ISC: A National Crisis: Opioids, Pain, Addiction and Policy

School of Medicine

This course aims to increase the fundamental understanding of pain physiology, pain psychology, and pain treatment, with added emphasis on the opioid system, opioid epidemic, and addiction. It is a joint project of the departments of anesthesiology, psychiatry, and pharmacology. At the end of this course you will have a deeper knowledge of the neurobiology of acute and chronic pain, how it informs management decisions, and the tools used to implement pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment options. You will also acquire knowledge of the neurobiology of addiction, how it is treated, and how to empower patients to make more informed health decisions. Finally, this course will teach you motivational interviewing skills, which are useful in the management of patients with chronic pain and substance use disorder, and in giving agency to patients in many other clinical settings.