Opioids

The GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences has joined more than 35 organizations to form the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Crisis.

In 2016, more than 42,249 deaths were attributed to opioid use, according to the CDC. In mid-February, physician assistant (PA) students at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences heard from a panel of experts about the role they can play to combat the epidemic.

Julia Finkel, MD, professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine and of pediatrics, spoke to NBC-KTUU2 (Anchorage, Alaska) in a segment about the importance of treating opioid-addicted teens.

Marian Sherman, MD, assistant professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine, spoke to NPR for an article discussing the efficacy of cold therapy as a treatment for injuries.

Research published by Victoria Shanmugam, M.D., associate professor of medicine, finding that opioid exposure is associated with reduced likelihood of healing in patients with chronic wounds, was featured in an article on Pain Medicine News.

Victoria Shanmugam, M.D., associate professor of medicine, was featured in McKnight's Long-term Care News for her research published in Wound Repair and Regeneration finding that opioid exposure is associated with reduced likeliho

Victoria Shanmugam, M.D., associate professor of medicine, published a study in Wound Repair and Regeneration finding that opioid exposure is associated with reduced likelihood of healing in patients with chronic wounds. 

Robert Shesser, M.D., chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, was interviewed by USA Today for a story on a device that reverses the effects of overdoses from opioids, including heroin and prescription painkillers, now approved by The Food and Drug Administration.

Maryann Mazer-Amirshahi, M.D., adjunct instructor of emergency medicine, and Jesse Pines, M.D., director of the Office of Clinical Practice Innovation, were featured by several media outlets for their research finding a rising number of opioid prescribing in U.S. emergency rooms.

Maryann Mazer-Amirshahi, M.D., adjunct instructor of emergency medicine, and Jesse Pines, M.D., director of the Office of Clinical Practice Innovation, were published in Academic Emergency Medicine for their paper titled, "“Rising Opioid Prescribing in Adult U.S. Emergency Department Visits: 2001-…