SteveWoolfheadshotDownload the presentation slides (PDF), The Decline in US Life Expectancy: Are Deaths of Despair Responsible?, from our keynote speaker is Steven Woolf, MD, MPH, Professor of Family Medicine and Population Health at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Health Equity Director Emeritus and Senior Advisor at the VCU Center on Society and Health. 

You can watch the entire conference opening on demand now.

Thursday, October 8, 2020


Session 1: Substance Use Disorders and Adverse Health Outcomes (No Video Available due to Zoom Failure)

  • Session Chair: Sarah H. Heil, PhD, Vermont Center on Behavior and Health Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Psychological Science, University of Vermont 
  • Speakers: 
    • The Medical Consequences of the Injection Opioid Epidemic in Rural America: The Case of West Virginia | Slides (PDF) - Judith Feinberg, MD, Professor, Department of Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry, West Virginia University
    • Disease Risk Network Topologies Among People Who Inject Drugs in Rural Puerto Rico | Slides (PDF) - Kirk Dombrowski, PhD, Vice President for Research, University of Vermont
    • Treating Women for Opioid Use Disorder in The Era of COVID-19 | Slides (PDF) - Hendree Jones, PhD, Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill
    • Smoking-Attributable Cancer by State: A Source of Rural Public Health Disparity? | Slides (PDF) Andrea Villanti, PhD, MPH Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont

 

Special Lunchtime Event: Leveraging Innovation for Rural SUDs Care: Exploring Case Studies 

Presented by: UVM Center on Rural Addiction (CORA)

During this Lunch & Learn session, join SUD treatment champions for small group discussions on the most common clinical challenges: OUD & pain, stimulant use, OUD & pregnancy, adolescents & SUDs, expanding rural treatment access. See case study document (PDF) for descriptions of each and select a study when you register. Attendance is limited.

  • Session Chairs: Sanchit Maruti, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont and Robert Althoff, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont

 

Session 2: Rural Residence, Cancer, and Cardiovascular Disease (Video)

  • Session Chair: Philip A. Ades, MD, Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Vermont
  • Speakers:
    • Rural Obesity, Cancer, and Weight Control | Slides (PDF) - Christie Befort, PhD, Professor, Department of Population Health, Associate Director, Cancer Prevention and Control, University of Kansas Cancer Center, University of Kansas Medical Center 
    • Breast Cancer Control in Rural Settings | Slides (PDF) - Brian L. Sprague, PhD, Associate Professor, Office of Health Promotion, Department of Surgery, University of Vermont
    • Rural-Urban Differences in Stroke Risk | Slides (PPT) recommend watching in presentation mode - George Howard, DrPH, Professor and Chair, Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham
    • Rural-Urban Difference in Cardiac Prevention | Slides (PDF) - David Schopfer, MD, Program Officer, Clinical Cardiovascular Disease, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

 

Virtual Poster Session

Friday, October 9, 2020

 

Session 1: Challenges of Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Settings (Video)

  • Session Chair: Stacey C. Sigmon, PhD, Associate Professor, Director, UVM Center on Rural Addiction, Departments of Psychiatry and Psychological Science, University of Vermont 
  • Speakers:
    • Challenges of Addressing Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Settings: A State Perspective | Slides (PDF)- Lisa Letourneau, MD, MPH, Maine DHHS Commissioner’s Office 
    • Challenges of Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Settings: A Federal Perspective | Slides (PDF) - Richard Jenkins, PhD, Health Scientist Administrator, National Institute on Drug Abuse: 
    • Polysubstance Use: A Broader Understanding of Substance Use During the Opioid Crisis | Slides (PDF) - Matthew Ellis, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis

Session 2: Challenges of Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Settings (Video)

  • Session Chair: Stacey C. Sigmon, PhD, Associate Professor, Director, UVM Center on Rural Addiction, Departments of Psychiatry and Psychological Science, University of Vermont 
  • Speakers:
    • Innovative Interventions for Rural Adults with Opioid Use Disorder - Kelly Peck, PhD, Assistant Professor, Vermont Center on Behavior and Health, Departments of Psychiatry and Psychological Science, University of Vermont 
    • Increasing Buprenorphine Access for Veterans with Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Clinics Using Telemedicine | Slides (PDF) - Nicole Brunet, PharmD, VA Maine Healthcare System

 

LUNCH

 

Session 3: Challenges of Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Settings (Video)

  • Session Chair: Stephen T. Higgins, PhD, Director, Vermont Center on Behavior and Health, Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Psychological Science, University of Vermont
  • Speakers:
    • Contingency Management With Patients Receiving Medication for Opioid Use Disorder: a Meta-Analysis | Slides (PDF) - Hypatia Bolivar, PhD, Instructor, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois-Springfield
    • An Update on Long-Acting Buprenorphine: Implications for Reducing Rural Disparities | Slides (PDF) - Michele R. Lofwall, MD, Professor, Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky College of Medicine: 
    • Understanding the Increase in Opioid Overdoses in New Hampshire: A Rapid Epidemiologic Assessment of People Who Use Opioids and Emergency Personnel | Slides (PDF) - Elizabeth C Saunders, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, Center for Technology and Behavioral Health, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth

 

Adjourn