Introductory
General Session
Nora Volkow, MD
Director
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Bankole Johnson, DSc, MD
The Dr. Irving J. Taylor Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry
University of Maryland, School of Medicine
David Sheff, Author and Advocate
Author, Beautiful Boy, Clean, and High - advocate for people facing addiction and their families
David Sheff
Nic Sheff, Author and Advocate
Author, Tweak, We All Fall Down, and High - advocate for people facing addiction and their families
The Special ASAM 50th Annual Conference begins with an energizing Opening Scientific Plenary Session and highlights from the past 50 years. Moderated by ASAM President Kelly J. Clark, MD, MBA, DFAPA, DFASAM, distinguished presenters of the opening session will focus on incredible cutting-edge science in addiction medicine and a new paradigm of hope for prevention and treatment.
Nora D. Volkow, MD
Science Advances in the Prevention and Treatment of Opioid Addiction
The misuse of and addiction to opioids—including prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl—has resulted in a national crisis that we have not yet been able to revert. This presentation will highlight how NIH researchers are using scientific advances being made to turn the tide in the opioid crisis through the development of: new
medications to treat pain; innovative drug abuse prevention strategies that can mitigate an individual’s vulnerability to addiction; and promising strategies that can successfully treat opioid use disorder and prevent and reverse overdose.
Bankole Johnson
Personalizing the Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorders
This presentation will characterize the development of a genetic-based treatment for alcohol use disorders from animals to humans as well as prospects for regulatory approval. What is the genetic loading for alcohol use disorder? What is an inverted U-shaped dose curve? What is the frequency of the target genetic cohort for the treatment of alcohol use disorders?
David & Nic Sheff
A New Paradigm Facing America's Drug Use and Addiction Crises
We're in crisis, but there's hope. The hope is a new paradigm for preventing and treating drug use and addiction in America. For prevention, we focus on drugs, but the key to prevention is a recognition of why people use them--understanding and mitigating risk factors. For treatment: We're at the beginning of a sea change as we reject failed efforts of the past -- ones based on the view that addiction is a choice -- and replace it with one based on the science of addiction medicine. We've a long way to go at a time we're losing more people under 50 from overdose than anything else. But we have a roadmap.