Monnat article on teaching to the opioid epidemic published in Medical Teacher

Teaching to the Opioid Epidemic: An Interdisciplinary Approach

Daniel R. George, Shannon M. Monnat, Rachel Levine, Barbara Blatt & Jed D. Gonzalo

Medical Teacher, May 2017

Shannon Monnat

Sociology Department

Aging Studies Institute

Center for Policy Research

Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health

Education

Health Policy

Longevity

Substance Use and Addiction

United States

Medical Teacher

Shannon Monnat

Opioid abuse has emerged as a major public health crisis in the US. As half of opioid-related overdose deaths involve prescription drugs and 80 percent of patients using heroin begin using opioids with prescription drugs, prescriber behavior is a key aspect of the crisis. There is a need for medical educators to teach to this complex epidemic, helping students develop safe, effective pain management strategies.