Howard University News October 30, 2017 Howard University to Hold Major Symposium on National Opioid Crisis Howard University will convene national leaders to address opioid use disorder as a public health crisis at a major policy symposium Thursday, Nov. 2, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will take place in Cramton Auditorium on the main campus, 2455 Sixth St, NW, Washington, DC 20059. President Trump declared the opioid use disorder a public health emergency last week. Participants in the Howard University symposium include Maryland Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford who will speak about approaches his state is taking to combat the epidemic. NY Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and DC Councilmember and Former Mayor Vincent Gray will speak on legislative issues related to the crisis. The interdisciplinary symposium will be split into five panel sessions that cover such topics as legislative reform, medicine and treatment, enforcement and social justice strategies, the role of community and faith-based initiatives, and the views of health care practitioners. "The devastating impact that opioid addiction has had on communities throughout this country requires that we identify collaborative and comprehensive solutions to address this epidemic," said Howard University Provost Anthony K. Wutoh, Ph.D., R.Ph. "Howard University is poised to convene leaders in various disciplines to take a step forward in finding solutions to this crisis." Other speakers include: Dr. Jonathan Pollack, branch chief of GEDN/National Institutes of Health (NIH); Dr. Regina James, director of clinical and health services research at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities/NIH; Shannon Royce, director of Faith Based Initiatives at the US. Department of Health and Human Services; Bishop Harry Jackson, senior pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Md; and Tom O'Donnell, senior vice president of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. For an agenda and full list of speakers, visit https://www.hucopadvising.com<https://www.hucopadvising.com/> Howard University speakers include: College of Pharmacy Dean Dr. Toyin Tofade; Dr. Richard Schottenfeld, chair of the Department of Psychiatry; and Dr. Janice Edwards, associate professor in the School of Social Work. Howard University's College of Pharmacy and its Board of Visitors have spearheaded planning for the symposium. Event chairman Dr. Earl B. Ettienne, director of graduate programs and industry partnerships in the College of Pharmacy, said he believed the symposium would lay the groundwork for prescriptive solutions to combat the epidemic. "Ultimately, our plan is to compile narratives and solutions from the symposium proceedings and submit them for action in the District and in the devastated communities in the nation at large," Dr. Ettienne said. "Our expectation is that our students will serve as the nation's best and brightest healthcare professionals and should be duly informed from the field." Seven of Howard University's 13 schools and colleges are participating in the symposium, including Dentistry, Law, Business, Divinity, Social Work, and Nursing & Allied Health Sciences. SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/