# Madeline Hilliard

> Madeline Hilliard is the founder and CEO of DopaGE, a gamified overdose-prevention education platform built by physicians, neuroscientists, and video-game engineers for colleges and healthcare organizations. A USC computational-neuroscience graduate and Nationally Registered EMT who treated overdose patients in ambulances and ERs, she founded the nonprofit Team Awareness Combating Overdose (T.A.C.O.) in 2020 the same day a college friend died from a polysubstance overdose. T.A.C.O. now runs on roughly 300 student volunteers nationwide and is credited with saving lives in the four digits. She and co-founder Amanda Grennan were named to the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Education.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at DopaGE
- **Organizations:** DopaGE, Team Awareness Combating Overdose (T.A.C.O.)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Neuroscience (computational neuroscience), pre-medical coursework, University of Southern California
- **Known for:** Forbes 30 Under 30, Education (2023), Founded T.A.C.O., now ~300 student volunteers nationwide, credited with saving lives in the four digits, Founded and leads DopaGE, a gamified overdose-prevention platform adopted by universities

## Career timeline

- **2011** — Began volunteering at a free clinic for deaf patients at age 14
- **2014** — Started volunteering at a local hospital at age 17
- **2017** — Entered USC to study computational neuroscience on a pre-med track
- **2020** — Founded the nonprofit T.A.C.O. the same day a college friend died of a polysubstance overdose
- **2021** — Worked as a Nationally Registered EMT, treating overdose patients in ambulance and ER settings
- **2022** — Led the winning team at the Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab Venture Competition, securing initial funding for DopaGE
- **2023** — Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 (Education) with co-founder Amanda Grennan
- **2024** — Associate producer and co-star in the short film 'Real Talk About Fake Pills,' adopted by LA Unified School District; featured on ABC Nightline

## Achievements

- Forbes 30 Under 30, Education (2023)
- Founded T.A.C.O., now ~300 student volunteers nationwide, credited with saving lives in the four digits
- Founded and leads DopaGE, a gamified overdose-prevention platform adopted by universities
- Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician (NR-EMT)
- Consulted for the California Department of Health Care Services, Indivior, and Song For Charlie
- Won the Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab Venture Competition (2022)

## Latest updates

- **2024-11** — Featured on ABC Nightline on the worsening US fentanyl crisis
- **2023-11** — Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education with co-founder Amanda Grennan

## Links

- Website: https://dopa.ge
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/madeline-hilliard
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/madelinehilli

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/madeline-hilliard
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-22