Shows
AMERSA TalksOn the Texas Frontlines: How Substance Use Disorder Stigma Affects HIV Prevalence in the South In San Antonio, HIV is treated with love, not judgment—and it’s working. This episode will discuss how stigma contributes to HIV acquisition, prevents people living with HIV from seeking and remaining in care, and effective, evidence-based strategies for mitigating stigma. The episode explore effective ways to reach, support, and treat individuals who use substances, who are at a high risk for acquiring HIV and, once acquired, falling out of care.Learning ObjectivesAnalyze root-causes of HIV stigma;Explain the intersectionality of HIV risks and SUD;Identify evidence-based strategies for treating individuals with SUD wh...2025-06-0549 min
AMERSA TalksJessica Heil, Dr. Rachel Haroz, & Dr. Jeffery Bratberg, Building Meaning: How Emergency Department Bridge Programs Improve Physicians’ Lives Through PurposeAddiction care in the ER isn’t just about patients—it’s about fixing medicine itself.Emergency Department Bridge Programs allow ED physicians to connect patients in the ED with comprehensive addiction care. While the benefits of bridge programs for patients with opioid use disorder are known, what’s less understood is how these programs affect the lives of the providers themselves. For a paper published in Academic Emergency Medicine last year, researchers interviewed providers about these programs and found that patients were not the only benefactors.Learning ObjectivesED bridge programs may require extra wo...2025-05-2232 min
Compass Opioid Stewardship Coaches Top 5 PodcastEpisode 62In this episode Dr. Stader and Dr. Bradley summarize and offer key insights for the following Coaches Top 5 picks discussing risks of opioid tapering, a novel artery procedure for knee arthritis, and more! Association of opioid tapering with pain-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and primary care visits: a retrospective cohort study, Published in Pain Medicine, November 2024 Artery Procedure May Offer Surgery-Free Way to Ease Knee Arthritis, Published in Health Day, December 2024 Clinical and Mental Health Characteristics Among Patients Receiving Medications for OUD Treatment vs High-Dose Opioids When Referred for Pain Management, Published in P...2025-05-1310 min
AMERSA TalksSiobhan Morse & Nicole O'Donnell, Using Peers to Combat StigmaTurns out, the most powerful tool against addiction stigma might just be someone society once gave up on. Despite significant advancements in addiction treatment, stigma remains one of the greatest barriers to care for individuals struggling with substance use disorder (SUD). Among healthcare professionals, stigma can manifest in ways that impact patient outcomes, access to care, and overall recovery success. This episode will explore how leveraging peers—those with lived experience in recovery—can be a powerful tool in combating stigma in medical settings. We will discuss real-world applications of peer support, the latest statistics on stigma in h...2025-05-0835 min
AMERSA TalksDr. Devin Oller, Kayla Strother, and Kate Roberts, Overcoming Substance Use Disorder Stigma in AppalachiaWe’ve been blaming Appalachia for a healthcare crisis it didn’t create. Addiction in Appalachia isn’t what you think. This episode unpacks the nuanced reality of substance use disorder in a region that’s been stereotyped, ignored, and misunderstood for too long. Through powerful stories and clear strategies, it reveals how healthcare professionals, community leaders, and people with lived experience are fighting against systemic stigma and rebuilding trust.Dr. Devin Oller, a primary care and addiction medicine physician at the University of Kentucky, and Kayla Strother, a certified advanced practice nurse specializing in adult ger...2025-04-2449 min
AMERSA TalksDr. Joe Wright & Allyson Pinkhover, Learning from Hamsterdams: How Zoning, Real Estate, and Public Policy Create Drug Containment ZonesWe don’t have a drug crisis—we have a policy crisis. In episode one, Allyson Pinkhover, MPH, CPhT, CHO and Dr. Joe Wright explore some of the ways that urban planning, zoning, policing, and the location of addiction services combine to create or enforce a geography of containment. In Boston, Wright argues, land prices and the politics of what another scholar describes as “complaint-oriented policing” led to a smaller and smaller area in which visible drug use and homelessness were tolerated, and services for people with substance use disorders were located. This kind of geography, variations of which...2025-04-1043 min
