Through the Door
Fall Forum
Rewriting the Narrative: Unpacking the Past and Taking Ownership of Your Present
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Stephen Loyd
Dr. Stephen Loyd is an Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine physician who serves as Medical Advisor for Great American Recovery at The White House. He is President of the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners and Chief Medical Officer of Cedar Recovery in Tennessee, and he continues to practice Addiction Medicine in both inpatient and outpatient settings, specializing in the treatment of pregnant women with opioid use disorder.
Dr. Loyd previously served as Chair of the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council, appointed by Governor Bill Lee, and as Director of the Office of Drug Control Policy for the State of West Virginia. In Governor Bill Haslam’s administration he was Assistant Commissioner for Substance Abuse Services—Tennessee’s “Opioid Czar”—within the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. He has served on multiple drug courts across Tennessee and has worked with community anti-drug coalitions from Johnson County to Shelby County, as well as all levels of state law enforcement, principally the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Named an Advocate for Action by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Dr. Loyd played a key expert-witness role in the multidistrict litigation over Purdue Pharma’s mispromotion of OxyContin—litigation that produced the opioid abatement dollars now flowing to states and communities. He has delivered more than five hundred educational lectures on addiction, the treatment of opioid use disorder, and the proper prescribing of controlled substances. He earned his medical degree and completed his residency at the James H. Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University.
Dr. Loyd has been in recovery from opioid and benzodiazepine addiction since July 8, 2004.
Panelists
Dr. Paul Ragan
Paul W. Ragan, MD is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and a nationally recognized clinician in addiction psychiatry, psychosomatic medicine, and trauma‑related disorders. Over the course of four decades, Dr. Ragan has served in distinguished roles across academic medicine, the U.S. Navy, the National Institutes of Health, and major medical centers nationwide. His career includes directing inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services, leading addiction treatment programs, and training generations of medical students, residents, fellows, and psychiatric nurse practitioners.
Dr. Ragan completed his medical degree at the University of Arizona and his psychiatry residency at the National Naval Medical Center, where he served as Chief Resident. After serving 10 years on active duty in the US Navy, including as Director of Mental Health, 2nd Echelon, of the combined Marine Divisions in Desert Storm, he went on to complete an Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. He contributed to research on alcohol dependence, trauma, neurobiology, and the intersection of addiction with mood and anxiety disorders. His scholarly work includes more than two dozen peer‑reviewed publications and presentations at national scientific meetings.
Across his career, Dr. Ragan has been deeply committed to understanding the lifespan of addiction—from early childhood adversity through adult relapse and recovery—and to improving systems of care for individuals and families affected by substance use disorders. His clinical leadership at Vanderbilt, the Veterans Administration, and multiple residential treatment programs reflects a lifelong dedication to compassionate, evidence‑based care.
Dr. Ragan brings to this event both scientific expertise and a profound commitment to helping communities rewrite the narrative around addiction, loss, resilience, and hope.
Dr. Kristen Gilliland
Kristen earned her Ph.D. at the University of Colorado, Boulder in Organic Chemistry. She later served as an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo where she taught Organic Chemistry, Neurochemistry, and the Chemistry of Drugs and Poisons. After Kristen’s 17-year-old son, Anders, developed schizophrenia – which was most likely associated with high-potency cannabis use in his early teens – Kristen joined the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery at Vanderbilt University (2018). At Vanderbilt, she researched new antipsychotic treatments for schizophrenia. During that same year, Kristen delivered a TEDx presentation titled Rewiring Revolution: Neuroplasticity’s Impact on Well-being. Tragically, Kristen lost her son to an accidental overdose in 2019 after his mental health severely declined, and he became addicted to opioids and stimulants.
Two years after her devastating loss, Kristen changed the trajectory of her life to utilize her scientific teaching and research skills to educate adolescent-aged children and their caregivers on mental health challenges and how it can lead to substance use and self-harm. As the Director of Outreach and Advocacy Programs and Assistant Professor of Research at the Warren Center, Kristen presented to youth, caregivers, legislators, and law enforcement about the impact repeated stress, social media, screen time, and substances have on the developing adolescent brain. In addition, she developed a multi award-winning educational documentary aimed at youth titled “Speaking Through Me” that was released August 2023.
Kristen has appeared on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and NewsNation: Elizabeth Vargas Reports regarding increased psychosis risk with high-potency cannabis use during adolescence. In 2025, the overwhelming desire to reach more youth called Kristen to launch the non-profit “22 Forever” in memory of her son, Anders. As the President and Executive Director of 22 Forever while still Assistant Professor of Research at Vanderbilt Medical School, Kristen delivers adolescent brain health presentations both nationally and internationally. Furthermore, 22 Forever’s mission extends to empowering young minds through a middle school brain health curriculum that nurtures well-being and fosters resilience and self-compassion as a means of substance use prevention.
Dr. Jill Obremskey
Dr. Jill C. Obremskey, MD, MMHC, FAAP is a physician leader, healthcare executive, and child advocate with more than 30 years of experience advancing pediatric care, public health, and child well-being across clinical, academic, and policy settings. Dr. Obremskey earned her MD from the University of North Carolina, completed her pediatric residency at Seattle Children’s Hospital/University of Washington, and holds a Master of Management in Health Care from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. She also completed coursework toward an MPH at the University of Washington School of Public Health. Board certified in Pediatrics and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, she remains committed to advancing quality, trauma-informed care and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive.
A passionate advocate for early relational health and positive childhood experiences, Dr. Obremskey works to strengthen children’s mental health from the prenatal period through early childhood. She serves on the Advisory Board of AIMHiTN, participates in the Tennessee Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Policy and Financing Coalition, and is a member of several American Academy of Pediatrics councils and initiatives focused on early childhood and child mental health. She is a founding leader of ACE Nashville’s Pediatric Workgroup and serves on the boards of Raising Resilience and Centerstone of Tennessee. She is also active in legislative advocacy focused on children’s health, mental health, and firearm safety.
A passionate advocate for early relational health and positive childhood experiences, Dr. Obremskey works to strengthen children’s mental health from the prenatal period through early childhood. She serves on the Advisory Board of AIMHiTN, participates in the Tennessee Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Policy and Financing Coalition, and is a member of several American Academy of Pediatrics councils and initiatives focused on early childhood and child mental health.
Organizers
Liz and Yarnell Beatty
This Fall Forum is organized and facilitated by Liz and Yarnell Beatty’s Breaking the Silence Ministry (“BTS”). (https://www.ebpctn.org/
