Upcoming symposium to focus on opioid epidemic

On Monday, Nov. 27, the National Academy of Medicine will hold its annual Rosenthal Symposium at U-M, focusing on the opioid epidemic.

The symposium will take place at Ford Auditorium in University Hospital, and will run from 3 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. A live webcast is available. Registration is required for in-person and online participation — please click here to register.

Each year, the NAM (formerly known as the Institute of Medicine) hosts an annual discussion to bring greater attention to critical health policy issues facing the country today.

This year’s symposium, co-hosted by U-M, will focus on how challenges associated with managing acute and chronic pain have led to an explosion in the abuse of prescription pain medications and a nationwide epidemic. Panelists will consider how to inform health care policies that impact the opioid epidemic by asking:

• How can the wealth of epidemiological, clinical and basic science information about the biology of pain and addiction be used to stem the opioid epidemic?

• What can be done now?

• What should be done in the longer term?

Pioneering pain researcher Allan Basbaum, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Anatomy at the University of California, San Francisco, and member of the National Academy of Medicine, will describe the current understanding of the neurobiology of pain and discuss opportunities to translate knowledge about basic research into treatments for various types of pain, as the country continues to confront real-life challenges.

The plenary lecture will be followed by a panel of U-M faculty who will address various facets of the opioid epidemic across a wide range of disciplines.

The panel includes:

• John Traynor, Ph.D., Edward F Domino Research Professor; associate chair for research, Department of Pharmacology

• Shelly B. Flagel, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Psychiatry; research associate professor, Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute; adjunct associate professor, Department of Psychology

• Chad M. Brummett, M.D., associate professor, Department of Anesthesiology; director, clinical anesthesia research; codirector, Michigan Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network

• Richard Miech, Ph.D., research professor; principal investigator, Monitoring the Future, Survey Research Center

The panel will address topics that include:

• Epidemiological aspects of opioid use and abuse

• Clinical aspects of acute and chronic pain treatment

• Neurobiological and behavioral mechanisms that predispose to substance use and addiction, and

• Molecular and pharmacological aspects of opioid actions

A reception for all guests will follow the symposium.

About the Rosenthal Symposium: Through the generosity of the Richard & Hinda Rosenthal Foundation, the National Academy of Medicine hosts an annual symposium to bring greater attention to critical health policy issues facing our country today. Learn more by clicking here.

Website: https://nam.edu/event/richard-hinda-rosenthal-symposium-pain-opioid-epidemic-path-forward/