Clinical Professor
Associate Dean for Professional Practice
Department
Department of Health Behavior and Clinical Sciences
Contact
University of Michigan School of Nursing
400 North Ingalls Building
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5482
In the News
Mar. 27, 2024: Bridge Michigan "Fighting Michigan's opioid crisis with new needles, purer drugs, respect for addicts"
Sep. 8, 2023: Bridge Michigan "More over-the-counter Narcan to hit Michigan shelves amid opioid epidemic"
Aug. 8, 2023: CBS News Detroit "UM, Zingerman's partner to train restaurant employees on how to prevent overdose deaths"
Sep. 30, 2022: Detroit Free Press "Xylazine, the newest killer street drug in Michigan: What you need to know"
Aug. 4, 2022: Time "Narcan Can Save an Opioid User's Life. What to Know About the Drug"
Apr. 29, 2022: MLive "Barriers to getting overdose-reversing drugs remain, University of Michigan study finds"
Interests
Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution
Post-overdose responses utilizing peers
Community engaged research
Developing and testing clinically relevant interventions
Substance use education
The opioid epidemic remains one of the most pressing public health crises, claiming more lives annually than motor vehicle accidents and profoundly impacting all sectors of society. Yet, opioid overdose is a preventable cause of death through timely administration of naloxone. Guided by community-engaged research principles, Dr. Dahlem's program of research aims to reduce opioid-related morbidity and mortality by developing, implementing, testing innovative evidence-based interventions, and translating these interventions into practice for widespread dissemination.
Clinically, Dr. Dahlem is a family nurse practitioner whose clinical focus has been delivering primary care services for complex care populations particularly for people experiencing homelessness. She is also the co-inventor of Rapid Assessment for Adolescent Preventive Services which is being used worldwide as a screening tool. Dr. Dahlem has led thousands of opioid overdose prevention trainings throughout Michigan and nationally through her takeACTION naloxone training. In collaboration with OPEN and MEDIC, Dr. Dahlem has assisted 53 emergency departments across the State of Michigan to distribute naloxone. Her takeACTION overdose prevention education can be found on www.overdoseaction.org. She also serves as the Co-Director of the Community Engagement Domain for the Opioid Research Institute.
Current Research Grants and Programs
Bureau of Justice Assistance/Department of Justice. 2023 Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Site-Based Program. (PI)
SAMHSA. Expanding Substance Use Disorder Education to Health Professional Students Serving the Rural, Underserved, and American Indian/Alaskan Native Communities in Michigan. (MPI)
Center for Disease Control. Developing and Evaluating the Concerned Caregivers Education for Resource Navigation (ConCERN) Intervention for Preventing Overdose. (Co-I)
Teaching
Dr. Dahlem teaches in the graduate level courses for primary care nurse practitioner programs and co-leads interprofessional substance use disorder education for UM medical students, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant students. In addition, Dr. Dahlem delivers opioid overdose prevention education regionally and nationally.
Affilliations/Service
Washtenaw County Board of Health Member, 2020-present (Chair 2021-2024)
The Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance Use and Addiction (AMERSA), 2020-present (Board of Directors 2023-2025)
American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2005-present
Notable Awards/Honors
AANP Certification Exam Item Writer, 2014-2020
Public Health Nursing Article of the Year Award: Beyond rescue: Implementation and evaluation of revised naloxone training for law enforcement officers, 2017
Fellow, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2016
Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department Service and Program Improvement Award, 2015
NONPF Leadership Mentored Experience Program, 2014-2015
Education
PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 2010
MS, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 2005
BSN, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 2002
