International Handbook on Adolescent Health and Development ― The Public Health Response

Mary E. Dillon, EdD, MSW, has been working in the social services field since the late 1980s, during which time she began working with homeless women and children. Her interest in women's issues led to her working as the executive director of a non-profit after-school program for high-at-risk adolescent girls and their families located in inner-city Miami, Florida. Her research and interest in drug and alcohol abuse and teen pregnancy led to two book chapters in 2001 and 2002 entitled "Adolescent and Teen Pregnancy: A Global View" and "Abuse of Alcohol and Other Drugs: A Global View." From 2003 to 2008, Dr. Dillon was an associate evaluator on the OU Oklahoma Co-occurring State Incentive Grant, a SAMSHA-funded program. Her primary focus of research is on women who present with the co-occurring disorders of mental health and substance abuse. While in Oklahoma, she was an adjunct professor in the University of Oklahoma School of Social Work in Tulsa. Dr. Dillon co--authored a book entitled Social Work Practice: Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published in 2010. In 2014, she was co-editor of a book entitled International Handbook of Adolescent Pregnancy: Medical, Psychosocial, and Public Health Responses. Since 2011, she has held the position of lecturer at University of Central Florida, School of Social Work in Orlando.

Andrew L. Cherry, DSW, has been working in the helping professions since 1969. He previously worked as a psychiatric social worker at Bryce Hospital (a mental hospital) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Between 2003 and 2014, he has held the position of the Oklahoma Medicaid Endowed Professor of Mental Health at the University of Oklahoma School Of Social Work in Tulsa. Professor Cherry conducts research and evaluations in the areas of co-occurring disorders, addiction, social services to children and families, and the influence of social bonds on human behavior. He has authored 18 books and chapters, numerous professional journal articles, and conference presentations. His most recent book, co-authored with Mary Dillon and published in 2014, is titled, International Handbook of Adolescent Pregnancy: Medical, Psychosocial, and Public Health Responses.

Valentina Baltag, MD, MSc, PhD, is responsible for Adolescent Health Policies, Planning and Programmes in the Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health at the Headquarters of the World Health Organization. She is a strong advocate of adolescents' rights to quality health care services and protective social policies. Dr. Baltag's work focuses on supporting Member States to develop and implement comprehensive policies that address adolescent health from a life-course perspective and include a focus on main areas of concern such as sexual and reproductive health, mental health, nutrition, violence, etc.?Dr. Baltag is a medical doctor and holds a PhD from the Medical University in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova and an MSc in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She authored publications on primary care organization, quality of care, school health services, and preconception care.