WASHINGTON – (October 30, 2018), Howard University is taking the lead on the conversation of substance use disorder and the solutions provided to Black and minority communities. On November 1,  Howard University will host the “Interdisciplinary Policy Symposium: One Year Later Addressing Substance Use Disorder, Race, and the American Family.” It will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Cramton Auditiorium located at 2455 6th St NW, Washington, DC 20059. The event is free and open to the public. 

Through several fireside chats, the event will bring together deans of Howard University’s schools and colleges, as well as students, professionals, substance abuse survivors, and prominent government officials. The keynote will be provided by Andrea Barthwell, MD, DFASAM, board chair of the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) and the former Deputy Drug Czar for Treatment and Prevention under President George W. Bush at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

“I’m honored to part of this important conversation about real-world solutions to the opioid crisis that is touching families and communities across our nation,” says Andrea G. Barthwell, MD, DFASAM, board chair of the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE).

“People struggling with addiction deserve a coordinated, focused effort towards solutions – particularly in those minority communities that lack access and resources for the services they need. This is an important opportunity to convene leaders and visionaries to discuss ways we can promote, educate and scale evidence-based solutions that can have a real impact on people’s lives.”

The event will bring together deans of Howard University’s schools and colleges as moderators and panelists, as well as students, professionals, substance abuse survivors, and prominent government officials.

The “Legislative + Regulatory + Government” fireside chat will be moderated by Minnie Baylor-Henry, Esq., member of the Board of Trustees and president of B-Henry and Associates. Panelists include:

• Rachel Levine, MD, secretary of health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Karen A. Scott, MD, MPH, president of the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE)
• Tom Menighan, ScD, MBA, RPh, chief executive officer of the American Pharmacists Association
• Erin Holve, Ph.D., M.P.P., MPH, director of the Department of Health Care Finance’s Health Care Reform and Innovation Administration (HCRIA)

The second fireside chat, titled “Treatment,” will be moderated by Richard S. Schottenfiield, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Studies in the School of Medicine. Panelists include:

• Barbara Lopez Kunz, M.S., global chief executive of the Drug Information Association (DIA)
• Vicky Basalyga, PharmD, director of the Center on Pharmacy Practice Advancement at ASHP
• Jean Mackey Bennett, Ph.D., regional administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• Lakesha M. Butler, PharmD, president of the National Pharmaceutical Association

The third fireside chat, titled “Social Justice,” is moderated by Sandra Edmonds Crewe, MSW, Ph.D, ACSW, dean of the Howard University School of Social Work. Panelists include:

• Gracie Lawson-Borders, dean of the Cathy Hughes School of Communications at Howard University
• Bahiyyah Muhammad, Ph.D., assistant professor and coordinator of the Inside Out Program in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Howard University
• Stanley Campbell, chairman and chief executive officer of EagleForce Associates and EagleForce Health
• Morgan Medlock, Md, M. Div., MPH, assistant professor of psychaitry at Howard University

The final fireside chat, titled “Family and Faith: A Contemporary Perspective,” will be moderated by Leonard Edloe, BSP, M.Div., Th.M, PharmD,  pastor of the New Hope Fellowship and College of Pharmacy Board of Visitors member.  Panelists include:

• Bishop Harry Jackson, senior pastor at the Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Maryland
• Corey D.B. Walker, Ph.D., vice president, dean and professor of Religion and Society at Virginia Union University

This symposium will lay the groundwork for prescriptive solutions through a review of the epidemic twelve months after the declaration of the Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) crisis as a public health emergency. The symposium will inspire recommendations for action in the Washington D.C. Metro Area and devastated communities in the nation at large. The event will close with a statement from Gary Harris, Ph.D., PE, dean of the Howard University Graduate School. 

“The opioid epidemic is a very important issue for our communities and we are glad to be able to host these conversations with the hope to create potential solutions for our policy makers to enact,” says Toyin Tofade, MS, PharmD, BCPS, CPPC, dean and professor of the Howard University School of Pharmacy.

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About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, two Marshall Scholars, one Schwarzman Scholar, over 70 Fulbright Scholars and 22 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States.  For more information on Howard University visit www.howard.edu

Media Contact: Imani Pope-Johns, Imani.popejohns@howard.edu