Summit on the Opioid Epidemic

Summit on the Opioid Epedemic Panel of Speakers

The UD/BHC Summit on the Opioid Crisis is an event that brings together community agencies, policy makers, mental health advocates and more for a meaningful discussion on ways to combat Delaware’s opioid epidemic on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2:00-5:30 p.m. at the Audion in the Tower at UD’s STAR campus.

Presented by the Delaware Behavioral Health Consortium, UD’s Department of Communication and UD’s Center for Health Communication, the event includes the Delaware premiere of the powerful documentary Silence on the Streets. The film features the voices of inner-city Black, Latino/a/x and Indigenous community members struggling with addiction, as it sheds light on the unique challenges they, and their loved ones, face on their path to recovery.

Community advocate and filmmaker Sharece Sellem-Hannah will share her experience creating the film and community input from a series of Unity dinners held across the state this summer during a panel discussion that includes:

  • Rita Landgraf, UD Affiliated Faculty, moderator
  • Darryl “Wolfie” Chambers, Executive Director, Center for Structural Equity
  • Philip Rutherford, CEO of Black Faces Black Voices
  • Anthony Jackson, Mental Health Court Team, Mental Health Association in Delaware

Our department has prepared assignments and activities designed to engage students in considering the health, social, policy and societal implications of the opioid epidemic in the United States, which you are welcome to use. Access to those resources ca​n be found at the link below​.

If you would like to inquire about booking a screening for your group, organization, conference, or other event, please complete this form​.

Speaker Bios

Headshot thumbail Sharece Sellem-Hannah

​​​Sharece Sellem-Hannah

​​​​Sharece Sellem-Hannah is a native of Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut. She is a graduate student at the University of Cincinnati pursuing a Masters in Community Health & Prevention Science. Her lived experience and field experience in the world of human services is the foundation for, and often, the inspiration behind her artistic pursuits. She is an award-winning playwright (2019, Dr. Floyd Gaffney National Playwriting Competition on the African American Experience Award) who utilizes theatre and film as educational tools for advocacy. A cautionary play she wrote and produced at Long Wharf Theatre in 2020, “Matthew Rising,” places a spotlight on the struggles of a fictional family from inner-city New Haven, Connecticut, navigating the harsh realities of poverty and the opioid epidemic. This work inspired the documentary “Silence on the Streets,” created and produced in collaboration with NE-HIDTA, which delves into the complexities of drug trafficking, social determinants of health, and recovery efforts. “Silence on the Streets,” premiered at Southern Connecticut State University on December 13, 2023 and had its Southern premier at the Rx Summit in Atlanta, Georgia on April 2, 2024. ​

Headshot photo Philip Rutherford

Philip Rutherford​

Philip Rutherford is the Strategy Lead for Substance Use at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. He is also the CEO of Black Faces Black Voices . He has managed strategy and operations for several recovery-focused organizations. He is a member of committees at the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and other federal agencies. He serves as chair on several nonprofit boards, including Serve Minnesota and the Police Treatment and Community Collaborative as well as member on the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers board. Prior to the nonprofit world, he spent most of his career at Microsoft, Micron Electronics, and the Taylor Corporation. Rutherford is an active member of the recovery community and has considerable experience in the areas of reentry and equity.

Headshot photo ​Darryl L. Chambers

​​Darryl L. Chambers​

​Darryl L. Chambers, a proud community leader who was born and raised in the city of Wilmington. Currently, Darryl is the Executive Director of the Center for Structural Equity (CFSE), a community-driven intervention and prevention program designed to empower youth and their communities to address issues of structural. violence and to promote the social determinants of health. In 2017, Delaware’s Governor appointed Mr. Chambers as the Chair of the Council of Corrections, which provides advisory capacity to the Commissioner of Correction on matters related to the development and progress of the Delaware correctional system. Mr. Chambers currently holds a master’s degree in criminology from the University of Delaware, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California of Davis. Mr. Chambers is currently employed as an Assistant Scientist at the University of Delaware’s Center for Drug and Health Studies.

Headshot photo Anthony Jackson

Anthony Jackson

Anthony Jackson has recently joined the Mental Health Association in Delaware as a full-time Mental Health Court Peer Mentor, where he is also contributing administratively to the peer education program within the Department of Corrections.