Board of Directors — The Naloxone Project

Board of Directors | Officers

Position: Chair

Stephen attended University of Michigan for undergrad, medical school, and began residency there. He finished training at University of Washington and joined the Emergency Department staff at Auburn General Hospital in south Seattle in 1986. He practiced there 35 years as it grew into MultiCare Auburn Medical Center, holding positions including Chairman of Emergency Services, Stroke Care, Trauma Care, Education, and Chief-of-Staff.

Steve has devoted himself to making our communities healthier, being named the Physician of the Year in Seattle by the American Heart Association, the Guardian of Emergency Medicine by the WA Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, and the Innovation in Acute Suicide Prevention award from the American Society for Suicide Prevention, among many other awards.

He has served as the Chair of the Board of the National American College of Emergency Physicians and earned their John Rupke lifetime service award.

Rebecca earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Iowa State University and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. In March of 2023, Rebecca joined the Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative (CPCQC) as the CEO. CPCQC is on a mission to ensure that women and their families in Colorado receive culturally relevant, safe, equitable, high-quality care no matter who they are or where they live. Rebecca is a seasoned strategist; guiding US foreign assistance at the White House Office of Management and Budget, stemming global infectious diseases through the U.S. State Department and the Global Fund, increasing access to dental care for low-income people and assessing housing policy during the Great Recession through the Pew Charitable Trusts, evaluating the capacity of the healthcare workforce in Colorado at the Colorado Health Institute, expanding mental health screening and access to care during pregnancy and postpartum for the ZOMA Foundation, testing mental health care strategy for SonderMind, and steering the 2022-2023 Maternal and Infant Health Initiative of the National Governor’s Association.

MD, JD

Ramnik “Ricky” Dhaliwal did a dual MD and law degree program at University of Colorado. He went on to do a combined residency in both Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine and now practice as an Emergency Medicine Physician.

He has done a great deal of work in non-opioid pain management with regional anesthesia and use of other modalities to help treat pain in the ED setting. He is excited to help other providers learn the best means to manage pain in their practice setting as well as in assisting them in learning how they can help individuals who are dealing with addiction to manage their addiction in a long term and safe manner. Finally, he has a special interest in the connection between regulation and the law and its intersection with medicine and how we practice.

Position: Treasurer

Meredith Parfet is the CEO and Founder of Ravenyard Group, a boutique crisis management firm with expertise in matters that involve legal or regulatory action, scandal, white collar crimes, large insurance litigation, or complex family office disputes. (www.ravenyard.com) Meredith is an accomplished VC and PE investor, seasoned entrepreneur, and a passionate philanthropist. She has nearly two decades of asset management, family office, and hedge fund experience, including acting as the Chief Operating Officer for two alternative investment funds. She also co-founded Denali Venture Philanthropy, an impact investment organization that funds entrepreneurs who are committed to social change. In addition to her work in crisis management, she also works a few shifts a month as a humanist hospice chaplain. Meredith's work with The Naloxone Project comes from personal experience of loss from opioid overdose. She is committed as a board member to decreasing stigma and increasing access to Naloxone to save lives.

Dr. Farrand is a Community Health Project Director for the Wyoming Institute of Population Health. Her public health experience includes substance use prevention, harm reduction, opioid prescribing stewardship, stigma reduction, housing stability, and sexual health. Angela obtained her Master’s in Public Health from Creighton University and a Doctorate in Health Sciences from A.T. Still University.
Angela is passionate about creating equitable care environments in the health care setting and improving overall community health. She is currently the chair of the Wyoming RX Abuse Stakeholders and past president of the Wyoming Public Health Association.

Holly L. Geyer, M.D., is an Associate Professor of Medicine and consultant in the Division of Hospital Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic. She is dual board certified in Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine and serves as Physician Lead of the Opioid Stewardship Program at Mayo Clinic in Arizona as well as Medical Director of Mayo Clinic Arizona Occupational Health Services. She is also the president of the Arizona Society of Addiction Medicine (AZSAM) and is a nationally recognized speaker on the topic of opioids and addiction neurobiology. She has authored more than 200 journal articles, book chapters, educational pieces and abstracts and is a featured television and radio media consultant. She is also author of the patient-education book, “Ending the Crisis: Mayo Clinic’s Guide to Opioid Addiction and Safe Opioid Use”. She is active at the local and national level addressing opioid policy and co-chairs multiple national and state taskforces and working groups.

MD, MPH, FAAEM, FACEP, FASAM

Scott Weiner, MD, MPH, FAAEM, FACEP, FASAM is the McGraw Distinguished Chair in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

He also serves as the Director of Research for Bicycle Health, a telehealth opioid use disorder treatment provider. Dr. Weiner completed his residency training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and MPH degree at Harvard School of Public Health.

He is board-certified in emergency medicine and addiction medicine. He is an active researcher, including working on multiple grant-funded projects that focus on prevention and treatment of opioid use disorder.