Our Cross-Sector & Clinical Consulting Team
Our team of consultants specializes in providing tailored implementation and program development support for organizations and communities working to reduce overdose deaths and increase access to care. We understand that cross-sector collaborations—whether between public health, law enforcement, social services, healthcare, or community-based organizations—can be complex and challenging. Differences in culture, priorities, and resources can create barriers that hinder effective partnership and collective impact.
This is where our team comes in. With deep expertise in both system-level change and the nuances of community-based health and justice work, we help organizations navigate these challenges. We specialize in designing and implementing strategies that foster collaboration, improve communication, and build trust across sectors. Our services include supporting initiatives such as deflection programs, where individuals at risk of overdose or criminal justice involvement are diverted to care instead of incarceration, as well as developing comprehensive, integrated approaches that address the full spectrum of needs for individuals and communities.
Amanda Singh Bans, MA, MSW, LCSW (she/her)
Amanda Singh Bans is a mixed-race, cisgender, AuDHD, queer woman of color with ancestral roots in Zacatecas and Chihuahua, Mexico; Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India; Germany; and England. A licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and DEI consultant based in Portland, Oregon, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, she is the founder of Resonance LLC, dedicated to fostering psychological safety in the workplace. Amanda brings extensive experience in trauma-informed relational therapy, supporting clients impacted by intimate partner violence, sexual trauma, narcissistic abuse, childhood abuse, ADHD, Autism, Complex PTSD, and racial trauma. Her work centers the intersection of race with other identities—such as gender, sexuality, class, and geography—and she is especially passionate about supporting multiracial and monoracial people of color navigating cultural dislocation. Through both individual and organizational work, Amanda helps create inclusive, emotionally resilient, and compassionate spaces where people feel seen, heard, and empowered.
Carolina Castañeda del Río, MS
Carolina Castañeda del Río is the founder and president of Evolve International, with over 14 years of experience in healthcare, diversity, equity, and inclusion. As an executive coach, consultant, and mental health professional, she specializes in socially conscious leadership development, focusing on empowering individuals—especially those impacted by disparities and social injustice—through strengthened systems and inclusive practices. A passionate advocate for health equity, Carolina has been actively involved with organizations such as the Latina Associates for Collaborative Engagement, the Health Equity Committee of the Oregon Health Policy Board, and the Southern Oregon Health Equity Coalition. Her work is driven by a commitment to transformative change and the creation of equitable environments that foster long-term, positive impact for underserved communities.
Karen Cellarius is a Senior Research Associate at the PSU Regional Research Institute, which is the research arm of the PSU School of Social Work. In that capacity, she also serves as the Director of the Human Services Implementation Lab (iLab), Co-Investigator for the Oregon Center for Excellence for Behavioral Health and Aging (OCEBHA), and Administrator for three statewide behavioral health initiatives: the Oregon Center of Excellence for Assertive Community Treatment (OCEACT), the Oregon Center of Excellence for Supported Employment (OSECE), and Oregon Campuses United for Suicide Prevention (OCUSP). Karen specializes in needs assessments, program evaluation, and system change with over 25 years’ experience, including serving as lead evaluator for over 20 federal grants awarded to community partners in the areas of behavioral health, overdose and suicide prevention, among others.
Karen Cellarius, MPA
Dr. Miriam Choate, MD, MPH
Dr. Miriam Choate is a board-certified family physician dedicated to providing comprehensive care for individuals and families across all stages of life. She holds a medical degree from Oregon Health & Science University and completed her residency at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. With a strong commitment to women’s health, newborn and well-child care, and lactation support, Dr. Choate prioritizes high-quality, well-coordinated care that empowers patients to take charge of their health. She fosters a collaborative, supportive environment, emphasizing careful listening and open communication. Fluent in Spanish and originally from Decatur, Georgia, Dr. Choate now lives in Oregon, where she enjoys cooking, gardening, hiking, and traveling with her family.
Elissa Denton is a clinician, coach, and consultant who believes that once we learn to see things differently, we can’t help but do differently. She supports individuals in recognizing and changing patterns, helps professionals and leaders bridge the gap between their present and desired future, and guides organizations in optimizing how they support their most valuable asset: people. Elissa created Centerpoint’s Leadership Foundations Series for emerging leaders and consults with frontline agencies, such as fire districts and healthcare systems, to enhance mental health and resilience. Her expertise has supported those facing critical incidents, including ICU workers during COVID-19 and U.S. Capitol staff after the January 6th attack. Known for catalyzing powerful breakthroughs, Elissa’s clients often express profound transformation through her work. A mother of two toddlers, she balances professional passion with family adventures, from biking and cooking to cross-country road trips.
