Join Dr. Traci Green and Christa Thomas-Sowers from Brandeis University’s Opioid Policy Research Collaborative for a learning opportunity about the latest on drug checking in Massachusetts. Learn what drug checking is, how it operates in Massachusetts, and why this information is important to know. We’ll also discuss how OTPs can support patient safety through initiatives like drug checking.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
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- Describe what drug checking is, how it originated and how it operates in Massachusetts.
- Explain why drug checking is important.
- Summarize drug supply changes and explain how this information is useful for OTPs.
- Name resources for drug checking and fact-based information about changes in the drug supply.
Featured presenter(s):
Dr. Traci Green, PhD, MSc, is an epidemiologist whose research focuses on drug use, opioid use disorder, and drug-related injury. She earned a Master of Science in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from McGill University and a PhD in Epidemiology from Yale University. She is Professor and Director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University where she oversees research on the drug supply, overdose prevention, and risk mitigation following law enforcement and policy actions. She also co-directs the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) on Opioids and Overdose at Brown University Health’s Rhode Island Hospital, and is an Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine and Epidemiology at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University and the Brown School of Public Health.
Dr. Green created the web app platform www.streetcheck.org to support the growth and excellence of community drug checking. She helped co-found www.prescribetoprevent.org for prescribers and pharmacists and its companion site www.prevent-protect.org for families, patients, and community organizations to improve naloxone access.
Christa Thomas-Sowers (she/her) joined Dr. Green’s team at Brandeis University as the Community Engagement and Harm Reduction Program Manager in June of 2025. Christa’s background is in direct service, community outreach, and harm reduction work. From 2018-2025, she worked with the community in Woonsocket, Rhode Island to establish a street outreach program and open a thriving drop-in center focused on the needs of individuals who used drugs or were experiencing homelessness. Through these experiences, Christa developed a deep understanding of the gaps in care, and the need for more common-sense, evidence-based, and human-centered approaches to the ever-growing crisis of inadequate social support and an increasingly toxic drug supply. She plans to use this knowledge to bolster and continue the impactful research being done by the team at the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative.
Continuing Education: Continuing education credits are available. Attendees must complete the event evaluation in order to receive educational credits. Certificates are distributed within 4-6 weeks following the event.
National Association of Addiction Professionals (NAADAC): This course has been approved by the Center for Excellence on Addiction at JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for 1.0 contact hours of educational credits. NAADAC Provider #255263. Center for Excellence on Addiction at JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. is responsible for all aspects of the programming. Individuals participating in educational programs offered by NAADAC Approved Education Providers are assured that the continuing education (CE) hours provided for each course will be accepted toward national credentialing by the National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCC AP), as well as many of the individual state licensing/certification bodies in the addiction and other helping professions. It is at the discretion of the individual to confirm CE acceptance policies with their state licensing/certification board.
National Association of Social Workers (NASW): Application for social work continuing education credits has been submitted. Please contact us at otptta-ma@jsi.com for the status of social work CE accreditation.
Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs): This program has been approved by the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association (MaMHCA) Continuing Education Authorization Program (MCEAP) for 1 CEU for licensed mental health counselors (LMHCs).