The virtual Cannabis Center of Excellence

The Virtual Cannabis Center of Excellence, INC. (CCOE, INC.) is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization that conducts citizen-science focused population studies and programs in the areas of community engagement, medical cannabis, adult-use cannabis, and social justice in the cannabis industry. The CCOE serves as a virtual resource & network of cannabis industry professionals, academics, policy makers, healthcare providers, consumers, and patients who aim to break the stigma and advance social justice in the cannabis industry.

Dr. Marion mcnabb

President, Cannabis Center of Excellence, INC
Co-Founder of Cannabis Community Care and Research Network (C3RN), Digital, Cannabis and Global Health Infectious Disease Researcher and Practitioner

DJ Ritter

Cannabis Research Data and Program Analyst
We fight for cannabis access, rights, and social justice by providing a platform for citizens to engage their voices using citizen-science research methods and open data to drive change at all levels of the cannabis industry. ​

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Cannabis Center of excellence, inc
​Community research advisory board

Community Research Advisory Board Members help the CCOE to: 
  • Work and communicate with groups, organizations, advisory boards, individuals and stakeholders in the community to identify community research and education priorities.
  • Guide the development of an open dataset available for future access to anon cannabis data.
  • Increase awareness for the role that research and education can play in solving cannabis medical, adult use and social justice needs.
  • Emphasizes the importance of increasing health equity and supporting inclusivity in research studies and educational programs.

Dr. Staci Gruber 
​mcLean Hospital - harvard
​Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) program

Senior Research Advisor
Staci Gruber, PhD, is the director of the Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Core and director of the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) program at McLean Hospital. She is an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Her research focuses on the application of neurocognitive models and neuroimaging to better characterize risk factors for substance misuse and psychiatric conditions.
Dr. Gruber has been studying the impact of marijuana on the brain using neurocognitive, clinical and diagnostic assessments, and multimodal brain imaging techniques. She has worked to educate policymakers and the general public about the neurobiologic differences between adults and adolescents as well as additional factors that contribute to the impact of marijuana on the brain. In 2014, Dr. Gruber launched MIND, the first program of its kind designed to clarify the specific effects of medical marijuana use on a number of outcome measures.

Professor dr. Stephen White
​Umass dartmouth
​charlton college of business

Senior Research Advisor 
Dr. White has been a professor of marketing & international business at the Charlton College of Business since 1998. From January 2006 through May 2010, he served as chairperson of the department of management and marketing in the Charlton College of Business and from June 2010 through June 2012, as director of the university's sustainability studies program during which time the university’s graduate certificate in sustainable development was developed and launched.  Since 2000, he has co-organized and guided 200+ students on alternative spring break task force missions to 24 cities in 15 countries (Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Costa Rica, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Portugal (including Azores) and Spain). Additionally, he has co-organized and guided trade missions in partnership with the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment (MOITI).

jennifer gaskin
E&B Greenery

Senior Advisor for Research and Social Justice
Jennifer Gaskin is a MS (Multiple Sclerosis) survivor who has used medical marijuana to transform her struggle with this auto-immune disease. She is the Founder and CEO of E&B Greenery based in Worcester, MA. By using marijuana instead of heavy pharmaceuticals, Jennifer has effectively managed the pain, depression, and insomnia characteristic of MS. Her vision is that E&B Greenery will help inspire others to end or ease chronic pain through medical marijuana.
Jennifer has over 15 years of experience in patient safety, efficiency, and compliance through her work on the pharmaceutical industry. She has successfully build and executed multi-faceted clinical research protocols both in academic and industry settings. Jennifer is a Master Herbalist and the founder of the Worcester Caribbean American Carnival Association (WCACA).

Dr. Peter Grinspoon
Mass General Hospital 

Senior Clinical Advisor​
Peter Grinspoon, M.D. is the author of the memoir Free Refills: A Doctor Confronts His Addiction. He currently practices as a primary care physician at an inner-city clinic in Boston and is on staff at Massachusetts General Hospital. He teaches medicine at Harvard Medical School. He spent two years as an Associate Director for the Physician Health Service, part of the Massachusetts Medical Society, working with physicians who suffer from substance use disorders.

