“Leading the Charge: Everything I Know Now, I Wish I Knew Then”—OFR Mentor Program Edition, Hamilton County

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) in collaboration with the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) team at the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR), invite you to this no-cost webinar on March 18, 2024, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time.  

About the Webinar  

This five-part webinar series is tailored for new and existing Overdose Fatality Reviews (OFRs) to learn from COSSUP OFR mentors. COSSUP’s OFR Mentor Program  allows both grantees and non-grantees the unique opportunity to observe and learn from innovative and experienced programs that have demonstrated success in their fields of expertise. 

Evaluation with Hamilton County 

The March OFR Mentor Program session features the Hamilton County Ohio OFR team and their evaluation partners at Ohio University as they discuss applying evaluation strategies to inform the OFR and next-of-kin (NOK) interview process.  

Please register to reserve your spot for all sessions!  

Meet Your Presenters   

Melanie Gibboney is the Senior Community Outreach coordinator at Hamilton County, Ohio, Public Health (HCPH). Prior to joining the Harm Reduction Division at HCPH, she worked as a program analyst in overdose prevention at the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). Ms. Gibboney currently leads and facilitates the overdose fatality review monthly meetings, oversees Recovery Friendly Hamilton County, and manages several state and federal grants and contracts.  

Lauren Savitskas is a senior research associate for IIR, with more than 9 years of experience with prevention and programming at the local, state, and national levels. Her focus includes coordination of support to OFR teams, rural OFR initiatives, next-of-kin interviews, the OFR Mentor Program, and training new OFR sites. 

Jacob White is the Co-Director of the Planning, Evaluation, Education, and Research (PEER) Applied Research Team at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, where he provides strategic leadership in the design and implementation of applied research and evaluation projects for public and nonprofit organizations. The PEER team manages an annual portfolio of approximately 30 externally funded projects spanning multiple sectors, including health care, social services, education, addiction, recovery, energy, and the environment.  

This project was supported by Grant No. 15PBJA-24-GK-04248-COAP awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). The contents of this document do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.