Skip to main content
Penn State Schuylkill
Hotline Visit Us Apply Now Give Now
  • Academics
  • Admissions
  • Campus Directory
  • Information For
    • Future Students
    • Current Students
    • Faculty & Staff
    • Alumni & Friends
    • Parents & Families
    • Entrepreneurs
    • Conference & Event Planners
    • Media Inquiries
Full site navigation menu

This dialog contains the full navigation menu for this site.

Penn State Schuylkill
Enter the terms you wish to search for.
Search type:
Hotline Visit Us Apply Now Give Now
  • This is Penn State
    • About Us
    • Chancellor's Welcome
    • Strategic Plan
    • Advisory Board
    • Campus Cabinet
    • History of Penn State Schuylkill
    • Visitors Guide
  • Admission
    • Visit Penn State Schuylkill
    • First-Year Students
    • Transfer Students
    • Adult Learners
    • Pre-College Programs
  • Academics
    • Bachelor's Degrees
    • Associate Degrees
    • Certificate Programs
    • 2+2 Degree Plan
    • Academic Support
    • Special Programs
  • Research
    • Undergraduate Research
    • Faculty Research
    • Research News
  • Tuition & Financial Aid
    • Applying for Financial Aid
    • Military and Veterans Benefits
    • Tuition
    • Types of Financial Aid
  • Campus Life
    • Student Activities
    • Student Services
    • Safety and Security
    • Office of Student Affairs
  • Athletics
  • Continuing Education
    • Entrepreneurship & LionLaunch
    • Pre-College Programs
    • Professional Development
    • Services for Companies

Find Information For:

  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Alumni & Friends
  • Parents & Families
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Conference & Event Planners
  • Media Inquiries

Helpful Links

  • Campus Directory
  • Campus Map
  • Campus Calendar
  • Canvas
  • LionPATH

Connect With Us

  • facebook
  • linkedin
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • instagram
  • snapchat
  1. Home
  2. Opioid Conference
The Crisis Next Door

Conference Speakers

Keynote Address

Dr. Glenn Sterner

Glenn Sterner, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Penn State Abington
Founding Member of Penn State Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse Advisory Board

Dr. Glenn Sterner is an assistant professor of Criminal Justice at Penn State Abington. As an expert on the opioid epidemic, he sits on the Opioid Overdose Task Force for the State of Pennsylvania.  He is also a founding member of the Penn State Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse advisory board.  He is an affiliated faculty of the Criminal Justice Research Center at Penn State University Park.  He serves as a faculty fellow of the Penn State University Administrative Data Accelerator. He is also the founder of the Share Your Opioid Story initiative.

His main research agenda is focused on the application of social network analysis in understanding illicit, illegal, and covert networks, and he is experienced with both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Dr. Sterner has been awarded over $4 Million in local, state, and federal grants to study and address the opioid epidemic, including funding from the National Institute of Justice, Department of Justice, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). His work includes the examination of opioid abuse networks, illegal opiate distribution, networks of legitimate opioid distributors and overdose deaths, hot spots of opioid availability, intelligence-based interventions in rural areas, and stigma associated with opioid substance use disorders.


Current Drug Trends

Mike O'Pake

Michael O'Pake
Schuylkill County District Attorney

District Attorney Michael  A. O’Pake is one of the founding members of the Schuylkill County Opioid Task Force, which began in March 2019. The vision of the Task Force is to work collaboratively across all agencies to reduce overdoses and overdose deaths in Schuylkill County to zero.  The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy Program Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU) has joined DA O’Pake in his efforts to save lives and combat the opioid crisis in Schuylkill County. PERU is funded by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

Michael A. O’Pake has been practicing law since 1988 following graduation from Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, PA. He began his law career at the Curran Law Offices in Pottsville.

In 1992, Attorney O’Pake became an Assistant District Attorney in Schuylkill County.  In 2001, he opened his own law firm in Pottsville and operated The Law Offices of Michael A. O’Pake until he was elected Schuylkill County DA in November 2017. He took that office in January 2018.  Attorney O’Pake also had a satellite Law Office in Mahanoy City.