AMERSA TalksEmerging Overdose Detection Technologies and HotlinesEpisode 8 - Emerging Overdose Detection Technologies and HotlinesFeaturing:Ju Park, PhD MHSAssistant Professor of Medicine (Research)Director of Harm Reduction Innovation LabStephen Murray, MPH, NRPDirector, Massachusetts Overdose Prevention HelplineHarm Reduction Program Manager, Boston Medical Center Host:Ricky N. Bluthenthal, PhDDistinguished Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaAssociate Director of Institute of Addiction Sciences, USCMost people who experience a...2024-08-2931 minAMERSA TalksInnovative Access to Harm Reduction Support and Linkage to TreatmentEpisode 7: Innovative access to harm reduction support and linkage to treatmentFeaturing: Shelby ArenaHarm Reduction Manager, MATTERSJoshua Lynch, DO, FACEPAssociate Professor of Emergency & Addiction Medicine, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine; Chief Medical Officer, MATTERS Host:Shoshana V. Aronowitz, PhD, MSHP, FNP-BCAssistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania School of NursingThe opioid epidemic is ever-changing and with contaminants like fentanyl and xylazine in the d...2024-08-2241 min
AMERSA TalksPutting Harm Reduction to the TestEpisode 6: Putting Harm Reduction to the Test: Drug use, Pregnancy, and ParentingFeaturing:Leah Warner, NP, MPHStreet Medicine San Francisco Department of Public HealthSimone Vais, MDUCSF Department of Family and Community MedicineHost:Jamie LangNew Beginnings Case Manager, Homeless Prenatal ProgramPregnancy and the postpartum period challenge our notions of harm reduction and force us to address fundamental questions: who is our patient, and who is the primary focus of our harm...2024-08-1540 min
AMERSA TalksManaged Alcohol ProgramsEpisode 5: Harm Reduction for Alcohol Use Disorder: Managed Alcohol Programs Featuring:Tanya Majumder, MD, MS Physician with the San Francisco Department of Public HealthAlice Moughamian, RN, CNSNurse Manager with the San Francisco Department of Public Health Hosted by:Soraya Azari, MDIn this episode, we present the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Managed Alcohol Program (MAP), the first of its kind in the country. Managed alcohol programs offer the opportunity to improve the physical, mental, leg...2024-08-0837 min
AMERSA TalksLeveraging TechnologyEpisode 4: Leveraging technology: Expanding Veteran access to harm reduction resources through vending machines Featuring: Tessa Rife-Pennington, PharmD, BCGPHarm Reduction CoordinatorClinical Pharmacist PractitionerSan Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System Volunteer Clinical Assistant ProfessorUniversity of California, San Francisco, School of Pharmacy Andrew "Andie" Ruggles (he/they), LCSWSan Francisco Veterans Affairs Downtown Clinic Hosted by:Beth Dinges, PharmDHarm Reduction CoordinatorClinical Pharmacist PractitionerVA Illiana Healthcare SystemEpisode four i...2024-08-0134 min
AMERSA TalksInsights from the Front LineEpisode 3: Insights from the Front Line: Harm Reduction Interventions in an Urban HospitalFeaturing:Sophie ZhaiB.A. Public Health - University of California, BerkeleyPatient Navigator, Addiction Care Team at UCSFPatricia “Patty” MorenoB.S. Global Disease Biology - University of California, DavisPatient Navigator, Addiction Care Team at UCSFHosted by:Amelia Goff, NPAssistant Professor, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland OregonImproving Addiction Care Team (IMPACT), HRBR ClinicEpisode three introduces San...2024-07-2534 min
