NIH directors and pain advocate to speak on opioids, chronic pain and addiction at Oct. 23 event
- What: Opioids in Pain and Addiction
- When: Wednesday, Oct. 23, 7:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m.
- Where: Health Sciences Innovation Building, 1670 E. Drachman St., Tucson
The University of Arizona Health Sciences and the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences will host Opioids in Pain and Addiction, a day-long event featuring presentations from some of the nation’s leading experts in chronic pain and opioid addiction, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at the Health Sciences Innovation Building in Tucson, Arizona.
The conference will explore critical issues surrounding opioid use, pain management and addiction, including a compelling session from the patient’s perspective, with personal insight into living with chronic pain and opioid use.
Featured speakers available for interviews include:
- Personal pain advocate Keith Meldrum, who has lived with persistent neuropathic pain since 1986 following a near-fatal motor vehicle accident at the age of 16
- George Koob, PhD, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a division of the National Institutes of Health
- Rita Valentino, PhD, director of the Division of Neuroscience and Behavior at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a division of the National Institutes of Health
- Todd Vanderah, PhD, director of the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction at the U of A Health Sciences and head and professor of the Department of Pharmacology at the College of Medicine –Tucson
- Frank Porreca, PhD, professor of pharmacology and lead of the NIH-funded Center of Excellence for Addiction Studies
- Don Kyle, PhD, CEO of the National Center for Wellness & Recovery at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about groundbreaking research and insights into the neurobiology of opioid use disorder, the connection between chronic pain and opioid addiction, as well as new therapeutic approaches on the horizon.
The event is organized by the U of A Health Sciences Comprehensive Center for Pain and Addiction, the Center for Excellence in Addiction Studies, and the National Center for Wellness and Recovery at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences.
General registration is closed. The schedule of events and speaker bios can be viewed on the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction website. Members of the media should contact Stacy Pigott at 520-539-4152 or spigott@arizona.edu to arrange interviews.