DA O’Pake represented numerous school districts and municipalities throughout his career. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Schuylkill County Bar Association, and the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association to name a few.

Michael A. O’Pake is a 1985 graduate from Dickinson College, and a 1981 graduate from Marian Catholic High School.

DA O’Pake was born and raised in Mahanoy City, and currently resides in Norwegian Township with his wife, Jeanette and their two children, Michael and Caleigh.


Counseling & Resources

William Rowan

William Rowan
Program Director, Center for Counseling Services
Lehigh Valley Hospital — Schuylkill

Bill Rowan manages a substance use disorder treatment program within Lehigh Valley Hospital - Schuylkill, located in a federally-designated rural service area. Bill oversees the:

  • Alcohol Highway Safety Program
  • Underage Offender Program
  • Intensive Outpatient Program and Outpatient Treatment Services
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Services
  • Level of Care Assessment and Referral Services

These programs are licensed by the Division of Drug and Alcohol Programs in the Pennsylvania Department of Health with accreditation by JACHO.

Bill is a passionate champion for behavioral health programming in Schuylkill County. As a resident of the county and experienced provider of addiction and behavioral health resources, Bill is knowledgeable about existing community resources and gaps in services that could be lessened through better integration with primary care. Bill is also a member of several school and community based coalitions and advisory boards.


Recognizing the Hidden Signs of Drug Abuse  |  Preventative Tools

Diane Rowland

Diane Rowland
Prevention Services Coordinator
Schuylkill County Drug and Alcohol Program

Diane Rowland has worked with the Schuylkill County Drug and Alcohol Program since 2002, acting as the Prevention Services Coordinator since 2005. Through the years, Diane has gained a great deal of experience in providing prevention programs and services in a variety of settings, including community-based and school programs. She has provided technical assistance on coalition building and development to a wide variety of groups in Schuylkill County, and continues to collaborate with various groups and agencies to better coordinate local prevention efforts. Diane is a graduate of Penn State University and Schuylkill County resident residing in Frackville.


Integrated Team Approaches to Recovery & Wellness

Gillian Beauchamp, M.D.

Gillian Beauchamp, M.D.
Lehigh Valley Health Network
Department of Emergency and Hospital Medicine
Section of Medical Toxicology

Gillian Beauchamp, M.D. is a member of the toxicology and emergency residency faculty, and Assistant Director of Research in Medical Toxicology at Lehigh Valley Health Network Department of Emergency and Hospital Medicine, Section of Medical Toxicology.  She co-chairs the Lehigh Valley Health Network Opioid Stewardship and Linkage to Treatment Committee and is physician lead on the network’s Medications for Addiction Treatment (MAT) program. 

She is an assistant professor and faculty member at University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine.  She is board certified in emergency medicine, medical toxicology and addiction medicine.  Gillian chairs online education for the American College of Medical Toxicology and chairs the scientific subcommittee of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.  She is an editorial board member of Toxicology Communications, and of Journal of Medical Toxicology. Her research, education, and administrative areas of focus are opioid stewardship and linkage to treatment for substance use conditions, stigma, and pharmacotherapy to support recovery. Gillian is co-host for the podcast Tox in Ten: ACMT Highlights.

Opioid Conference

  • Conference Speakers
Pennsylvania map showing Penn State campus locations with Penn State Schuylkill highlighted

Penn State Schuylkill

Penn State Schuylkill provides the academic opportunities of a world-class university in a setting as intimate and comfortable as that of a small college.
  • facebook
  • linkedin
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • instagram
  • snapchat
Visit Us Apply Now Give Now
  • This is Penn State
  • Academics
  • Admission
  • Athletics
  • Campus Life
  • Continuing Education
  • Research
  • Tuition & Financial Aid
  • Campus Directory
  • Campus Calendar
  • COVID-19 Information
Penn State University
200 University Drive, Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania 17972 570-385-6000

Footer Legal Menu

  • Privacy
  • Non-discrimination
  • Equal Opportunity
  • Accessibility
  • Copyright
  • The Pennsylvania State University © 2023
  • We Are Penn State