December 2016 Speakers

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Speakers' Biographies

J.T. Theofilos, MBA

Team Lead, Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement, PHAP

J.T. Theofilos, MBA, is the team lead for Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement for the Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) within CDC’s Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support (OSTLTS). He leads program development and stakeholder engagement activities for both internal (CDC) centers, institutes, and offices across the agency and external (non-CDC) stakeholders including national partners such as the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO), the Association for State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), and non-governmental organizations.

J.T.’s experience spans federal, state, and local levels in healthcare systems operations, acute and post-acute health care continuum and HIV prevention services. Prior to joining the PHAP leadership team in 2013, J.T. worked in HIV prevention services and public health preparedness and emergency response at the CDC.

J.T. has served as the president of the board of directors for an Atlanta community-based organization, Comizia Care, Inc., that helps single mothers re-enter the workforce and develop skills for long-term independence. J.T. is most proud of his volunteer work as a mentor with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta. He adopted Jamie, his ‘little brother,’ in 2005 when he was 9 years old.

J.T. received a master’s degree in physical therapy from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia; an MBA with a focus in healthcare systems management from Georgia State University; and a bachelor’s degree in psychobiology from The Ohio State University in Columbus.

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Cyprian Wejnert, PhD

Epidemiologist, Behavioral and Clinical Surveillance Branch, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC

Cyprian Wejnert, PhD, is an epidemiologist in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention within the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention and has been with CDC since 2010. Dr. Wejnert’s work focuses on advancing statistical methods serving stigmatized, hidden, and hard-to-reach populations, such as persons who inject drugs, and on understanding the social, structural, and behavioral factors that put key populations at increased risk for HIV. He has published more than 40 articles and reports.

Dr. Wejnert received his PhD in sociology from Cornell University in 2009.

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Matthew J. La Rocco, BS, CADC

Community Outreach Specialist, Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness

Matt La Rocco is a harm reduction and community outreach specialist at the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness in Kentucky. He operates the Louisville Metro Syringe Exchange Program and works with community partners to reduce barriers to engaging people who use drugs. He frequently speaks about building community and organizational capacity to reduce drug use.

La Rocco became a certified alcohol and drug counselor in 2011. He earned his bachelor of science degree in Bible Studies from Johnson University in Knoxville, Tennessee.

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Jim Johnson

Director, Huntington Mayor’s Office of Drug Control Policy

Jim Johnson is director of the Mayor’s Office of Drug Control Policy (MODCP) in Huntington, West Virginia. In October 2014, Mayor Steve Williams appointed Johnson, a retired Huntington police officer of 29 years and former police chief, to lead the new agency. In that time, MODCP has collaborated with more than 50 community agencies and has assisted in acquiring nearly $3 million in state and federal grants to combat the opioid epidemic in Huntington.

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