About Us
Who We Are
The JEAP Initiative is a partnership between Chestnut Health Systems' Lighthouse Institute, Oregon Social Learning Center, and Sponsors, Inc., and is supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R24DA051950).
Chestnut Health Systems was founded in 1973 and offers a comprehensive scope of behavioral health and human services. Chestnut’s research division, Lighthouse Institute, was established in 1986 with the mission to improve the quality of services through research, training, and publishing. It is one of few research groups in the country that primarily focuses on developing more effective approaches for recovery management, treating substance use as a chronic disorder, diversion from the legal/child welfare system, and implementation science. Lighthouse Institute's multidisciplinary staff conduct applied research, program evaluation, training, consultation, and implementation.
The Oregon Social Learning Center (OSLC) was founded in 1977 by a group of clinical psychologists whose work focused on the social development, learning, and prevention and treatment of behavior and emotional problems in the lives of children and adolescents. That focus has evolved and expanded into a mission to strengthen families, children, and communities through collaborative prevention and intervention research. Located in Eugene, Oregon, our multidisciplinary research center is dedicated to increasing the scientific understanding of social and psychological processes related to healthy development and family functioning.
Founded in 1973, Sponsors is the foremost reentry organization in Oregon and has been particularly beneficial for justice-involved individuals in recovery. The organization seeks to improve outcomes for high risk groups, including supporting recovery, reducing homelessness and recidivism, increasing public safety, and enhancing the overall well-being of our community. In addition to transitional housing and wraparound services, Sponsors also offers long-term housing, mentoring/peer support, employment support, cognitive behavioral programs, and more. Sponsors regularly receives national recognition as a model for the use of evidence-based practices in reentry.
Meet Our Team
Ashli Sheidow
(she/her/hers)
Ashli Sheidow, a Senior Research Scientist at Chestnut Health Systems' Lighthouse Institute, researches treatments for mental health and substance use problems in teens and emerging adults, particularly those who are involved in the justice system. She’s also focused on effective ways to get evidence-based practices into the “real world,” especially through improving training and support for community-based providers. While she does not have direct lived experience, she has indirect lived experience with substance use problems throughout multiple generations of her extended family that began with opiate addiction from laudanum prescribed postpartum to her great-grandmother.
Mike McCart
(he/him/his)
Mike McCart, a Senior Research Scientist at OSLC, is a licensed clinical psychologist with specialized training in cognitive, behavioral, and family systems approaches to treating serious problems in adolescents and emerging adults. His research centers on enhancing behavioral health services for two high-risk populations: (1) adolescents and emerging adults with substance use and co-occurring behavior problems, and (2) victims of interpersonal violence.
Paul Solomon
(he/him/his)
Paul Solomon is the Executive Director at Sponsors, Inc. in Eugene, Oregon. Since 1973, Sponsors has been providing reentry services to people with criminal histories. Mr. Solomon has worked at Sponsors for over 18 years and has served as Executive Director since 2011. The agency operates 20 buildings on 6 sites with over 240 beds of transitional and permanent housing and supportive programs for people with criminal histories. Mr. Solomon is dedicated to positive systemic change in the criminal justice system using research-based programs and interventions.
Maryann Davis
Maryann Davis is a Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry (Psychology), Director of the Implementation Science and Practice Advances Research Center, and Director of the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research at the UMass Chan Medical School. She is a research psychologist focused on transition-age youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions and substance use disorders.
Jackie Bruce
(she/her/hers)
Jacqueline Bruce, a Research Scientist at OSLC, focuses her research on the impact of early adverse experiences, such as child maltreatment and multiple caregiver disruptions, on the development of young children. She is particularly interested in the development of behavioral regulation (or the ability to voluntarily regulate one’s behavior to meet the demands of the situation) and the underlying neural systems.
Brett Bray
(he/him/his)
Brett Bray is the Lead Mentorship Program Case Manager at Sponsors, Inc. in Eugene, Oregon. Since 1973, Sponsors has been providing reentry services to people with criminal histories. Mr. Bray has worked at Sponsors for over 7 years and was a participant in 2013, utilizing their wrap-around services and transitional housing programs after a release from incarceration. He is also a Certified Alcohol Drug Counselor (CADC I), Certified Recovery Mentor (CRM), and Peer Support Specialist.
Jason Chapman
(he/him/his)
Jason Chapman, a Senior Research Scientist at Chestnut Health Systems' Lighthouse Institute, is a clinical psychologist by training and specializes in research design, measurement, and statistical methods. His research includes studies that evaluate the efficacy, effectiveness, dissemination, and implementation of evidence-based practices in mental health, juvenile justice, and child welfare settings.
Tess Drazdowski
(she/her/hers)
Tess Drazdowski, a licensed psychologist and Research Scientist at Chestnut Health Systems' Lighthouse Institute, focuses her research and clinical work on groups experiencing disadvantage and under-resourced communities. Most recently, her research has concentrated on the prevention and intervention for the misuse of prescription drugs, cannabis use, and polysubstance use in primarily young adults. She is interested in investigating how to improve access to evidence-based practices for youth and young adults with substance use and mental health symptoms, particularly for those with justice system involvement.
Michelle Cruz
(she/her/hers)
Michelle Cruz is a Research Project Manager at Chestnut Health Systems' Lighthouse Institute working with the JEAP Initiative and several other grants. In her role, she supports all components of the JEAP Initiative, including training opportunities for early career researchers, pilot studies, Community Boards, and outreach to the broader community. She previously worked in higher education, helping young adults achieve their educational goals.
