Donna N. McNelis, PhD – Director

Donna N. McNelis, PhD, began her career as a clinical specialist in a state psychiatric hospital. Additionally, she has worked with children and adolescents, adult addiction recovery services, and specialized groups such as persons with mental illness and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). She also developed one of the first programs in the mid-Atlantic region for adolescents with co-occurring disorders. Her years of direct clinical practice complement her current faculty appointments at Drexel University College of Medicine: associate dean, Professionalism and Continuing Education; professor, Department of Psychiatry; and director, Behavioral Healthcare Education (BHE). The BHE program is designed to offer professional interdisciplinary continuing education and staff development and consultation to providers and practitioners across the nation. Dr. McNelis's current interests include outcome measures, co-occurring mental illness and intellectual/developmental disabilities, child-focused issues and professionalism.

Christopher M. Owens, MA, LPC, CCTP, Member of MINT – Associate Director

Christopher M. Owens, MA, LPC, CCTP, Member of MINT, joined the BHE family in 2008; prior to arriving at BHE, he was a program director for an outpatient drug and alcohol program. Chris has worked in the field in various settings, including family-based services, drug and alcohol treatment, and health education. His professional passions lie in recovery philosophy, stages of change, motivational interviewing, group dynamics and the DSM-5. Aside from his career interests, Chris also has past experience as an amateur stand-up comic, improv artist, emcee, disc jockey, and radio talk show host. One of Chris's primary goals in delivering courses is to blend his professional expertise with his entertainment skills to keep participants actively engaged during the learning process.

Karin Gladney, PhD, CAADC

Karin C. Gladney PhD, CAADC has an extensive background in mental and substance use disorders with a concentration in the treatment of co-occurring disorders, forensic rehabilitation, opioid use disorders, and community overdose intervention and prevention. Her career in academic instruction began in addiction counseling, and she has developed and piloted online and hybrid curricula for this discipline. Dr. Gladney has designed and implemented training workshops for workplace professional development for behavioral health organizations with a focus on professionalism, ethics and best practices in behavioral health clinical care.

Dr. Gladney is enthusiastic about community engagement. Her volunteer work includes facilitating conversations and actions against racism and racial disparities, and encouraging cultural and gender sensitivity. She is also a spoken word artist whose prophetic prose is framed around themes of the human condition and relationships.

Lindsay A. Martin, PhD, LPC, NCC, CIMHP

Dr. Lindsay Martin began her work as a behavioral health clinician specializing in co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders and crisis intervention services. Early in her career, she provided individual and group psychotherapy, psychoeducation and evaluations in the outpatient and inpatient treatment environments.

Later, she developed her crisis service skills as a crisis intervention specialist, and ultimately assumed the role of clinical supervisor, providing program oversight, staff training, counselor supervision and quality management, and establishing extensive policies and procedures governing the implementation of crisis services.

Most recently, she supervised counselors at a national crisis intervention center, servicing individuals throughout the nation. Traveling nationwide, she provided training on topics related to suicide prevention and intervention, burnout, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, self-care and holistic wellness.

As an assistant professor at Drexel University College of Medicine, Dr. Martin focuses on providing relevant and practical instruction on a variety of topics related to substance abuse, mental illness and trauma. Acknowledging that clinicians are the primary tool in quality service delivery, she is passionate about the impact of professional quality-of-life factors on holistic wellness among professionals, and emphasizes the importance of self-care practices in everyday life.

Brenda J. Weaver, MA, CPRP

Inspired by the impact of “deinstitutionalization” and the experience of escorting many individuals through the transition, Mrs. Weaver has dedicated more than 40 years to behavioral healthcare.

A native of Philadelphia, Mrs. Weaver’s dedication to education and service delivery has ranged from community-based service delivery to management/administration. She has worked with research associations that sought scientific justification for services and support, and that teach people how to live well in spite of disabilities. During the journey she has had the privilege of working with and discovering the power of peer community.

Since joining the faculty of Drexel University College of Medicine, Behavioral Healthcare Education, Mrs. Weaver transfers her experiences into developing curricula, providing consultation, facilitating trainings, and developing partnerships with providers, practitioners and peers to embrace the "universal" goal of recovery, wellbeing and inclusion for all.