Presenter(s): Wilson Compton, MD, MPE, Deputy Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) 

Target Audience: This webinar is designed for dentists and all interprofessional healthcare teams. The live webinar is accredited for dentists. 

Webinar Description: Wilson Compton, M.D., M.P.E. is a nationally known expert on the causes and prevention of drug abuse and is the Deputy Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). During this webinar, he will present a comprehensive overview of the state of the opioid crisis amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and the various initiatives at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to combat that crisis as well as COVID-19. Dr. Compton’s presentation will include a review of multiple NIH collaborative efforts to address interdisciplinary challenges associated with the pandemic and the “Helping to End Addiction Long-Term (HEAL) Initiative:” a trans-agency effort to speed scientific solutions to curb the opioid public health crisis. Additionally, he will summarize the science and tools available to dentists as they are addressing substance use issues in their clinical practices. 

Educational Objectives:

• Identify novel treatments for substance use disorders and drug-involved overdose;
• Review implementation science with the goal to improve the uptake and delivery of evidence-based care;
• Discuss ways to talk to patients appropriately about substance use while avoiding stigma;
• Review current screening tools such as the “Words Matter” CE activities and the NIDAMED web portal.

Support for the Program:
Funding for this initiative was made possible (in part) by grant no. 1H79TI081968 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.