Patrick Hibbard
(he/him/his)
Patrick Hibbard is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Chestnut Health Systems' Lighthouse Institute working with the JEAP Initiative. He studies programs and organizational management in the criminal justice and substance use disorder policy areas, using a variety of methodologies. He is interested in researching and improving programs in these areas, as he identifies as a person with lived experience in both the US criminal justice system and recovery from substance use disorder.
Sierra Castedo de Martell
(she/her/hers)
Sierra Castedo de Martell is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the JEAP Initiative and Chestnut Health Systems' Lighthouse Institute. She is a person in long-term recovery from substance use disorder and her research focuses on economic evaluations of peer-driven substance use interventions, making economic evaluation information more accessible, and peer workforce development. She previously served as the director of a collegiate recovery program and serves as a board member for a local recovery community organization. She earned her PhD in public health behavioral sciences with a minor in health economics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health in 2023.
Jamie Jaramillo
(she/her/hers)
Jamie Jaramillo is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Chestnut Health Systems' Lighthouse Institute. She studies key resilience and protective factors that can be used to augment existing services and interventions for treating and preventing substance use and addiction. She focuses on populations that experience significant adversity, such as those involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Taking an ecological approach, she considers both psychological and social processes, including resources and social support, that promote resilience in the context of adversity. Dr. Jaramillo’s research interests grew from her own lived experience in the child welfare system and other adverse environments, as well as her academic and research training.
Breanna Alston
(she/her/hers)
Breanna Alston is a Senior Project Coordinator at Chestnut Health Systems' Lighthouse Institute. Ms. Alston holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Loyola University Chicago and a Bachelor’s in both Spanish and Sociology from the University of St. Thomas. Breanna’s passion for this work stems from her lived experience, as well as professional opportunities across research and evaluation, behavioral health, and community development settings. As a project management professional, Breanna supports many facets of the JEAP Initiative.
Danielle Weedman
(she/her/hers)
Danielle Weedman is a Project Associate at Chestnut Health Systems' Lighthouse Institute. She graduated from Pacific University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. Previously an Editorial Assistant at the Oregon Social Learning Center, she now contributes to various projects for the JEAP Initiative by creating digital media, sending email newsletters, managing website/social media content, and lending general support to Scientists and team members.
Eden Buell
(she/her/hers)
Eden Buell is a former JEAP Intern who received a Bachelor’s in Science from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and is now a Post-Baccalaureate Trainee with the JEAP Initiative at Chestnut Health Systems' Lighthouse Institute thanks to a Diversity Supplement from the National Institutes of Health. Eden's passion for working with emerging adults was fueled by her lived experience with substance use disorder and the justice system. Eden’s goal is to have a career in research focused on recovery support services, and she has a particular interest in recovery capital, healthcare disparities, stigma, and discrimination.
Tyrus Reidt
(all/pronouns)
Tyrus is a Senior Research Project Assistant at Chestnut Health Systems' Lighthouse Institute. They primarily support Senior Research Scientists with their work in the JEAP Initiative and in other projects. Tyrus's passion for this work stems from his lived experience in the criminal justice system. Among many other things, they are interested in how different identities change the outcomes of treatments in support services in both the criminal justice system and in schools.
Keoni Bermoy
(he/him/his)
Keoni is a Research Project Assistant at Chestnut Health Systems' Lighthouse Institute. He works closely alongside Senior Research Scientists from the JEAP Initiative and other projects to support adolescents and emerging adult populations experiencing severe adversities in life. He has previous research experience in substance use, trauma, and health disparities among reserve-dwelling First Nations communities.
JEAP Initiative Trainees
Emily Pasman
(she/her/hers)
Emily Pasman is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health. She earned her PhD in Social Work from Wayne State University in May 2023. Her social work practice has centered around the development, implementation, and evaluation of peer-delivered services for people in or seeking recovery. Her current program of research aims to expand harm reduction interventions, improve peer-delivered services, and promote effective youth prevention and recovery support. Her research is informed by her lived experience in recovery, her background in peer recovery support services, and her academic and research training in harm reduction interventions.
Kathryn Gallardo
(she/her/hers)
Kathryn Gallardo is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health. She is a licensed master social worker and holds a PhD in Public Health with a specialization in Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences. Her research interests center on examining, expanding, and enhancing access to recovery support services (RSS) for underserved and marginalized populations, including individuals taking medications for an opioid use disorder (MOUD) and emerging adults. She is particularly interested in exploring how MOUD-related stigma can be combatted within the context of RSS.
Ryan Flinn
(they/them/theirs)
Ryan E. Flinn is an Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of North Dakota. They are an early career counseling psychologist whose research program aims to address the syndemic of trauma, substance use disorder, and criminal justice system involvement. They are specifically interested in studying recovery support services. Ryan identifies as a person with lived experience of the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Ryan is in long-term recovery from substance use disorder.
JEAP Initiative Alumni
See the full lists of the JEAP Initiative's Trainee Alumni and Internship Alumni at the pages linked below.
Community Boards
Our work is guided by three national Community Boards. Our Community Boards determine the research priorities for recovery support services, determine the selection of early career investigators for our Fellowship and Trainee programs, decide which pilot studies are funded, and participate in sharing research findings with the broader community.
Young Adult Community Board
This board is made up of young adults (age 16-25) who are in recovery from substance use.
Justice-Involved Community Board
This board is made up of adults who are in recovery and who have former or current involvement with the juvenile or adult justice system.
Provider and Payor Community Board
This board is made up of staff from organizations that provide or pay for recovery support services.