Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Symposium

Featured Speaker: Mae Reale

Mae Reale is Health Education Specialist at the PA Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She has the pleasure of working with advocates from 59 domestic violence programs, who provide service to all 67 counties in the Commonwealth, to help them connect with a wide variety of healthcare providers, to ensure those providers have the tools they need to respond to people who have experienced domestic violence in all its forms. Mae works with state-level organizations to promote safe, trauma-informed responses to survivors of domestic violence. Mae is one of the co-chairs of Pennsylvania’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee. She is a member of the Plans of Safe Care Core Team, HEAL PA, Pennsylvania’s Perinatal Action Committee, the Central PA Maternal Health Coalition and the Early Child Comprehensive Systems Advisory Board. She earned her Master’s degree in Adult and Community Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Featured Speaker: Vinit Manuel, MD

Dr. Manuel is a neonatal-perinatal pediatrician in Pittsburgh, PA. He is affiliated with medical facilities West Penn Hospital and AHN Wexford Hospital.

Featured Speaker: Dr. Sara Mills-Huffnagle

Dr. Sara Mills-Huffnagle is a PhD-trained translational neuroscientist with a unique professional trajectory spanning frontline social work, clinical addiction research, and preclinical science. Beginning her career as an adoption social worker, she transitioned into clinical research, where she worked extensively with adult substance use disorders, peer recovery support services, and digital therapeutics. Her work in this space has been heavily published and centers on collaborating with addiction providers and physicians to optimize real-world recovery ecosystems. Driven by a desire to understand the biological mechanisms underlying familial addiction, Dr. Mills-Huffnagle pursued her doctorate through the dual-title Neuroscience and Clinical and Translational Sciences program at the Penn State College of Medicine. Her doctoral research focused primarily on preclinical in vivo models of Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) - specifically investigating withdrawal symptoms, inflammation, cognitive outcomes, and non-opioid drug-repurposing strategies. By bridging frontline clinical experience with rigorous preclinical insights, Dr. Mills-Huffnagle provides a comprehensive, translational perspective aimed at improving evidence-based outcomes for families impacted by substance use disorders.

PANEL DISCUSSION

Question and answers from a panel of individuals sharing their lived experience of parenting in recovery.