Tuesday, April 28, 2026, Time 5:00-7:00pm
Location: Health Sciences Learning Center, 3110 C & D (ILC)
About this event:This interprofessional learning event engages health professional students in exploring substance use disorder as a complex, stigmatized condition. Through lived-experience narratives, expert insights, and team-based case discussions, learners build empathy, examine bias and inequities, strengthen collaboration, and develop patient-centered, evidence-informed approaches to addiction care and harm reduction. Learners will also receive Naloxone (NARCAN) training.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the multifaceted nature of substance use disorder (SUD).
- Recognize existing stigmas and biases associated with SUD, both within healthcare settings and society at large, while understanding the impact of systemic inequalities on access to care and treatment outcomes.
- Develop empathy and understanding through interactions with individuals with lived experience of SUD, gaining insight into their challenges, barriers to treatment, and pathways to recovery.
- Enhance interprofessional collaboration skills by working in teams to analyze and discuss complex SUD cases, integrating perspectives from various healthcare professions to develop comprehensive and patient-centered care plans.
- Explain the role of healthcare providers in addressing the opioid epidemic, including the appropriate use of naloxone for opioid overdose reversal and harm reduction strategies, while recognizing the importance of advocacy for policy changes aimed at reducing stigma, increasing access to care, and prioritizing equity and social justice.
- Engage with healthcare professionals working in addiction medicine to gain insights into current research, best practices, and emerging trends in addiction treatment and prevention.
- Reflect on personal attitudes and beliefs about SUD, examining how these may influence clinical practice and patient interactions.
