MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Weston Kensinger, associate teaching professor of biobehavioral health and director of the Douglas W. Pollock Center for Addiction Outreach and Research at Penn State Harrisburg, has been appointed to serve on the Pennsylvania Advisory Council on Substance Use.

Kensinger was appointed to the council in late 2022 by former Gov. Tom Wolf. The advisory council meets six times a year and advises the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs on a variety of issues in Pennsylvania, including treatment and prevention of drug and alcohol abuse and dependency problems, data collection, and funding priorities.

"It's a privilege to be appointed by Gov. Wolf to serve as one of nine members on the Pennsylvania Advisory Council on Substance Use for the next three years,” Kensinger said. “This appointment will allow me to use my training, experiences and expertise in the field of substance use disorder (SUD) to advise the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs on the state plan, assistance with establishing funding priorities and allocation of funding, and policy. I look forward to working with the department and my colleagues on the advisory council and working to improve SUD-related outcomes for the residents of Pennsylvania."

As director of the Pollock Center, Kensinger oversees and manages an endowment of $2.5 million, which provides training, resources and tools to community-based organizations and veterans throughout Pennsylvania. His team at the center is focused on various projects that marry community outreach and evidenced-based research to provide tangible outcomes in the area of substance use disorder.

He also instructs courses and advises students studying health education and biobehavioral health, and he serves on numerous college and University-level committees.