Faculty 

Karen DiNardo, BA, works for Mental Health Association in DE (MHA) and is the Director of Peer Training and Outreach Services. Karen works with Peer Specialists as well as those interested in becoming a Peer throughout Delaware. (MHA) is the approved training provider in Peer Support for the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH). Karen also consults with a variety of (DSAMH) providers/agencies who seek to add Peers to their workforce. Karen recognizes the power that the Peer role plays, in both a team based and individual environment, with those who are in recovery from substance use, mental health, or co-occurring issues. Karen sees how pivotal it is for all Peer Specialists to share their personal recovery story with the individuals they support as well as “broker” communication issues, teach self-advocacy and inspire hope. Karen has worked in Peer-related services since 2010 when the state of Delaware reached a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice in relation to services received by individuals with substance use, mental health, and co-occurring issues. Prior to her work in Peer services, Karen spent over 18 years working for J.P. Morgan Chase.

Gerard Gallucci, MD, MHS, is currently the Director of Residency Education for the Delaware Psychiatry Residency Program.    From 2006- 2012 , he was the Medical Director of the Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and from 2012-2017 he was the Medical Director of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services .  He is a graduate of Columbia College (NY), the George Washington School of Medicine (DC), and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Baltimore).  He completed his psychiatry residency at Johns Hopkins and a NIH-sponsored fellowship in psychiatric epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  His clinical and research interests are in public psychiatry, psychiatric epidemiology and the mental health aspects of developmental disabilities.  He holds faculty appointments at Johns Hopkins (Department of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health), The Sidney Kimmel Medical College (Thomas Jefferson University),  Drexel University College of Medicine,  and the University of Delaware. Dr. Gallucci is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

Mary Wise, MA, MFA, BSN, RN, is a DSAMH Special Projects Nurse who works with Dr. Sherry Nykiel, Acting Medical Director and Chief of Addiction Psychiatry, to develop and implement projects designed to directly address the opioid crisis in Delaware. Mary knows that substance use disorders thrive in an environment of shame and secrecy and believes it is her mission to educate, provide resources, and help afflicted individuals rise up so they can feel whole again. She knows that treating individuals with a substance use disorder is complex and takes a multi-faceted approach that builds a strong foundation of support and resources. Mary works on multiple projects evolving under the SOR grant and is in the process of developing additional routes to bridge OUD patients with the support they need to help rebuild their lives within the community. Mary is a Registered Nurse, certified in BLS and ACLS, with a background in acute care. She is a former college professor and is working toward becoming a Certified Addictions Nurse.  Mary holds an MA in Curriculum and Instruction from Rosemont College, a BSN RN in Nursing from West Chester University, and an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College.

Weitzman Institute Disclosure Statement

It is the policy of the Weitzman Institute to ensure that Continuing Education (CE) activities are independent and free of commercial bias. To ensure educational content is objective, balanced, and guarantee content presented is in the best interest of its learners' and the public, the Weitzman Institute requires that everyone in a position to control educational content disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months. An ineligible company is one whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Examples can be found at accme.org.

Faculty participating in a Weitzman Institute-sponsored activity must disclose to the planning committee and audience all financial or other relationship(s) with ineligible companies.

Faculty Disclosures

No faculty disclosed a relevant financial relationship for this program.