In Loving Memory of
Principal Investigator
December 11, 1970 – February 13, 2024
This website and project are dedicated to the memory of Dr. Melissa Reitmeier, whose vision and passion for behavioral health and supporting the behavioral health workforce led to this project and many others. Please read more on Dr. Reitmeier’s phenomenal contributions to social work here.
HOPE-WWR Core Team
Principal Investigator
Associate Dean for Research and Faculty, Professor
University of South Carolina College of Social Work
Dr. Aidyn Iachini is the Principal Investigator for the HOPE-WWR Project. She oversees delivery of grant objectives and outcomes to include the development and implementation of training materials. She also leads our comprehensive evaluation plan, focusing on Rapid Cycle Quality Improvement, to assess the effectiveness of the project, track progress toward grant goals, and make necessary adjustments to achieve deliverables.
Co-Principal Investigator
Dean, Professor
University of South Carolina College of Social Work
Dr. Browne serves in the role of the HOPE-WWR Community Outreach Liaison. Dr. Browne monitors the sub award with AHEC and ensures successful collaboration with our HOPE-WWR community partners.
Project Coordinator
University of South Carolina College of Social Work
Ms. Bengel serves as the HOPE-WWR Project Coordinator. She co-creates online content for the leadership academy series, community practitioner series, and assisted with the creation of content for the evidence-based toolkit of the HOPE-WWR program.
Community Trainer
Lecturer
University of South Carolina College of Social Work
Scott Fairweather is a co-trainer for the HOPE-WWR Community Practitioner series. Fairweather is a Certified Dialectical Behavior Therapy Clinician and holds certifications in Prolonged Exposure Therapy and Exposure and Response Prevention. He also carries the Master Addiction Counselor designation.
Evaluation Assistant
Doctoral Student
University of South Carolina College of Social Work
Ms. Ober is a Social Work PhD student at USC and currently serves as the HOPE-WWR Evaluation Assistant. She assists with grant-related project evaluation tasks as well as dissemination of all evaluation findings.
Content Manager
University of South Carolina College of Social Work
Beck Sullivan is the content manager on the HOPE-WWR project. She manages the production of toolkit media and oversees the development and maintenance of the HOPE-WWR website.
HOPE-WWR Interprofessional Collaborators
Clinical Assistant Professor; Director of Interprofessional Education; Clinical Pharmacy and Outcome Sciences (CPOS);
University of South Carolina, College of Pharmacy
Dr. Betsy Blake integrates and delivers content into pharmacy courses and USC’s Interprofessional Education for the Health Services plan of study for HOPE-WWR students. Dr. Blake monitors the evaluations of pharmacy students who participate in the HOPE-WWR grant.
Associate Professor
University of South Carolina College of Nursing
Dr. Beverly Baliko integrates and delivers HOPE-WWR content into nursing courses and monitors the evaluations of nursing students who participate in the HOPE-WWR grant.
Assistant Professor
University of South Carolina College of Nursing
Dr. Lori Lynn Vick integrates and delivers HOPE-WWR content into nursing courses and monitors the evaluations of nursing students who participate in the HOPE-WWR grant.
Continuing Education Program Coordinator
Mid-Carolina Area Health Education Center
Katelyn Bailey coordinates the registration and CEU processes for all HOPE-WWR trainings in her role at the South Carolina’s Area Health Consortium (AHEC).
Associate Dean, Outcomes Assessment and Accreditation Associate
Professor, Clinical Pharmacy and Outcome Sciences (CPOS)
University of South Carolina, College of Pharmacy
Dr. Brie Dunn integrates and delivers content into pharmacy courses for HOPE-WWR students. Dr. Dunn monitors the evaluations of pharmacy students who participate in the HOPE-WWR grant.