BS, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 1999
Publications Highlights
Dahlem, C.H., English, E., Dwan, M., Carlson C., Dora-Laskey A., Kocher, K.E., & Losman, E.D. (2025). Implementation of a Naloxone Vending Machine in the Public Space of an Emergency Department: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 51(4), 607-615. doi: 10.1016/j.jen.2025.03.009
Shaughnessy, S., Hankes, K., Garrow, V., Hopper, J., & Dahlem, C.H. (2024). The Lookout Project: A Student-Run Mail-Based Overdose Response Kit Distribution Program through Social Media during COVID-19. Substance Use and Addiction, 46(2), 364-368. DOI: 10.1177/29767342241288985
Dahlem, C.H., Dwan, M., Dobbs, B., Rich, R., Jaffe, K., & Shuman, C. (2024) Using RE-AIM Framework to Evaluation of Recovery Opioid Overdose Team Plus: A peer-led post-overdose Quick Response Team. Community Mental Health Journal, 61, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-024-01319-x
Dahlem, C.H., Patil, R., Khadr, L., Ploutz-Snyder, R., Boyd, C.J., & Shuman, C.J. (2023). Effectiveness of take ACTION online naloxone training for law enforcement officers. Health & Justice, 11(47). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-023-00250-9
Dahlem, C.H., Marr, A., King, L. & Holliday, E. (2023). Web-Based Naloxone Training for Law Enforcement Officers: A Pilot Feasibility Study. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 17(2), 255-264. https://doi.org/10.1353/cpr.2023.a900206
Dahlem, C.H., Myers, M., Goldstick, J., Stevenson, J., Gray, G., Rockhill, S., Dora-Laskey, A., Kellenberg, J., Brummett, C. & Kocher, K.E. (2022). Factors Associated with Naloxone Availability and Dispensing through Michigan’s Pharmacy Standing Order. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 28(4). DOI:10.1080/00952990.2022.2047714
Dora-Lasky, A., Kellenberg, J., Dahlem, C.H., Walker, M., Brummett, C. & Kocher, K.E. (2021). Piloting a Statewide Emergency Department Take-Home Naloxone Program: Improving the Quality of Care for Patients at Risk for Opioid Overdose. Academic Emergency Medicine, 29(4), 442-455. DOI: 10.1111/acem.14435
Kao-Ping, C., Dahlem, C.H., Nguyen, T., Brummett, C., Conti, R.M., Bohnert, A.S., Dora-Laskey, A., & Kocher, K.E. (2021). Naloxone and Buprenorphine Prescribing Following U.S. Emergency Department Visits for Suspected Opioid Overdose: August 2019-April 2021. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 79(3), 225-236. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2021.10.005
Dahlem, C.H., Scalera, M., Ploutz-Snyder, R., Tasker, M., Anderson, G., McCabe, S. & Boyd, C (2020). Recovery Opioid Overdose Team (ROOT) Pilot Program Evaluation: A Community-Wide Post-Overdose Response Strategy. Substance Abuse, 42(4), 423-427. DOI: 10.1080/08897077.2020.1847239
Dahlem, C.H., Scalera, M., Chen, B., McCabe, S. & Boyd, C. (2019). Impact of Take A.C.T.I.O.N Opioid Overdose Prevention Education and Naloxone Distribution – Who Benefits? Substance Abuse, 41(4), 483-492. DOI: 10.1080/08897077.2019.1671946
Dahlem, C.H., King, L., Anderson, G., Marr, A., Waddell, J., & Scalera, M. (2017). Beyond Rescue: Implementation and Evaluation of Revised Naloxone Training for Law Enforcement Officers. Public Health Nursing, 34(6), 516-521. DOI: 10.1111/phn.12365
Dahlem, C.H., Horstman, M., & Williams, B.C. (2015). Development and Implementation of Intranasal Naloxone Opioid Overdose Response Protocol at a Homeless Health Clinic. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 28(1), 11-18. DOI: 10.1002/2327-6924.12249
Dahlem, C.H., Villarruel, A., Ronis, D. (2015). African American Women and Prenatal Care: Perceptions of Patient-Provider Interaction. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 37(2), 217-35. DOI: 10.1177/0193945914533747
Darling-Fisher, C., Salerno, J., Dahlem, C.H., Martyn, K.M. (2013). The Rapid Assessment for Adolescent Preventive Services (RAAPS): Providers’ Assessment of Its Usefulness in their Clinical Practice Settings. Journal of Pediatric Healthcare, 28(3), 217-26. DOI: 10.1016/j.pedhc.2013.03.003
Yi, C.H., Martyn, K.K., Salerno, J., & Darling-Fisher, C. (2009). Development and Clinical Use of the Rapid Assessment for Adolescent Preventive Services (RAAPS) Questionnaire in School-based Health Centers. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 23(1), 2-9.