Dr. Grinspoon graduated with honors in philosophy from Swarthmore College. Before medical school, he spent five years as a Campaign Director at Greenpeace, working on the nuclear free seas campaign. He attended medical school at Boston University School of Medicine. His internship and residency were in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Today he is proudly 10 years clean. He lives in Newton, MA with his wife Liz Grinspoon, and his blended family.

Kim Napoli, Esq

Senior Advisor for Research and Social Justice
Kim Napoli is the ​Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Affairs at Parallel. Kim served as the Director of Outreach for the successful Yes on 4 Campaign to Regulate and Tax Marijuana in Massachusetts in 2016. Now, as a Massachusetts Cannabis Advisory Board member, Kim helps develop and deliver messaging regarding social justice and equality in the Massachusetts cannabis industry in order to support and bolster equity in ownership amongst disparately impacted communities such as her own.

Randy MacCaffrie

Senior Cannabis Community Advisor
Randy MacCaffrie co-founded Cannabis Community Care and Research Network (C3RN) with Dr. McNabb in 2017. Randy serves as a strategic advisor community board member to the Cannabis Center of Excellence, INC in the areas of cannabis community engagement, and strategic innovation in community involvement in citizen-science. Randy is currently a lead of 420deals.club, a web platform that engages and provides marketing support for cannabis businesses of all types. Randy has over 20 years of experience in cannabis advocacy, education, and community leadership. Randy is a skilled craftsman by trade and also currently consults with the cannabis industry in the areas of licensure and construction build-out.

Grant smith ellis

Medical Cannabis Patient and Research Advisor
Grant Smith Ellis is a disabled former graduate student who currently engages with the community as a medical cannabis patient advocate and reporter. Grant was studying political philosophy at Boston College (where he was a Double Eagle) in 2014 when he fell seriously disabled following complications from a surgery. After falling disabled, Grant was introduced to cannabis by his doctor following an 18 month period wherein he was in and out of the hospital. As a result of his positive experiences with medical cannabis, Grant has become involved with grassroots cannabis activism through the local podcast The Young Jurks. His reporting also appears in the local weekly paper DigBoston and on midnightmass.substack.com. Fundamentally, Grant believes the point of grassroots activism or journalism is to ward off public sector malfeasance by corrupt corporate interests. As Grant's favorite adage explains; "journalism is printing what someone else wants to keep hidden; everything else is public relations"."

Liz Grinspoon

Senior Data and Research Advisor

Liz Grinspoon is the Data Scientist for the Laboratory for Brain and Cognitive Health Technology at McLean Hospital. She earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Manufacturing Engineering from Boston University. Her Ph.D. research involved mathematical modeling, stochastic optimization, and simulation applied to manufacturing systems with significant setup times. Dr. Grinspoon has worked at a number of software companies including Oracle, i2 Technologies (acquired by JDA), Blue Agave Software (acquired by i2 Technologies), Dell, having a variety of roles and responsibilities including software engineering, technical consulting, and software system architecting.

Sam Milton

Sam Milton is a lifelong advocate for meaningful public policies and forward-thinking business strategies that work to improve the human condition, particularly at the intersection of development and environmental sustainability.  As Principal of Climate Resources Group (CRG), a New England-based consulting firm with a focus on identifying business solutions at the intersection of climate and energy, Sam works with the cannabis industry through CRG’s grower advisory service, Enlighten Your Grow. In this work, Sam and his team guide cannabis cultivation facility developers and operators on approaches to optimize their grow operations and on strategies to incorporate sustainability principles into all aspects of their business. Sam has been active in cannabis and energy policy across New England, including serving as policy advisor to the Resource Innovation Institute, a national not-for-profit organization that champions energy efficiency best practices for data, policy and operations for the cannabis industry.

derrell black

Senior Research and Medical Cannabis Advisor
Derrell Black is the Chapter President of Minorities for Medical Marijuana, Inc. (“M4MM”), a nonprofit organization that represents the interests of historically marginalized groups in the Hemp and Marijuana industries.

