Faculty

Mark Hurst, MD has a rich history in the healthcare field. During his career, Hurst has held leadership positions in the private sector, public sector and state government, including as medical director and director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and medical director and assistant director of the Ohio Department of Health.  In his state positions, he led efforts in suicide prevention, dual diagnosis treatment, trauma informed care, and addressing the opioid crisis. Dr. Hurst is board-certified in psychiatry and addiction psychiatry is a private healthcare consultant and is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University. He has been recognized by his peers as a "Best Doctor in America" on multiple occasions.

Paul Schmidt, RPh MS joined Southeast Healthcare Inc. in Columbus Ohio in October 2021 as Clinical Pharmacist for the CCBHC program. CCBHC strives to improve the behavioral health of citizens by providing community-based mental and substance use disorder services; advancing integration of behavioral health with physical health care; assimilating and utilizing evidence-based practices on a more consistent basis; and promoting improved access to high quality care. Paul brings a wealth of experience having held Management positions in consulting for Long Term Care, Hospice and Worker’s Compensation. He has also held Supervisory positions in both Retail and Hospital pharmacy settings as well as having earned recognition and awards for performance as product representative for a major pharmaceutical company. With his Pharmacy degree from the University of Illinois, Paul has also found time to earn two advanced degrees, one from the University of Texas and the other from Grand Canyon University, where he majored in Leadership and Disaster Preparedness. He enjoys teaching and has also had the privilege of being an instructor at both the Middle School and Collegiate levels.

Dana Vallangeon, MD arrived at OACHC in the spring of 2019 as the new Chief Medical Officer. As CMO, she assists in efforts to lead health center clinical teams to the highest levels of quality and operational efficiency. Her dual board certification in Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine supports her work with the OACHC Behavioral Health and Quality teams to continue the adoption of effective Substance Use Disorder treatment throughout Ohio’s FQHCs. A former health center CEO and staff physician for over 17 years, she has also been a medical director at a free clinic and at a substance use disorder/mental health treatment facility, along with an ongoing role as an adjunct medical school and Family Medicine residency faculty. She received her M.D. degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and her B.S. degree from Olivet Nazarene University. 

Kristi Pennington, LISW-S, CDCA has been been with Hopewell Health Centers, located in the beautiful Hocking Hills, Ohio for 17 years. After receiving a BS in Psychology from Denison University and a Masters of Social Work from the Ohio State University, she returned to her hometown to help fill the healthcare gap in rural Ohio and give back to the community where she grew up. Her areas of focus have evolved over the years from school based treatment, to parenting, and co-occuring disorders for both those with intellectual disabilities and substance use disorders. In her current role of local Clinical Director, she is able to influence various areas of mental healthcare and champion integrated care for all of those who are served through Hopewell.

Tammy Stage LPCC-S, LICDC-CS is a graduate of Ashland University with a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health counseling.  She is independently licensed for Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Counseling with Clinical training Supervision designation, and currently serves as the Clinic Director for Hopewell Health Centers in Athens, Ohio. In the role of Clinic Director, she also actively participates in integrated team meetings with Primary Care and Psychiatry providers. In addition, Tammy serves Hopewell Health Centers as the Director for the First-Episode Psychosis Coordinated Specialty Care program that covers seven counties in Southeast Ohio. This is a multi-disciplinary team that focuses on treatment for those experiencing early onset psychosis. Prior to coming to Hopewell, Tammy worked for an agency in Northeastern Ohio that treatment focus was domestic violence and substance use. With Trauma being the focus of every interaction with those served, Tammy gained an expertise in Trauma Informed Care.  She has experience working with individuals as well as groups, and with Emergency Department crisis intervention.  Tammy has worked in office, community, and school settings where she has focused on a systems approach to engage family and support systems.  Through her work with Hopewell Health Centers, Tammy hopes to provide a trauma Informed Approach to all interactions with staff and clients served in the clinic and local community.

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.