Elissa Denton, LCSW
Dr. Kerri Hecox is Medical Director of the Oasis Center of the Rogue Valley in Medford. A Board-Certified Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine specialist, Dr. Hecox obtained her MD from the University of Colorado, and her Masters of Public Health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Dr. Hecox has specialized in Child Abuse Pediatrics, Substance Abuse Disorders, with a focus on underserved communities in the Rogue Valley, since 2005. She is a recipient of the Rogue Valley Child Advocate of the year, and Doctor-Citizen of the Year Award of the Oregon Medical Society.
Kerri Hecox, MD, MPH
Jeremy Hubbard, MSCJ, CADC-R
Jeremy Hubbard is the owner and founder of Liminal Justice Consulting LLC, where he leads innovative efforts to bridge the gap between criminal justice and behavioral health systems. With a background as a Senior Deputy Parole & Probation Officer and Community Health Director, Jeremy has extensive experience in criminal justice administration, rehabilitative justice, substance use recovery, care coordination, and other evidence-based practices. He is a recognized leader in advancing the integration of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) within justice-involved populations and has played a pivotal role in the Southern Oregon Community MAT Network and the Statewide Naloxone Workgroup. Jeremy’s expertise also spans harm reduction, peer support programs, and multi-disciplinary team development, with a particular focus on improving outcomes for marginalized populations.
DR. Nadejda Razi Robertson, PhD, LCSW
Dr. Nadejda Razi Robertson is passionate about supporting teams to address burnout through education and coaching. Her unique approach is focused on humanizing operational challenges and teaching professionals how to utilize the stressors inherent in their work lives as opportunities for healing, growth, and culture change. Nadejda provides leadership coaching on how to support trauma-impacted teams and treatment support for trauma-impacted teams, including frontline medical staff and wildfire first and second responders. She provided this coaching and support to those directly impacted by the U.S. Capitol January 6th Insurrection. Nadejda works in private practice as a therapist and clinical supervisor. Nadejda is the Managing Director of Synergy Health Consulting, an organization dedicated to providing tailored implementation and program development support for organizations and communities working to reduce overdose deaths and increase access to care.
Nora Stern is a nationally recognized leader in pain care with over 25 years of experience in treatment, education, and clinical practice transformation. As Clinical Program Manager for Pain Education at Providence Health & Services in Oregon, she pioneered innovative strategies for improving pain care and opioid stewardship across ambulatory and acute settings. Nora developed the Providence Pain Toolkit—the first comprehensive set of pain education tools for primary care—featuring videos, classes, and written materials that standardize messaging and enhance clinical efficiency. In alignment with Joint Commission standards on pain and opioid safety, she led initiatives to implement non-pharmacological pain care guidelines, trained nursing staff, and redesigned the pre-operative Total Joint Patient Education program. She also co-developed the Providence Comprehensive Pain Service, a multidisciplinary model integrated with the primary care medical home. Nora currently chairs the Oregon State Pain Management Commission and is a principal author of the Oregon Health Authority’s pain education module and associated patient tools. She has held leadership roles on multiple state and regional task forces addressing chronic pain and opioid safety and is widely respected as a dynamic, cross-disciplinary speaker.
Nora Stern, PT, MS
DR. Andrew Suchocki, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Dr. Andrew Suchocki is Oregon Primary Care Association’s president-elect and a family physician specializing in preventive and addiction medicine. He has worked in underserved medicine with a focus on chronic pain and addiction for ten years and has been a medical director at an FQHC in the Portland, Oregon region for the past five years. Andrew provides educational outreach and consultation in the areas of system change in primary care around opiate prescribing, MAT system design and capacity growth, coordinated specialty care, and reducing risk. Dr. Suchocki is an Oregon Opioid Prescribing Guidelines Task Force member and Oregon Medical Board consultant. He has collaborated with and spoken to numerous groups throughout Oregon and the region. He provides technical support and academic detailing for the Oregon Psychiatric Assistance Line (OPAL), which provides immediate referral sources for primary care. Dr. Suchocki also provides strategic planning, creation of innovative clinical decision support tools, physician mentoring, and health system process mapping for Yamhill County Health and Human Services, Community Corrections and Specialty Behavioral Health. He is a regular presenter at national and international pain-related conferences.
