CMAP Nexus Series: Developing a Better System of Care for Nonfatal Overdose

Valencia Lyle is a health policy expert dedicated to addressing barriers to quality healthcare access for systematically marginalized populations. With over a decade of experience in program implementation and health policy evaluation, she has worked to expand access to services for individuals with HIV and/or substance use disorders in both East Africa and the United States. Currently, she serves as the Opioid Crisis Response Program Manager in the City of Detroit Mayor’s Office, where she oversees the strategic allocation of the City’s Opioid Settlement Funds. Valencia holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and German from the University of Michigan and a Master of Public Health with a specialization in Comparative Effectiveness and Outcomes Research from Columbia University.

Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP, is an overdose researcher, Harm Reduction Program Manager and the Director of the SafeSpot Overdose Hotline at Boston Medical Center. In 2021, he retired as a Lieutenant at a large regional ambulance service in Western Massachusetts, and had served as a first responder since 2013, having worked both as a firefighter and paramedic. He regularly shares for a national audience about his lived experience as a person who used drugs and overdose survivor. Stephen provides expert technical assistance around the topics of overdose prevention, emergency medical services, workforce and harm reduction to a variety of organizations, county and state governments across the country, including the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency, the National Academies of Medicine, and the National Governors Association. He has guest lectured at over a dozen universities including at Harvard University, University of Southern California, UMASS Medical School, Georgetown University, and Boston University. He has research published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, Substance Use & Addiction Journal, American Journal of Public Health and Health Promotion Practice. In September 2023, he was featured in the multiple award-winning Episode 809 ("The Call") on This American Life.

Divad Sanders, born, raised and educated in the City of Newark, NJ, is a dedicated community advocate, and lecturer, with a deep commitment to making an impact in communities. Through harm reduction, crisis intervention, and social justice, Divad works with a team of experts in the field, to help improve quality of life for those adversely impacted by substance use and the War on Drugs- which is a war on people. 

As the Program Director for the Newark Community Street Team’s Overdose Response Team and Harm Reduction Center, he leads initiatives that provide life-saving resources, community-based interventions, and data-driven solutions to combat the opioid crisis. As a community naloxone and outreach training facilitator, he and his team focuses on equipping individuals with the knowledge and tools to help prevent overdose deaths and promote public health.

A passionate educator and strategist, Divad is a respected advocate and lecturer in the fields of data integration, community engagement, violence prevention, crisis response, and trauma intervention. His work bridges the gap between policy and practice, empowering communities through evidence-based approaches and innovative outreach strategies. Divad remains committed to building safer, healthier, and more resilient communities through education, advocacy, and action.

He attended Kean University and Rutgers University, with an emphasis in behavioral science, and dual diagnosis, focusing on cognitive development.

Alissa Zhu is a reporter for The Baltimore Banner, a nonprofit news organization in Maryland. For The Banner and The New York Times Local Investigations Fellowship, she has covered the worst drug overdose crisis ever seen in a major American city. Previously she worked at the Clarion Ledger in Mississippi, where she wrote about the causes and consequences of fatal prison riots and historic immigration raids, and the Springfield News-Leader in her hometown in Missouri, where she reported on local government.