Dr. Maroon received an athletic scholarship to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana where as an undergraduate, he was named a Scholastic All-American in football. Dr. Maroon has successfully maintained his personal athletic interests through participation in 9 marathons and more than 72 Olympic-distance triathlon events. However, his greatest athletic accomplishment is his participation in 8 Ironman triathlons (Hawaii – 1993, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2013; Canada – 1995; New Zealand – 1997; Germany – 2000), where he usually finishes in the top 10 of his age group. Recently, in July 2012 and 2013, he finished second and third, respectively, in his age group in the Muncie, Indiana half Ironman triathlon. In October 2013 he completed his 5th World Championship Ironman in Kona, Hawaii.Dr. Joseph Maroon Keynote Speaker for Conference Addressing Drug Addiction
October 2, 2023 Press Release: Victoria’s Voice Save the Kids Foundation.
Victoria’s Voice was born from the tragic loss of David and Jackie Siegel’s young daughter, Victoria, due to a drug overdose in 2015. Since then they have committed to turning the tragedy of her death into a national platform for drug awareness and prevention and saving lives from overdose. Fred Stokes, author, philanthropist and former NFL defensive end for the Washington Redskins was the emcee for the event.
Dr. Joseph Maroon was invited a keynote speaker to their annual conference to discuss how drugs affect the brain. He discussed the connectome, how the brain is wired, and how drugs, particularly, fentanyl, creates habituation, addiction and close to 100,000 deaths a year from overdose in the United States.
He was joined by Sheriff Dennis Lemma, sheriff of Seminole County (Orlando) and president of the executive board of the Major County Sheriffs of America and Pamela Bondi, former state attorney general who fought to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for their deceptive marketing and promotion of prescription opioids.
Background on Victoria’s Choice:
Mission/Message – Victoria Siegel died from a drug overdose on June 6, 2015, at just 18 years old. She was one of 129 Americans who lost
their lives to a drug overdose that same day. Since then, a staggering number of families across the United States have lost a loved one to overdose. In fact, nearly 300 people die from a drug overdose every single day in this country. This needs to change.
Help us save lives by supporting our mission to advance initiatives, achieve policy changes, amplify education, assure critical resources and applaud like-minded organizations to address drug abuse in order to save lives
Victory Academy for Drug Education and Prevention – This is a diverse and versatile collection of education and prevention programming to meet the needs of communities and at-risk populations nationwide. Our live speaking engagements and educational video series have impacted hundreds of thousands of Americans, from students, parents and educators to more marginalized communities in prisons and juvenile diversion programs.
Live School Speaker Series is a real-life storytelling to educate and inspire elementary, middle and high school students to live drug-free. Pre- and post-presentation activities to engage students and encourage drug-free living year-round. The prevention programming is tailored to the needs of parents and educators. Complimentary copies of Victoria’s Voice, the personal and powerfully educational story of 18-year-old Victoria Siegel, whose death from a drug overdose inspired the founding of Victoria’s Voice.
CONTACT VICTORIAS VOICE – CONTACT@VICTORIASVOICE.FOUNDATION