SUD Insights: "The program taught me a regimented way to look at a problem and take a deep dive to truly understand customer needs."

Welcome to our series, SUD Insights! Our goal is to share more about our upcoming SUD Ventures program through the lens of our participants.

Jolene Bressi, PharmD, PMP, BCMAS is a pharmacist with a wide range of experience in retail, hospital, managed care, medical writing, and advocacy experience. She has also served as an adjunct professor for experiential?and didactic programs offered for both pharmacy technicians and pharmacists through?Miller-Motte College, Long Island University, St. Joseph's University, St. John Fishers University, and West Virginia?University as well as a teaching?fellow at Yale University.?

Currently: Jolene is a member of the board of directors at The Alliance for Benzodiazepine Best Practices and an Adjunct Instructor with Ancora Education. You can learn more about her work at benzoreform.org

?Applications to the SUD Ventures program are open through September 15, 2024. Apply now at https://bootcamps.mit.edu/bootcamps/sud-ventures/

SUD Ventures

Why did you apply for the program??

I applied to the program to learn more about entrepreneurship in general but also topics specific to the?SUD?space. I only had the experiences of myself and those around me to draw from and I knew I needed to hear more community voices to provide meaningful solutions.

This experience has served as a vital connecting force to a broad network of individuals. It has allowed me to more adequately understand the unknowns that I was not even aware of and have a better understanding of information that I know very well.?

What is your most memorable or ‘aha’ moment from the program??

I didn't have just one. I had many 'aha' moments during the entire experience.

My biggest 'aha' was understanding how?substance use disorder touches every part of life and affects each group of people a bit differently.

Although it transcends?race, age, gender, geography, and socioeconomic class, each group has its own norms surrounding drug culture. Understanding these differences is important to the development of solutions based on these individualized characteristics and must be understood to ensure the adoption.?

What impact did the program have on you?

I've adopted my learnings to all the projects I work on.

The program taught me a regimented way to look at a problem and take a deep dive to truly understand customer needs and incorporate them into the solution.

I'm better able to set aside the solutions that I feel are best and incorporate the needs and requirements of the end user.??

Can you share a bit about the work you’re doing now?

I'm currently developing content and curriculum in the mental health and?SUD?space for the education of care providers as well as direct patient education. I'm part of a group of researchers working on scientific research on benzodiazepines.

I'm also currently working on the project that my in-person?SUD?Ventures team presented during the bootcamp.?

What advice would you give to your fellow academics if they’re interested in attending this program??

Apply. You can't get in if you do not try. The work is worth the effort and the results of the program will pay dividends in both impact and opportunities over a lifetime.?

If you have applied or are thinking about applying to an SBIR grant, can you share what that experience has been like??

Yes, and it's a humbling experience that I'm still perfecting. NIH also funds training?geared specifically at grant writing and my next goal is to go through one of those programs.?

Applications to the SUD Ventures program are open through September 15, 2024. Apply now at https://bootcamps.mit.edu/bootcamps/sud-ventures/