Robert DuPont, who served as drug czar in President Ford's administration, will join several other expert presenters sharing insights into drug and alcohol abuse and the emerging concern over "disruptive physicians" at the Project HOPE/Disruptive Physician Conference, Nov. 13 at The Queen's Medical Center Conference Center.

The conference, sponsored by Puulu Lapaau-Hawaii physicians Health Program, will consist of a morning session dedicated to First Circuit Court of Hawaii Judge Steve Alm's Project HOPE program, which has been widely lauded for its success in addressing substance abuse and in reducing recidivism among substance-abuse offenders, and an afternoon session that will address the issue of "disruptive physicians" whose issues with substance abuse, anger or other negative behavior interfere with patient care.

Conferences regarding disruptive physicians have been held in Hawaii for the past two years. This year's conference will not only look at Project HOPE, but also the ways in which the issues it addresses overlap with those surrounding disruptive physicians.

Other presenters scheduled to appear are Alm; Michael Kaufmann, a recognized expert in the area of disruptive physicians; Kevin Kunz, a Kona physician and president of the American Board of Addiction Medicine; and Rod Bjordahl, medical director of Maui Memorial Hospital. Larry Schlesinger, president of Puulu Lapaau, will moderate.

The conference runs from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is open to the public. There is no fee but advance registration is required. For more information, visit www.hopeprobation.org.