In the News
University of Michigan researchers from a wide range of disciplines are working together to formulate and answer critical questions about opioids. These collaborative efforts have placed U-M at the forefront of opioid research.
Take A.C.T.I.O.N. Naloxone Training Travels to Community High School for First All-Teen Training
On Wednesday, April 10th, Dr. Gina Dahlem, Clinical Associate Professor at University of Michigan School of Nursing, brought the Take A.C.T.I.O.N. Naloxone In-Person Training to Community High School, where a group of students grades 9-12 gathered together to learn...
Media Mention: Real-Time Opioid Overdose Data Improves Safety Response from Community
Opioid overdose deaths have grown ten-fold in Michigan since 2000, and the opioid epidemic continues to be a major public health crisis impacting thousands of Michiganders and their loved ones. To improve coordinated community response to opioid overdoses, University...
Faculty Feature: U-M Announces New Department Professorship
The Department of Psychiatry nominated and the Regents have approved Maureen Walton, PhD, MPH as the inaugural Toby Brzoznowski Research Professor effective March 1, 2024. Dr. Walton is Professor and the Associate Chair for Research and Research Faculty Development in...
Media Mention: Fighting Michigan’s opioid crisis with new needles, purer drugs, respect for addicts
One strategy in Michigan’s fight against opioids is ‘harm reduction’ — the acknowledgement that just-say-no doesn’t always work. In Grand Rapids, one harm reduction program tests drugs, alerting the user of what’s in the sample. The program, Red Project, has found...
Anesthesiologists to study whether CBD use impacts need for opioids after surgery
Members of the Michigan Society of Anesthesiologists (MSA) are among those joining forces to launch the largest clinical trial yet to determine whether administering cannabidiol (CBD) before and after surgery can reduce the need for opioids following total knee...
Media Mention: With the decline in youth mental health comes another concerning trend, study finds
Many young people have reported having poor mental health during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Their experiences are affirmed by a new study finding that the rate of prescribing antidepressants to this group also spiked during the same period. The number of young...
Update: A New OPEN: Overdose Prevention Engagement Network (OPEN)
This year, the Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network and the Michigan Opioid Collaborative have integrated to create the Overdose Prevention Engagement Network (OPEN). The new OPEN will focus on supporting community and healthcare organizations through the key pillars...
Media Mention: Surgery patients now less likely to get opioids – but decline has slowed
Post-surgery pain relief has shifted away from opioid-containing medications over the past seven years, but the downward trend has slowed since 2020, a new study shows. Overall, the rate of surgery-related opioid prescriptions dropped by 36% from 2016 to the end of...
Media Mention: NIDA funds studies on PN6047 from PharmNovo for potential opioid withdrawal treatment
The US National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) has funded a project investigating the drug candidate PN6047 from PharmNovo as a potential treatment for opioid withdrawal syndrome. PN6047, a novel and highly selective Delta Opioid Receptor Agonist (DORA), represents a...
Media Mention: The opioid crisis: From pill mills to the rise of fentanyl, and current glimmers of hope
In 2021, 80,411 people in the United States died of an overdose involving opioids, making up 75% of all drug overdose deaths that year. That’s also 10 times as many opioid overdose deaths as in 1999. How did we get here? Dr. Amy Bohnert spoke with producers of Tiny...