD) Women’s Services Champion Award and in 2019 she won the Marian W. Fischman Lectureship Award which recognizes contributions of an outstanding woman scientist in drug abuse research. She is a consultant for the United Nations and the World Health Organization. Dr. Jones leads or is involved in projects focused on improving the lives of children, women, and families in Afghanistan, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, India, Paraguay, the Republic of Georgia, South Africa, and the United States.

Dr. Rolanda LaMora Lister is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine. She received her medical doctorate from Meharry Medical College and went on to complete a residency at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California. She completed her fellowship training in Maternal Fetal Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She joined the faculty at Vanderbilt in January of 2016. As a maternal fetal medicine specialist, she has a passion for understanding how the maternal environment influences programming of disease in the infant. Her research focuses on how epigenetics in the setting of maternal diabetes leads to congenital heart defects and dysfunction. Her overall mission is to utilize the window of pregnancy as an opportunity to improve the cardiac health of generations to come.

Widely regarded as one of the nation’s top leaders in Recovery Coaching, Cortney Lovell is truly a speaker who is a modern messenger for change. Driven by her own personal experience of growth and empowerment, study and dedication to solutions, she is now lifting up the field of peer services to a new level designed to assist communities and individuals in need. 

Dr. Morgan McDonald is the Deputy Commissioner for Population Health for the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH). Previously, she served at TDH as Assistant Commissioner for Family Health and Wellness where she led TDH efforts in maternal and child health, chronic disease prevention, health promotion, and supplemental nutrition. Dr. McDonald is board-certified in internal medicine and pediatrics and has served as a primary care clinician in safety net clinics for over 10 years. She also focused on program management, workforce development, patient and community engagement, and quality improvement.  Dr. McDonald worked as associate program director for pediatric medicine at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Vanderbilt University. She received her undergraduate and medical degrees from Vanderbilt University and completed her residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Lisa Piercey is the 14th Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Health. Dr. Piercey is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in both General Pediatrics and Child Abuse Pediatrics. She remains active in evaluating children for abuse and neglect and serves in a voluntary capacity as the Medical Director for the Madison County Advocacy Center and a faculty member at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  Dr. Piercey is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives where she has been President of the Mid-South Healthcare Executives Chapter and National Chairman of the Management Series Editorial Board. She also serves on the American Hospital Association’s Small and Rural Hospital Governance Counsel, Joint Commission Critical Access Hospital Advisory Group, and Tennessee Center for Healthcare Workforce Development Board. She received her Bachelor of Science form Lipscomb University and medical degree and pediatric residency training from East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine and her Master of Business Administration Degree from Bethel University.

Dr. Sánchez is a board-certified neonatologist and pediatric infectious diseases specialist who has a longstanding interest in clinical and translational research focused on perinatal and neonatal infections and antimicrobial stewardship. He earned his medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1981, as well as a fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine from Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, in 1986 and a fellowship in pediatric infectious disease from the University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) Medical Center, Dallas, in 1988. He was on faculty at UTSW from 1986 to 2013 where he performed translational research on congenital syphilis.  

Since August 2013, when he joined the pediatric faculty in Columbus, Dr. Sánchez has been the principal investigator (PI) for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Neonatal Research Network (NRN) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital – The Ohio State University. 

Cherisse Scott is a champion for the Reproductive Justice (RJ) movement, and highlights human rights violations experienced by vulnerable Tennesseans. She is the Founder and CEO of SisterReach, a Memphis, TN based advocacy organization serving women of color, rural women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and their families.

Under her leadership, SisterReach has released several research reports including a 2019 report on the impact of the fetal assault law on women with opioid use disorder. The organization tours the country providing training to clergy, church leadership, laity, and advocates through its Reproductive Justice & Faith training curricula.

Cherisse Scott’s courage, compassion, and convictions have been recognized by the United Nations, and she has been featured in numerous publications and by media outlets including O Magazine (January 2018), Essence Magazine’s 2018 Woke 100 list, Frontline with Samantha Bee, VICE news, and Now This.

Aaron Shaull holds a master’s degree in Psychology and is currently a Senior Project Manager at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) where he applies Lean principles to improve service delivery and optimize processes. In his previous role, as a Learning Consultant in the Learning and Development department at VUMC, Aaron’s primary role was to develop and teach a Lean process improvement curriculum to staff at all levels and roles. 

Prior to joining VUMC, Aaron worked for over three years as a contractor with the United States Army delivering performance enhancement and resilience psychology training to soldiers of numerous ranks and specialties across the country. In all, he’s created and delivered engaging training to thousands of individuals across the country in healthcare, military, higher education, and athletic settings.

Aaron’s recent speaking engagements include the MUSC Performance Improvement Conference, the International Society of Performance Improvement (ISPI) Conference, the Healthcare Systems Performance Improvement (HSPI) Conference, The Meharry Medical College TedMed Live event, and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt (MCJCHV) Quality Academy.

Dr. Mishka Terplan is dual board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and addiction medicine and is currently a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Psychiatry and an Associate Professor of Addiction Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University. He also serves as the Addiction Medicine Consultant for the Virginia Department of Medicaid Service, is a consultant for the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, has active grant-funded research projects and represents the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Society of Addiction Medicine on various taskforces, including the AMA’s Taskforce to Reduce Opioid Abuse. Dr. Terplan is also a respected researcher in the field of obstetrics and gynecology and addiction medicine and has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles with recent emphasis on health disparities, stigma, and women’s access to intervention and treatment.