Previous Work Experience
Before joining the University of Maryland, College Park full-time, Dwayne served as Supervisor and Team Lead for the Peer Recovery Coaches on the SBIRT team in the Emergency Department at the University of Maryland Midtown Campus. He was recruited in 2017 as part of the core group that launched the SBIRT program due to his proven ability to engage patients and his reputation for excellence at Powell Recovery Center, where he worked as a Direct Care Coordinator.
Under Dwayne’s leadership, the SBIRT team transformed emergency department culture and achieved the highest documented number of linkages to treatment of any emergency department in the country: over 3,500 linkages to substance use and mental health treatment, including 1,256 linkages in 2019 alone.
Dwayne has also served as a Direct Care Coordinator for a Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program, where he developed and facilitated a “Life Skills” curriculum. He worked with Project Connection in partnership with the Behavioral Health Leadership Institute to promote harm reduction and overdose prevention among returning citizens released from the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Facility.
Invited Talks
Dwayne was invited as a featured guest speaker by the American Case Management Association to present at their 2018 Conference on Trauma-Informed Care and Social Determinants of Health. His talk, “The Magic of the Peer Recovery Coaches in the Emergency Department,” highlighted the transformative impact of peer recovery support in acute care settings.
He has also been invited to speak at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he presented to more than 100 undergraduate students on the role and effectiveness of peer recovery specialists within a Recovery-Oriented System of Care. Dwayne has constantly advocated for people with lived experiences and those they serve, therefore he has been invited to present at workshops for over a dozen conferences.
Research Contributions
Dwayne has played key roles in multiple peer-delivered research initiatives and has co-authored several research products. His work includes poster presentations at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Annual Convention and published abstracts in the Addiction Health Services Research Conference.
He is a co-author on a peer-reviewed manuscript published in PLoS ONE and has been featured in The Washington Post, Case Management Monthly, and Pew Trusts for his leadership and impact on the Peer Recovery Movement.
Certifications
Dwayne Dean is an Internationally Certified Peer Recovery Specialist through the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium. He is also a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist and Registered Peer Supervisor through the Maryland Addictions and Behavioral Health Professional Certification Board. In addition, Dwayne is a Recovery Coach Professional Facilitator and is credentialed by the International Association for Recovery Coach Professionals to teach multiple domains within the Peer Recovery Coach Certification curriculum.
Dwayne’s depth of training, extensive certifications, and strong reputation mean that he is frequently sought after at both the state and national levels to provide training, consultation, and leadership on peer recovery initiatives.
Awards and Honors
Dwayne has been in long-term recovery since October 14, 2013. He was recognized by the State of Maryland and the Behavioral Health Administration with The Carroll Conquest Outstanding Leadership Award for his exceptional leadership, mentoring, and advocacy. He was the second person ever to receive this honor.
In 2018, Dwayne received a Governor’s Citation from Governor Larry Hogan for his leadership and advocacy to combat the opioid crisis in Maryland through peer recovery support.
During his tenure at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, he was selected as Employee of the Quarter twice consecutively and later received both the 2019 Employee of Excellence Award and the 2019 Employee of the Year Award.
Current Work
Dwayne currently serves as a Peer Supervisor, Trainer, and Interventionist for the GMAP and Cesar research teams at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he is also a faculty member. Since joining the team in 2018, he has been an essential contributor to securing and implementing research funding focused on peer-delivered intervention efforts.
He recently co-authored a published paper based on a prior GMAP intervention study, in which he served as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist and interventionist delivering a community-based peer recovery coach model to underserved minority individuals not engaged in substance use treatment at a community outreach center in Southwest Baltimore.
Dwayne is also contributing to a current National Institutes of Health-funded project evaluating a peer recovery coach-delivered behavioral activation model designed to promote treatment retention among individuals receiving medication for opioid use disorder.
Advisory Boards
Dwayne has served on several advisory boards, including:
Adjunct Facilitator
Adjunct Facilitator
