Drug & Poison Information Center (DPIC)
The Drug & Poison Information Center (DPIC) is committed to reducing the incidence and severity of poisoning injury through early intervention, treatment, education, and research. To accomplish this mission, DPIC provides 24/7 hotline support to 5.8 million Ohioans within 24 counties at no cost to the caller. The helpline also supports questions regarding medications, household safety, and a wide variety of other topics. It doesn’t need to be an emergency to call the poison control helpline.
Poison control centers are our nation’s primary defense against injury and death from poisonings. Ohio’s poison centers respond to a toxic or venomous exposure roughly every 5 minutes. Poisonings involve all age groups and just about anything that can be found in our surrounding environments. In most poisoning situations, DPIC is able to effectively prevent or reduce the need for medical care and hospitalization. This vital service saves Ohioans over 60 million dollars in unnecessary healthcare spending every year.
Shan Yin MD, MPH
Shan Yin is an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine. He currently serves as the medical director of the Cincinnati Drug and Poison Center, one of 55 regional poison centers in the US. He is also a faculty member in the division of emergency medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. His research interest includes child abuse via medication administration.
He graduated from Dartmouth College and then received his MPH from the University of Michigan. In 2001, he graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He finished his general pediatrics residency training at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in 2004. He then went on to complete a pediatric emergency medicine fellowship at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago and most recently completed a medical toxicology fellowship in 2010 at the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center in Denver, CO.
Jonathan Colvin RN, MS, CSPI
Jonathan Colvin has expertise in the fields of toxicology, occupational medicine, and public health. Mr. Colvin is technically versed in quality improvement science, public health surveillance and emergency response planning. He is currently the Managing Director of the Drug & Poison Information Center (DPIC), a division of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, with over 20 years’ professional experience supporting poison control and public health programs in a variety of roles. He maintains professional certifications in clinical research, toxicology, and quality improvement science.
Alysha Behrman RN, MSN, CSPI, OCPC
Alysha Behrman is a Manager with the Cincinnati Drug and Poison Information Center (DPIC), a division of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Ms. Behrman has over 25 years of experience in drug information, overdose, drug abuse outreach and prevention, teaching, research and leadership. Ms. Behrman has supported DPIC in a variety of administrative and clinical roles including toxicology, occupational medicine, public health, higher education, medical communication, emergency response and quality improvement science. Ms. Behrman obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at the University of Cincinnati, Master of Science in Nursing Education (MSN) at Indiana Wesleyan University and is professionally certified in toxicology and prevention. In addition, Ms. Behrman holds an adjunct faculty position with the University of Cincinnati, College of Nursing.
Sheila Goertemoeller, PharmD, D.ABAT, OCPC
Sheila Goertemoeller is a Pharmacist and Clinical Toxicologist at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Drug and Poison Information Center (DPIC). She has been with DPIC since 1995. She is a board-certified Diplomate of the American Board of Applied Toxicology (DABAT). She graduated with her Bachelor’s in pharmacy in 1998 from the University of Cincinnati and Doctorate in Pharmacy in 2012 from the Shenandoah University. She has experience in FDA medwatch reporting, EPA toxicosurveillance, and nicotine dependence cessation. She is board certified as a Drug Abuse Prevention Specialist and in Emergency Management Response to Chemical and Biological Warfare. She consults for the DPIC 24/7 emergency hotline managing poisonings for half the population of Ohio. She is the department clinical educator involved in training, developing toxicology monographs, and ensuring quality assurance initiatives are in place to provide a quality emergency service. She has published toxicological research projects, papers, abstracts, newsletters, and blogs. She has done outreach including television, radio interviews and podcast episodes.
Julia Conroy
Julia is a Community Health Engagement Specialist with the Drug and Poison Information Center (DPIC) at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Julia completed her bachelor’s degree in speech communication and public relations at Miami University of Ohio in 2003. Julia has a wide range of experience in communication, community health partnerships, event planning, and quality improvement science. She is responsible for community education and outreach to raise awareness of poison control services in Southwest and Northeast Ohio.
Jewel A. Sisk
Jewel A. Sisk is a program coordinator who has provided administrative support to the Drug & Poison Information Center for over the past 20 years. She has been involved with planning of many outreach events and projects with the pleasure of networking through the local community and is currently seeking a prevention specialist certification.