Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
13 <br /> Page 1 of 2 David Colston <br /> Volunteer Application <br /> Orange County Advisory Boards and Commissions <br /> Name: Mr. David Colston <br /> Name Called: <br /> Home Address: 1319 Heron Pond Dr. <br /> Chapel Hill NC 27516 <br /> Phone: 734-355-1500 <br /> Email: dcolston@unc.edu <br /> Year of OC Residence: 2021 <br /> Township of Residence: Bingham <br /> Zone of Residence: County <br /> Gender Identity: Male <br /> Ethnic Background: White <br /> Age Range: 18-34 <br /> Community Activities/Organizational Memberships: <br /> Co-chair, opioid student research group Injury and Violence Prevention Fellow at UNC <br /> Injury Prevention Research Center PhD candidate, UNC Department of Health Behavior <br /> Past Service on Orange County Advisory Boards: <br /> This would be the first community activity I have engaged with as a resident of Orange <br /> County, though I have previously applied to be on the opioid advisory board. <br /> Boards/Commissions applied for: <br /> Opioid Advisory Committee <br /> Please explain how your background, education and experience is relevant to this board <br /> I am a current second-year PhD Student in Health Behavior at UNC-Chapel Hill, where I am <br /> helping to understand and guide the development of interventions related to substance use in <br /> rural, Southern Ohio. I hold a Masters in Public Health from the University of Michigan in Global <br /> Health Epidemiology, and an undergraduate degree in Public Administration (from Miami <br /> University in Oxford, Ohio). <br /> Please explain your reasons for wanting to serve on this board <br /> I have a demonstrated interest in reducing the burden of morbidity and mortality tied to <br /> substance use. I am excited at the prospect of working with an interdisciplinary group in Orange <br /> County to help form opioid-related policies and develop harm reduction strategies to make opioid <br /> use safer, and facilitate the linkage to treatment services for those who hope to begin their <br /> recovery process. <br /> How would your particpation on this board contribute to the diversity of viewpoints? <br /> While this would be the first advisory board I d be participating on, I feel I am uniquely positioned <br /> to contribute to the board as a researcher with degrees in Public Administration and <br /> Epidemiology, and experience working in the field of public health (specifically in the area of <br /> substance use). Further, I am a harm reduction advocate - my primary intention is to reduce the <br /> burden of overdose mortality, and a major piece of that is making substance use safer for those <br /> who are in active use and do not intend or are unable to enter the recovery process. I fully <br /> recognize this might differ from the perspective of others on the committee, and would greatly <br />