Justine W. Welsh, MD, is a child/adolescent and adult addiction psychiatrist, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine. She is the founder and Director of the Emory Healthcare Addiction Services and the Medical Director of the Addiction Alliance of Georgia.
Welsh is an active advocate for expanding access to care for individuals with substance use disorder, as well as implementing innovative ways to approach recovery. She recently served as a board member of the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, and currently Chairs the Public Policy Committee for the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. Her research has focused on accessing evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders across the lifespan. She has been the recipient of award and grant funding from agencies including NIDA, NIAAA and AACAP. Her co-edited book, Treating Adolescent Substance Use: A Clinician’s Guide, was released in 2019.
Welsh also provides expert consultation on reducing addiction-related stigma and enhancing medical education in the CDC’s Division of Overdose Prevention and serves as the Associate Director for the University of California Irvine Train New Trainers Primary Care Addiction Medicine fellowship.
Kallio Hunnicutt-Ferguson, PhD, completed her PhD in clinical psychology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, internship at the New Jersey VA Healthcare System and a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Weill Cornell Medicine. Prior to joining the Emory University School of Medicine Faculty in 2017, Hunnicutt worked as the PTSD/Substance Use Disorder psychologist at the James J. Peters VA in Bronx, NY. Hunnicutt specializes in providing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and other evidence-based treatments to adults with substance use disorders and co-occurring mood, anxiety, trauma and related disorders. Hunnicutt is actively involved in research and prevention efforts focused on substance use disorders and their impact on women's health. She is passionate about teaching and is the director of psychology practicum training at Emory clinic and is involved in residency education.
Joseph Mathias, MD, is an Addiction Psychiatrist and Director of Outpatient Addiction Services at Emory Healthcare. He also serves as Associate Medical Education Director for the Addiction Alliance of Georgia. Mathias completed his training in General Psychiatry at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He started to develop an interest in addiction treatment during residency as his local community in Western Massachusetts suffered greatly due to the opioid epidemic. He served as Chief Resident his final year of residency and helped treat patients with opioid use disorder at Berkshire County’s community mental health buprenorphine clinic. Following residency, Mathias completed his Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship at Emory University. Mathias has particular interest in the treatment and prevention of substance use disorders in adolescents/young adults. He is also actively involved in nursing student, medical student, residency and fellowship education.
Elizabeth McCord, MD, was awarded her Doctorate in Medicine at LSU School of Medicine New Orleans in 2015. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at Emory School of Medicine in 2020 and a fellowship in Addiction Psychiatry at Emory University School of Medicine in 2022. Prior to starting her fellowship in Addiction Psychiatry, McCord was the Ambulatory Chief Resident for the Emory Internal Medicine Residency Program. Her primary clinical/scholarly focus is the treatment of addiction through an integrative approach developed from her background in both Internal Medicine and Psychiatry. Her articles have been published in a number of leading journals including the Journal of ECT, Journal of the American College of Surgeons and Journal of Surgery. She has presented her work at numerous conferences, both national and international, throughout her career. Both she and her husband were born in New Orleans, LA but have made Atlanta their permanent home.
Santosh Patel, MD, is an Addiction Psychiatrist at Emory Healthcare and the Medical Director of the Intensive Outpatient Program at the Addiction Alliance of Georgia. Patel completed his training in general psychiatry at the Medical College of Georgia, where he served as Chief Resident in his final year. After residency he completed his addiction psychiatry fellowship at Emory University. Alongside training in addiction psychiatry, Patel also has additional certification in the specialty of sports psychiatry through the International Society of Sports Psychiatry and has worked with a wide range of professional and amateur athletes. Patel’s professional interests focus on the identification and prevention of substance use disorders in adults and the development of evidenced based treatment programs focused on improving patient engagement and preventing relapse.
Martha Fiskeaux, PsyD, completed her PsyD in clinical psychology at the Florida School of Professional Psychology at National Louis University. She completed her internship in health service psychology at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System and her postdoctoral fellowship in clinical psychology at Emory Healthcare Veterans Program. She specializes in providing treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders and other comorbid conditions. She is passionate about providing evidence-based and culturally responsive care to underserved populations. Her research interests include exploring ways to expand access to care through massed delivery approaches.
