NCWR, OSU-CHS host weeklong virtual Addiction Medicine Conference
Monday, August 10, 2020
OSU Center for Health Sciences and the National Center for Wellness & Recovery at OSU Medicine will present the Addiction Medicine Conference from Sept. 8 through 13, 2020.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s conference will be held virtually, making it more accessible to participants statewide. To register for specific conference days, please visit okla.st/osucme.
The highlight of the conference will be the State of Addiction address and panel discussion on Thursday, Sept. 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. streamed live on OState.tv.
“OSU Center for Health Sciences has been a leader in addressing the opioid addiction epidemic engulfing Oklahoma. And now the National Center for Wellness & Recovery will enable us to play an even larger role in combatting the opioid crisis not just in Oklahoma, but across the country,” said Kayse Shrum, D.O., president of OSU Center for Health Sciences and dean of the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. “OSU-CHS and NCWR are committed to taking a leading role in battling the opioid addiction epidemic afflicting Oklahomans and their families. We have assets such as clinical expertise, research capability and educational resources that can be deployed to help curtail the abuse and misuse of opioids.”
Shrum will moderate a panel discussion with guest speakers including Terri White, Mental Health Association of Oklahoma CEO; Dr. Jason Beaman, D.O., M.D., M.P.H., FAPA, chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at OSU-CHS and Director of Training and Education at NCWR; Dr. Don Kyle, Ph.D., adjunct professor of Pharmacology and Physiology at OSU-CHS.
There will also be messages from U.S. Sen. James Lankford and U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie.
"The opioid crisis in Oklahoma is real, and it is not confined to any particular demographic. It is killing the rich and the poor alike, urban and rural dwellers, and men and women regardless of their politics, career choice or insurance status.."
Tuesday, Sept. 8 will be dedicated to Addiction in Native America. Keynote speaker Kathy Etz, Ph.D., director of Native American Programs and program director in the epidemiology research branch for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will give a keynote address at noon. There will also be sessions beginning on the current state of addiction in American Indian communities, strategies on how to combat addiction, and treatment options available as well as sessions on mental illness and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and how these can affect addiction in the Native American populations.
On Wednesday, Sept. 9, the focus turns to Addiction and the Law. Sessions aimed at professionals working in law enforcement and law practices will cover topics such as neurobiology and red flags of addiction; innovative programs for addiction and criminal justice; recent opioid litigation; Oklahoma’s laws regarding drug dealing and cannabis; and substance use and criminal responsibility.
Update on Addiction Medicine is Thursday, Sept. 10. Geared toward health care, addiction medicine and mental health professionals, these sessions will cover a wide range of topics including the next wave of methamphetamine overdoses; neonatal abstinence syndrome; vaping; the drug Sublocade; and addiction and other diseases.
“Ending the opioid crisis is an all-hands-on-deck problem,” Beaman said. “That means everyone from police officers, sheriff’s deputies and lawyers to primary care physicians, counselors and pharmacists to Native American tribal leaders and lawmakers all need to understand the scope of addiction and what they can do help.”
Finally, the last three days of the Addiction Medicine Conference, Sept. 11 through 13, will be dedicated to Foundations in Addiction Medicine. This conference is intended to be a crash-course in addiction medicine, as well as a preparatory course for the addiction medicine board exam.
Physicians, health care professionals and other experts will cover everything from the neurobiology of addiction to prevention to ethics and the law. Other topics will be alcohol and treatment; stimulants and sedatives; psychiatric and medical co-morbidities; pain and addiction; pregnancy; cannabis and tobacco; epidemiology; opioid treatment and proper prescribing; psychosocial treatments of addiction; and motivational interviewing.
MEDIA CONTACT: Sara Plummer | Communications Coordinator| 918-561-1282 | sara.plummer@okstate.edu