Virtual Presentation: Evolution of Opioid Epidemic

Description

Join OLLI and the WVU Committee of Retired Faculty on Wednesday, October 8 (new date), for a virtual presentation on the evolution of the opioid epidemic with James H. Berry, DO is Professor and Chair of the Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry at West Virginia University School of Medicine’s Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute and the Director of Addictions. The presentation, at 2:30 p.m. on October 8, is free and open to the public. Register at http://bit.ly/3JRBFMD to receive a Zoom link. West Virginia has been the epicenter of the nation’s addiction epidemic for the past twenty years and has tragically led the nation in the rate of overdose deaths. This talk will describe the evolution of the epidemic from the early days of the pain pill crisis to the challenges our communities face today. The nature of addiction will be explored to help answer the questions “what is addiction?” and “how do people get better?” Participants will be introduced to the brain disease model of addiction as well as the critical importance of psychological, social, and spiritual drivers of health. In addition, cutting edge neuromodulation research from West Virginia University’s Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute will be presented.