Philadelphia’s Addiction Crisis: Lessons from the Past, Challenges of the Present

About

Dr. Lara Carson Weinstein, MD, MPH, DrPH is a family physician, addiction medicine specialist, and public health researcher at Thomas Jefferson University, where she is the Stephen and Sandra Sheller Distinguished Professor of Supportive Healthcare and Program Director of the Addiction Medicine Fellowship.

Her work focuses on health equity for people with psychiatric disabilities, substance use disorders, and complex chronic disease. In Philadelphia, she serves as director of integrated care with Pathways to Housing PA and has built low-barrier programs offering Medication for Opioid Use Disorder.

She is the medical director of Jefferson's Sheller Consult & Bridge Program, where an inpatient addiction team treats hospitalized patients and enrolls eligible patients in the Bridge Program, a single care team that follows them across outpatient, hospital, emergency, treatment, and recovery residence settings.

We are grateful to welcome Dr. Weinstein to share her experience and expertise with our students, residents, fellows, and faculty, and her perspective on caring for patients within Philadelphia's evolving addiction landscape.

Dr. Lara Carson Weinstein will share her personal and professional journey through medicine, reflecting on the evolution of addiction medicine over the course of her career. Drawing on her firsthand experiences, she will explore how approaches to addiction treatment, care, and public health have changed over the years, while examining the current landscape of Philadelphia’s addiction crisis and the challenges and opportunities shaping its future.

This will be a virtual event held on 11/17 from 6-7pm