6th Annual Schottenfeld Lecture: "A Public Health Approach to the Overdose Epidemic: Lessons Learned from Academia"

The Yale Program in Addiction Medicine is pleased to welcome Chinazo Cunningham, MD, MS, as speaker for the 6th Annual Schottenfeld Lecture.

This event will be held in a hybrid in-person and virtual format. To attend virtually, please register using the registration link provided on this event page.

Title: A Public Health Approach to the Overdose Epidemic: Lessons Learned from Academia

Learning Objectives:

1. Review current epidemiology of substance use and overdose, identifying important emerging trends
2. Understand how experiences in academia can guide a public health approach to substance use disorder treatment
3. Understand how harm reduction, a data-driven and evidence-based approach, and an equity lens are guiding principles to address the overdose epidemic

Directions to the Fitkin Memorial Pavilion Auditorium:

Enter the main entrance of the Boardman Building, 330 Cedar Street, proceed down hallway to "T", take a right, pass the elevators and through the arch/doors, access stairwell through the door on the on the right and ascend stairs, entrance to Fitkin is on the half landing.

Dr. Chinazo Cunningham is the Commissioner of the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), in which she leads one of the largest statewide addiction treatment systems in the United States. In this role, she oversees a budget of $1.5B and more than 750 staff, along with funding, certifying, and monitoring more than 1700 prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction programs, which serve over 680,000 people. Previously, Dr. Cunningham served as the Executive Deputy Commissioner of Mental Hygiene at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Dr. Cunningham is trained in internal medicine and addiction medicine and has spent over 20 years providing care, developing programs, and conducting research with people who use drugs. For decades, she has also collaborated with community-based harm reduction organizations. Her research has focused on improving access to care, utilization of health care services, and health outcomes. Dr. Cunningham has authored over 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts, has been the principal investigator on numerous federally-funded grants, and has been recognized by local and national awards for her mentorship and scientific contribution to the field of addiction. Dr. Cunningham has also served on and chaired numerous local and national advisory committees, guideline committees, and grant-review study sections. She and her work have also been featured on many major media outlets.

The Schottenfeld Lecture is held each September to acknowledge the contributions of our colleague, Richard Schottenfeld, MD, to the integration of medical care and addiction treatment. Dr. Schottenfeld, an Addiction Psychiatrist and founding Director of the Yale Addiction Psychiatry Residency Training Program, is an experienced clinician, teacher and clinical researcher whose work has focused on improving the efficacy, accessibility, and availability of addiction treatment in the United States and internationally. In the 1980’s and the 1990’s, while at Yale, Richard helped pioneer primary care-based models of care for people who inject drugs. He currently serves at the Chair of Psychiatry at Howard University College of Medicine. In his role as a Professor of Psychiatry at Yale, he was instrumental in supporting and mentoring numerous clinicians and researchers locally and internationally. His work helped lay the foundation for the Yale Program in Addiction Medicine and we are delighted to honor his legacy with the annual Schottenfeld Lecture.

Addiction Medicine Rounds are CME accredited. Each session will be assigned 1 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM.