clancyc@icuddr.org

Dr. Clancy, PhD, RGN, RMN, PGCertHE, FPH, ICAP III, is the current ICUDDR-GCCC.Associate Director. She is the Dean Emeritus at the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, Middlesex University, London, UK. She earned her doctorate from St Georges Medical School, of London, UK, and is currently registered with the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) as a mental health and adult nurse and has over 30 years’ experience in delivering nursing education at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, including curriculum development, specifically in the area of addiction; and was the course developer of the first Masters in co-morbidity (dual diagnosis) in Europe. In 2014 with funding from Health Education England, Dr. Clancy established My Care Academy – a knowledge building community in partnership with Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust and Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust, and is currently the Project Director. Between 2020-2023 Carmel held the office of President of the International Nurses Society on Addiction (IntNSA). Dr Clancy was appointed as the Chair of the Research Advisory Panel (RAP) in 2022 for a new Universities UK (UUK) Task Force on Student Drug Use. This Taskforce was set up to help universities understand and address drug-use and is due to publish evidence-led sector guidance – developed with students, staff, and wider stakeholders – including recommendations that are firmly based on harm reduction, in the summer of 2024. She has written extensively in this area and in 2017 co-chaired a Public Health England working group on the nurses’ role in the treatment and recovery addiction pathways. Dr. Clancy has also served as a Member of the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD)(2002 -2011) – a Standing Committee which advises the UK Government on drug issues and policies. In 2015 in recognition of her contribution to addiction practice, she was awarded a Fellowship by Distinction and entered onto the membership register for the UK Faculty of Public Health. She has provided training to addiction professionals throughout the world and is a member of The International Society of Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Professionals (ISSUP) and holds credentials ICAP-III from the GCCC.

gunasekeras@icuddr.org

Samitha Gunasekera is Senior Program Officer for ICUDDR-GCCC. She started her career with Colombo Plan as a Programme Secretary of the Programme for Public Administration and the Drug Advisory Programme from 1998 – 2009. In 2008, she was presented with “The Best Employee of the Year” award in recognition of her excellent service. Before joining the Global Centre for Credentialing and Certification (GCCC - formerly ICCE) as the Credentialing Programme Officer on 1 September 2014, she worked in different organizations, namely The Asian Development Bank, Sri Lanka Resident Mission, The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), Sri Lanka, and The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Sri Lanka. During her tenure with UNOCHA and UNDP, her responsibilities included liaising with various government ministries, departments and authorities to ensure the successful implementation of the different projects of the United Nations in Sri Lanka. At the GCCC, her primary responsibilities include coordinating with addiction professionals globally on the credentialing and certification process. In addition, she also coordinates with the GCCC Commission on matters related to credentialing and certification as well as Commission meetings held on a bi-annual basis. She was promoted as the Senior Programme Officer (Credentialing) of GCCC in 2022. Samitha believes that credentialing and certification contributes vastly to the professionalisation of the drug demand reduction workforce and endeavours to do her level best in contributing to the growth and development of the GCCC initiatives across the globe. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from the University College of Dublin, Ireland and Masters of Science in Project Management from Asia-e-University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

beckera@icuddr.org

Ashley Becker, MPA is a Program Officer for ICUDDR-GCCC. She is an accomplished nonprofit professional with over 13 years of experience working in international and local nonprofits. She has focused on Data and Donor Relationship Management and utilized multiple digital platforms to further the overall mission and development of the organizations. Mrs. Becker received a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, with a Masters Certificate in International Policy, from Clemson University, and a BA in Journalism/Broadcasting with an emphasis in Public Relations from Oklahoma State University. She is currently supporting the Colombo Plan in Sri Lanka as one of the Programme Officers for the Global Centre for Credentialing and Certification (GCCC), formerly ICCE, promoting a professionalized workforce to reduce the demand for alcohol and other drugs. She is primarily responsible for the online curriculum development, online application portal/database development/maintenance, website development, monitoring & maintenance coordination and the overall online presence/promotion of the GCCC’s global mission. She also participates in all other credentialing activities as needed within the team.

parks@icuddr.org

Sungjoo Park, MPH is a Program Officer for ICUDDR-GCCC. He interned for ICUDDR this past summer, and recently joined full-time in August 2024. He has a master's degree in Public Health with a concentration in Global Health from George Mason University. He also has a dual Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Human Development from Virginia Tech. Prior to his current role, he has had clinical experience in a pediatric primary care setting as a Medical Assistant. Sungjoo currently lives in Northern Virginia about 20 minutes from Washington, D.C. in the U.S.