Dispatch from the Front: Lessons Learned at the Collision of Public Health, Peer Support, and a Rising Tide of Hope

ISSUP and Faces & Voices of Recovery bring you the Global Recovery Network Webinars, a series of eight webinars taking place over the coming months, grouped under three core themes that explore global perspectives on recovery support.

Theme 3: Leadership Development

Join us for Part 7: Dispatch from the Front, an interactive session on the relationship between public health and peer support. The session will highlight how recovery is defined and practiced across diverse contexts, while also examining the challenges of establishing universal definitions of recovery.

Date: Tuesday, 16th September 2025

Time: 2:00 PM London | 9:00 AM ET 

Register for the Webinar

This webinar examines the evolving relationship between public health and peer support, highlighting how recovery is defined and practiced across diverse contexts. Participants will explore challenges in establishing universal definitions of recovery while considering holistic, person-centered approaches that prioritize process over outcomes. Core public health focus areas—including opioid abatement, youth recovery, medication access, and global advocacy—will be discussed through the lens of peer integration and collaboration.

The session will also cover leadership lessons from public health and recovery initiatives, offering strategies for building supportive cultures, ensuring effective policies, and sustaining integration across systems. Participants will analyse examples of peer support impact at local, national, and international levels and consider how hope can function as both a measurable and strategic driver in recovery. Key aspects to be covered include:

• Welcome & Introduction

• Defining Recovery in Public Health

• Advancing Recovery Supports: Public Health and Peer Support

• Public Health Focus Areas

• Lessons Learned: Leadership in Public Health and Recovery Support

• Leadership in Action – Case Examples

• Lessons from the Front Lines

• Wrap-Up and Call to Action

Intended audience:

This webinar is intended for:

• Community leaders

• Peer recovery specialists

• Health professionals

• Professionals in substance use treatment and prevention

• Mental health practitioners

• Researchers

• Policy makers

• Recovery advocates

Learning outcomes:

By attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Define recovery within public health contexts and examine current challenges in creating universal definitions.

2. Identify key strategies for integrating peer support into public health systems.

3. Describe lessons learned from leadership in public health and peer support initiatives.

4. Analyze real-world examples of peer support impact at local, national, and international levels.

5. Discuss the role of hope as a measurable and strategic driver in recovery.

Presenter:

Cynthia Moreno Tuohy

Cynthia Moreno Tuohy, BSW, NCAC II, CDC III, SAP, is the Executive Director of NAADAC, the Association of Addiction Professionals and has worked as an addiction professional for over 40 years. She previously served as the Executive Director of Danya Institute and the Central East Addiction Technology Transfer Center. Prior to this she was the Program Director for Volunteers of America Western Washington, serving homeless populations and dealing with the co-occurrence of poverty and substance use and co-occurring disorders. In addition, she has been the administrator of multi-county, publicly funded substance use prevention/intervention/treatment centers with services ranging from prenatal care to the serving the elderly for over 20 years.

Moreno Tuohy is an International and Domestic trainer in Conflict Resolution, Anger Management, Rein in Your Brain, Foundations of Addiction Practice, Clinical Supervision, Counseling Skills and Methods, Medication Assisted Treatment and Recovery and many other topics for the past 25 years. Moreno Tuohy is the author of an NIDA SBIR: Conflict Resolution in Recovery and Relapse Prevention and a published author of the book Rein in Your Brain from Impulsivity to Thoughtful Living in Recovery published by Hazelden. She has served as President of NAADAC, a Certification Board Commissioner, International Chair, Treasurer and Legislative Chair for NAADAC.

She has experience in developing and implementing programs in leadership, organizational development training for emerging managers, training trainers and training mentors. She has developed partnerships with various national and international organizations including developing strategic plans, workforce development plans and implementation and educational curriculum. Moreno Tuohy has written training components and manuals regarding: adolescents, adults, seniors, school intervention, involuntary commitment, community mobilization, intensive outpatient and continuing care, impaired driver’s programs, EAP and gang intervention/ suppression/treatment.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in social work and administration and is certified both nationally and in the State of Washington.

Language:

The event will be in English with interpretation available in Spanish.

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Interpretation

Interpretation Instructions for Spanish speakers:

Access the Spanish Interpretation: https://meeting.interactio.com/link/recovery#app

Enter the meeting code: recovery
Select the language channel: Spanish

A few important details on how to listen to the interpretation:

By phone: The best way is to open the Interactio app and listen to the interpretation on your phone while watching the video meeting through your computer;

By computer: If you want to listen to the interpretation on the same device as the video meeting, you will need to select 'No Audio' in the GoToWebinar Control Panel, and only listen through the Interactio web app at meeting.interactio.com.
 

Webinars and online events delivered and hosted by the International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) are provided for informational purposes only. They are educational in nature and do not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.