AMERSA TalksHarm Reduction in the HospitalEpisode 2: Harm Reduction in the Hospital: Meeting People Where They AreFeaturing:Marlene Martin, MDAssociate Professor, University of California, San FranciscoDirector of Addiction Care Team, San Francisco General HospitalDirector of Addiction Initiatives, Latinx Center of ExcellenceKimberly Sue, MD, PhDAssistant Professor of Medicine (General Internal Medicine), Yale School of MedicineHosted by: Amelia Goff, NPAssistant Professor, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland Oregon. Improving Addiction Care Team (IMPACT), HRBR ClinicEpisode two...2024-07-1834 min
AMERSA TalksTest Your Drugs, Not Your LimitsEpisode 1: Test Your Drugs, Not Your Limits - The Role of Advanced Drug Checking in Harm ReductionFeaturing: Allyson Pinkhover, MPH, CPhT, CHOBrockton Neighborhood Health Center, Brockton, MAJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MDDarlene Andrade Fonseca, BSBrockton Neighborhood Health Center, Brockton, MAMassachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Worcester, MAHosted by: Joe Wright, MDBoston Health Care for the Homeless Program, Boston, MAEpisode one highlights how community-based advanced...2024-07-1136 minAMERSA TalksNew Podcast Series Launching July 11thListen now to a sneak peek at episode one from AMERSA's new podcast series Harm Reduction: Compassionate Care for People Who Use Drugs, called Test Your Drugs, Not Your Limits - The Role of Advanced Drug Checking in Harm ReductionFeaturing:Allyson Pinkhover, MPH, CPhT, CHOBrockton Neighborhood Health Center, Brockton, MAJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MDDarlene Andrade Fonseca, BSBrockton Neighborhood Health Center, Brockton, MAMassachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Worcester, MAHosted by:2024-07-0100 min
AMERSA People and Passion – Sponsored by the ATTC NetworkHistory of AMERSA with Sid SchnollSid Schnoll, one of the founders of AMERSA, discusses with Paul Lum the origin of the organization out of the Career Teacher Program of the early 1970s. The desire by the federal government to cultivate experts in substance use disorders into health professional schools has resulted in a vibrant, growing organization that helps health educators provide cutting-edge information to their students.2021-10-251h 14AMERSA People and Passion – Sponsored by the ATTC NetworkKey Conversations: Dismantling Racism Against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Across the Substance Use ContinuumThe Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance use and Addiction (AMERSA) released a solidarity statement and a position paper articulating racism’s deadly effects on persons who use alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. This cascade of negative effects, compounded with the social determinants of health results in higher rates of incarceration, increased risk of overdose, fewer employment options, multi-generational poverty and economic disadvantages for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPoC).The AMERSA Board of Directors (BOD) proposes an initial set of strategies to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion using a framework that speaks to four key AMERSA...2021-10-2037 minAMERSA People and Passion – Sponsored by the ATTC NetworkA Path for Substance Use Disorder Content in the Education SettingJoin AMERSA and ATTC in celebrating a journey through AMERSA time with Marianne Marcus, in conversation with Sid Schnoll.This podcast summarizes Dr. Marianne Marcus’ career as a nurse educator and researcher, and the role AMERSA played in developing her understanding of substance use disorders. Her career included sequential faculty positions in Herman H. Lehman College and Columbia University in New York and the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston ,Texas. A serendipitous opportunity to open a primary care clinic in a residential substance abuse treatment facility led her to increase substance use content in nursing curricula an...2021-09-2338 minAMERSA People and Passion – Sponsored by the ATTC NetworkScreening and Brief Intervention, AMERSA, and What You Should DoIn this podcast Rich Saitz, former AMERSA President, is interviewed by Nic Bertholet, discussing whether screening and brief intervention is effective, and what the controversy is. We learn about the evidence, what research should still be done, what we should teach, what we should do in practice, and how it has loomed large at AMERSA. 2021-09-0341 min