Understanding Substance Use Today: Trends, Risks & Realities

Dr. J Allen, MD, FASAM
Medical Director, Rushford

Dr. Allen is the Medical Director of Rushford Center, Chief of Psychiatry at Midstate Medical Center, and Vice President of Addiction Services for Hartford Healthcare. As Co-Chair of Hartford Healthcare’s Opioid Stewardship Council, Dr. Allen, with help from the addiction medicine faculty and fellows, has held the annual system-wide opioid symposium.

Dr. Allen is on the state of Connecticut’s Advisory Board for the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Alcohol and Drug Policy Council, co-chairing the treatment subcommittee. He is on the executive council and is the past President of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. In addition, Dr. Allen is a founding member of the Medical Directors Institute for the National Council of Mental Wellbeing.

Board certified in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Adult Psychiatry, and Addiction Medicine, Dr. Allen has held faculty appointments at Harvard and Yale Medical schools and is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Quinnipiac University, Frank Netter School of Medicine.

Dr. Allen lectures and advocates locally, nationally, and internationally for prevention, screening, early intervention, and treatment access for people with Substance use and other Psychiatric disorders throughout the lifespan. He sees patients at Rushford and through his private practice in Branford, CT.

Robert F. Lawlor Jr. is a nationally recognized expert in policing, investigations, addiction, overdose response, and the intersection of public health and public safety. A former police investigator and supervisor with the New Haven Police Department, he now serves as the Drug Intelligence Officer for Connecticut with New England HIDTA. Robert is a frequent speaker at national conferences, an adjunct professor in Legal Studies at South College, and a passionate advocate for first responder wellness and mental health. He holds master’s degrees in Criminal Investigations and Addiction Policy and Practice from the University of New Haven and Georgetown University.