Samantha Patton, PhD, completed her PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY where her graduate research focused on emotional and physiological factors that influence symptom trajectory following trauma exposure, particularly in women. She completed her clinical internship at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System in New Orleans, LA, and her postdoctoral fellowship at Emory with the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program, where she gained further training in the evidence-based treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and comorbid disorders. Patton is passionate about providing evidence-based treatment and specializes in treatment of PTSD, substance use disorders and related problems. Her research interests focus on factors impacting symptom development, treatment outcomes and maintenance of treatment gains.
Jeanette F. Green, PhD, PMHNP-BC, CPNP-PC, PMHS, is an Advanced Practice Provider psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner who completed postgraduate psychiatric mental health education at Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, receiving the Blake Scholarship with a specialty focus on child and adolescent behavioral and mental health. Green completed her PhD in Nursing Sciences at the University of Florida, where her research focused on healthcare decision-making and post-injury mental health implications among adolescents who experienced sport-related concussions. She is a co-author of articles focused on exercise and mental health, as well as a book chapter focused on the physical, emotional, social and psychological development of adolescents. Before joining Emory, she worked as a biobehavioral research scientist, director of nursing research, clinical nurse educator, pediatric critical care nurse practitioner and provided patient care as a registered nurse in air medical transport, emergency department, burn trauma and pediatric and adult critical care.
Stuart Pearson, MA, LPC, is an addiction counselor at the Emory Addiction Center and practicing therapist in Georgia since 2016, providing mental health and psychotherapy services for individuals, families and relationships. His primary areas of expertise include trauma, substance use and management of anger. He has worked extensively with veterans and emergency service workers as well as their families. Additionally, Pearson served as a group counselor for Carroll County Superior Court where he worked with individuals in the criminal justice system for substance use and related criminal offenses. He graduated from the University of West Georgia with a Master of Arts in Psychology where he completed the requirements for licensure as a Professional Counselor. Pearson is also a veteran of the United States Army and Georgia Army National Guard. As a researcher, he is co-author and co-researcher in several articles on the course, experience, severity and treatment of Cluster Headache Disorder.
Barbara D. Vaughan, MA, MS, LPC, CCAADC, CPCS, is an addiction counselor at the Emory Addiction Center and an accomplished mental health professional with over a decade of rich experience. Her areas of expertise include counseling, trauma treatment and substance abuse management. Vaughan holds a Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University in Atlanta, GA, where she specializes in cognitive and behavioral development. She also earned a Master’s in Human Services, Leadership and Organizational Management from Capella University in Minneapolis, MN, with a focus on organization development and program management. She is pursuing a Doctorate in General Psychology with a specialization in Behavioral Health. Vaughan's career spans crisis and addiction management for the State of Georgia, organizational development in local social services organizations, curriculum consulting and program development in both non-profit and for-profit sectors.
Douglas Flanagan, LPN, is a nurse who has been with Emory Healthcare for 17 years. Flanagan has worked within the specialties of Primary Care, Orthopedics and Spine and Oncology. He has received several Nursing Excellence awards, such as Service Excellence awards in 2014 and 2015 and the PGP LPN Team Spirit Award in 2021. Flanagan serves on the Emory Diversity, Inclusion and Equity committee. He is also a veteran of the United States Navy.
Michele Martin, RN, is a Registered Nurse at the Addiction Alliance of Georgia, Emory Addiction Center Clinic, with 32 years of rendering patient care in multiple specialty areas. Martin is a graduate from City College of New York with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and worked in Medical-Surgical, Telemetry, Emergency department, Public Health and Insurance settings. In the most recent five years, she has focused on Psychiatric Nursing, dealing with patients presenting with dual diagnosis of mental impairment alongside substance abuse in both hospital and residential mental health treatment organizations. By incorporating this Dr. Seuss quote “Why fit in when you were born to stand out,” Martin has used this as a core strategic guide in navigating patient service, empowering patients along the way. When she isn’t busy providing outstanding care to patients, she is a proud mother of three wonderful daughters and enjoys their weekly chats and family outings. Martin also enjoys leisurely walks, brunch/dinner with friends, movies/theater and traveling.
Snehaa Krishnan, MPH, is the research coordinator for Emory Healthcare Addiction Services in partnership with the Addiction Alliance of Georgia. She earned a BS in Biological Sciences from Drexel University in 2015 and a MPH in Epidemiology from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in 2021. Her interests surround the treatment and prevention of substance use disorders in the young adult and adolescent population, as well as clinician education in substance use disorders and treatments.