Dr. Bill Dewey answered Tom Selleck's phone call. April 24th, 2009

Bill Dewey, Ph.D., has offered counsel to government officials, policy makers and scientific leaders. Now he's providing his expert perspective to the entertainment industry.

Recently, a request landed on Dewey’s desk from Tom Selleck, who was in pre-production for a future installment of the TV movie series that features Selleck as small-town Police Chief Jesse Stone. Based on the best-selling novels by Robert B. Parker, the made-for-TV franchise got its start in 2005 with “Sea Change.”

A future installment will deal with issues and challenges surrounding drug abuse and addiction. In their effort to get the story straight, Selleck and his executive producer Michael Brandman asked the Entertainment Industry Council to recommend someone who could answer their questions.

Enter Dr. Dewey.

“I was pleased that they cared enough to call someone and present the episode in a way that could serve to educate the public about the disease of drug dependence,”said Dewey, professor and interim chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. “He and his producer were sincere in wanting to get it right.”

And his input has proved to be a benefit to the film-makers. “Dr. Dewey was a great help to us as we have been preparing the next film in the series,” said Brandman. “Both Tom and I are greatly appreciative of his efforts on our behalf.”

The Entertainment Industry Council was aware of Dewey through its involvement with the non-profit organization Friends of NIDA. Dewey founded and still leads the coalition of individuals, scientific and professional societies and patient groups that supports the work of the NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse. The organization educates the public, policy makers, media and healthcare leaders about drug abuse and addiction and also advocates for broad public and private support for NIDA’s research agenda.

The Jesse Stone movies have all premiered on CBS and five are currently available on DVD.