Understanding Opioid Use Disorder from a Compassionate, Biomedical Perspective

Opioid addiction is often misunderstood as a moral disease, subjecting individuals with the disorder to stigma and significant barriers to lifesaving medical treatment. However, how much of the information portrayed in media and popular culture about addiction is actually true? Is managing addiction simply a matter of terminating drug use, or are there complex biological, psychological, and socioeconomic factors at play? This joint workshop held by the Libraries' Peer Scholars Program and Pack Recovery seeks to share resources and evidence-based knowledge on the biomedical disease of opioid use disorder (OUD), teach attendees how to administer naloxone (overdose reversal agent), and foster empathy towards individuals with OUD.

Biography

Stephanie Chang is a Masters of Physiology graduate with a background in Biology and Medical Anthropology. From rural NC, she is passionate about serving rural, uninsured, and medically-underserved patient populations. Her intended fields of practice are in primary care and addiction medicine.