Advocacy Briefing: S.3257 to Facilitate Access to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD)
Dr. Stacey Sigmon is a Tenured Associate Professor at the University of Vermont College of Medicine with over 25 years of experience conducting behavioral pharmacology and treatment research. Her primary current focus is on developing more efficacious and accessible treatments for opioid dependence. She is Director of the first and largest opioid treatment clinic in Vermont, which treats 1,000 opioid-dependent patients. She served as 2016 President of the American Psychological Association's Division on Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse and is currently President-Elect of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence.
Christopher McCann, MPA currently serves as the Legislative Director for Congresswoman Madeleine Dean. Prior to this role, Mr. McCann was Political and Field Director for the Rep. Dean during her first congressional campaign in 2018. Chris obtained a Master’s of Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania and received a bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University.
K. Shiek Pal, Esq. currently serves as Senior Counsel to US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, covering judiciary and legal policy matters for the Senator. Mr. Pal previously served in the US House of Representatives, the US Department of Justice, and in private practice. Mr. Pal received a Master’s of Public Administration from Harvard University. He earned a master’s degree in International Relations and Affairs from Georgetown University and a law degree from the Boston University School of Law. He received a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College- Hartford.
Michael C. Barnes, Esq. is Counsel to Aimed Alliance, a not-for-profit health policy organization. He is also Managing Attorney at Sequel Health Law, where he practices health and drug law and policy. Mr. Barnes’s research and analysis have been published in more than 15 legal, policy, and medical journals. He is a member of the advisory board for the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit, the board of directors for the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association, the National Sheriffs’ Association’s Drug Enforcement Committee, and the editorial board for the Journal of Opioid Management. Mr. Barnes was a political appointee under President George W. Bush, having served as confidential counsel in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.