Denise Acker is an experienced strategy and operations consultant with a strong background in coordination, communications, public health, and multi-disciplinary collaboration. With extensive experience working across counties in Oregon, Denise played a pivotal role in collaboratively developing the state’s opioid crisis response plan and facilitating multiple coordinated public health efforts aimed at addressing the complex challenges of social determinants of health, trauma, and substance use. Denise’s living experience as a complex trauma survivor drives her passion to address stigma in community and organizational settings while advocating for vulnerable populations impacted by intergenerational poverty, gender discrimination, racism, ableism, and lack of access to vital resources including food, housing, transportation, education, and nurturing relationships.
Denise Acker
Synergy Founding Members
Dr. Jim Shames has lived and practiced in Southern Oregon since 1973. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine as well as Addiction Medicine. He was the founding physician and Medical Director of the Siskiyou Community Health Center in Josephine County, and also worked for La Clinica in Jackson County during its founding years. He served as the Medical Director of Allied Health Services from 1990-2017 providing Medication Assisted Therapy for individuals with opioid use disorder. He was the Medical Director and Health Officer for Jackson County from 2002 - 2021. In response to the growing epidemic of opioid overdoses (prescription pills and heroin), Dr. Shames was instrumental in the formation of Oregon Pain Guidance (OPG - formerly Opioid Prescribers Group) which is a collaboration of healthcare providers in Southern Oregon that facilitate the appropriate and safe treatment of chronic pain and opioid use disorder. The OPG has created guidelines for safe prescribing as well as having created a website for both professionals and the public (www.oregonpainguidance.org). Dr. Shames has been on a number of OHA task forces to create Oregon Prescribing Guidelines, perinatal guidelines, acute prescribing guidelines, and tapering guidelines. He is currently appointed to the Governor’s Opioid Epidemic Task Force. Dr. Shames is an opioid crisis subject matter expert who has presented for the following organizations: The FBI, Oregon Medical Association, Oregon Medical Board, OPAT, Oregon Epidemiology Conference, Oregon Board of Pharmacy, Oregon Physician Assistant Association, OHSU, various regional Opioid Summits around the State, Oregon Association of Drug Courts. In 2012, Dr. Shames was awarded the Doctor–Citizen of the Year Award by the Oregon Medical Association for this work.
Dr. Jim Shames, MD
Laura is the founder of The Center for Health and Well-Being, LLC and a seasoned clinical social worker specializing in behavioral health integration. She consults, mentors, and supervises across the Pacific Northwest, with a focus on embedding behavioral health in primary care. Laura has worked extensively with Oregon’s Coordinated Care Organizations, helping shape integrated care and payment models. As a consultant with Comagine Health, she supports Nurture Oregon organizations with technical guidance and strategic leadership. Her career has focused on advancing programs in pain management and integrated care delivery.
Laura Heesacker, LCSW
Michelle Marikos is the Founder and CEO of Moving Through Chronic Pain and an Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Educational Programming. Her journey began after a devastating fall at age 20 that left her with three crushed vertebrae and a decade of debilitating chronic pain. Initially treated with opioids and sedatives without her input, Michelle developed a dependency that limited her treatment options. She eventually found hope and healing through the Mayo Pain Rehabilitation Clinic, where she learned to manage pain through behavior-based pain science rather than medication. Inspired by her recovery, she became a certified Peer Support Specialist in Oregon and launched Moving Through Chronic Pain in 2013. Her organization helps patients and providers manage chronic pain through evidence-based, skill-building practices that foster connection and self-efficacy. Michelle leads educational workshops, including the Emmy Award-winning PEER™ Method Program, which has reached over 50,000 providers, and her Patient PEER™ Program continues to empower thousands living with chronic pain.
Michelle Marikos, PSS
Simon Parker Shames, MPH
Simon is the Senior Data Strategy Director at Oregon Primary Care Association (OPCA) and founder of Oregon Health Informatics. At OPCA he oversees the implementation of the ORCA (Oregon Community Health Analytics) Statewide data platform, supporting community health centers in value-based care and health equity advocacy, in collaboration with Arcadia analytics, FQHCs, CCOs, and the State. Simon is a Health Informatics and Data Consultant for Synergy, providing guidance and coaching on EHR tool implementation strategies, in-house data collection, and planning for AI capabilities. He has extensive experience working with EHRs, data analysis, and medical IT, with a public health lens. He has particular expertise in assisting the implementation of simple EHR tools to support opioid management in primary care settings. Simon began his career as a dual Medical Assistant/EMR Support specialist. In his work, he attempts to integrate the perspectives of clinicians, IT, data, and process improvement for the purpose of improving population health. He has developed both very simple templates and complex software solutions to help practices monitor and track opioid prescribing practices over time.
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