Derrell has an astounding work ethic. He has been working since he was 15 years old. He has over 15 years of customer service experience and over 10 years of management experience. In addition, his charismatic personality coupled with his professional experience have imbued him with impeccable people skills.

Growing up in Boston, Derrell was able to directly witness the devastating effects that the cruel crusade on cannabis produced in his community. Knowing that he could not stand idly by and watch the emerging industry thrust the interests of blacks and minorities into the shadows of obscurity, he took action and launched his first business, Black’s Canna Consulting. The company’s mission is to help those who were most harmed by the war on drugs navigate the emerging legal marijuana landscape.

Derrell is passionate about educating Black people and minorities on cannabis and does so by developing advocacy, education, and marketing campaigns to promote awareness, information, and education about the efficacy of cannabis and the viability of hemp. Derrell is committed to raising youth awareness and continuing to develop an equitable cannabis industry.

Derrell has been a part of M4MM since October 2018.  Since then, he has been expanding the organization and leaving his imprint in Massachusetts at a rapid pace. He is a champion for community collaborations and has partnered with Kush Groove smoke shop on their community outreach efforts in Roxbury. In addition, Derrell created Let’s Talk Weed Outreach Meetings, with the first meeting covering economic empowerment opportunities, Massachusetts marijuana laws and regulations, and social equity. Continuing his legacy of community partnerships, Derrell partnered with the co-founder of Two Buds, Grover Daniels, to host the second, third and fourth Let’s Talk Weed Meetings. These meetings respectively discussed business valuations and taxation and fees and Host Community Agreements. 

Due to his immense knowledge and experience in the industry, Derrell has become a regular speaker at cannabis industry events. Derrell has spoken at the New England Real Estate Journal Cannabis in CRE 2019 and NECANN Springfield 2019. As a result of Derrell speaking at NECANN Springfield, he was featured in the Middletown Press published by Ken Dixon. In addition, he was able to cultivate an amazing relationship with Elevate NorthEast while attending their Cultivation Seminar, and, as a result, he has made M4MM a community leader in all of Elevate’s Community Conversation Series.

In November 2019, M4MM partnered with MCR Labs and MRCC to host a career fair in the disproportionately impacted community of Roxbury. In December he finished the year with a visit to MJBIZCON Las Vegas where M4MM won nonprofit organization of the year for two consecutive years.

Derrell Black has been honored as one of the 65 outstanding Black and Hispanic Men leading in cannabis, a write up published by Dasheeda Dawson, CEO of The Weedhead Co. and has been featured on Yahoo Finance.

Stephen mandile

Stephen Mandile is a Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is the CEO and co-founder of United Mass Wellness, a Massachusetts retail cannabis business. Stephen volunteers as the Assistant Legislative Director for DAV Department of Massachusetts. Stephen provides education, services, support, advocacy and opportunities for and to veterans interested in utilizing alternative healing approaches and methodologies in treating ailments or conditions which affect them mentally, physically, emotionally, or psychologically thereby reducing the use of opiates and other pharmacological drugs used to suppress and temporarily manage pain, symptoms, and mental health concerns without stigma.

Alex

Citizen Science Researcher
Alex is a Ph.D. Candidate in the History, Anthropology, Science, Technology, and Society (HASTS) program at MIT. As an anthropologist, Alex studies the social and cultural aspects of cannabis legalization across North America, with a focus on how legalization efforts are offering unique opportunities to address intersecting issues of social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. Studying with and alongside farmers and activists across the continent, Alex studies in particular how and to what extent the legalization of cannabis is informing efforts towards more sustainable and anti-racist forms of agriculture, addressing both the challenges of climate change and the exclusionary, racialized history of North America’s agricultural systems. Alex’s dissertation features ethnographic, comparative case studies of different cannabis farming and market contexts, including California, Massachusetts, and Southern Ontario, providing a rich documentation and analysis of how different legalization regimes roll-out on the ground, and with what effects. Alex originally hails from Toronto, Canada with a B.A. in Anthropology from McMaster University and an M.A. in Social Anthropology from York University.

THANK YOU!

In 2019, Vicente Sederberg provided pro-bono legal assistance to establish the 501c3 non-profit Virtual Cannabis Center of Excellence, INC. 
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