Summer Series Ep4: Demystifying the Opioid Epidemic with Dr. Paula Lum and Dr. Triveni DeFries

Woke WOC Docs

For our last episode of our Summer Series, we are talking with Dr. Paula Lum and Dr. Triveni DeFries, both physician activists of the UCSF Primary Care Addiction Medicine Fellowship. In this episode, we talk more about the historical and racial roots of the socially constructed phenomena of “the opioid epidemic”. In addition, we talk about how structural and social determinants have affected historical and current drug epidemics, including the rising methamphetamine epidemic going on now. We most importantly talk about how health professionals must de-stigmatize the culture of shame around drug use both in patient care and within our institutions through our words, actions, and activism. We also talk about how to expand resources in our hospitals and communities in order to address drug epidemics and their associated stigma and shame for people affected. We hope this episode serves as a call to action for many people to address personal and institutional biases about people and communities affected by the rise of current drug epidemics. Most of all, we hope this episode brings compassion and humanity to these very real issues of our communities. Also check out our brotha Max’s podcast “Flip the Script” episodes “Opioids in Black and White” Pt. 1 and 2 for further context on the current opioid epidemic! https://soundcloud.com/yaleuniversity/opioids-in-black-and-white-pt-ii-imani?in=yaleuniversity/sets/flip-the-script Bios: Paula J. Lum, MD MPH is Professor of Clinical Medicine and Program Director of the UCSF Primary Care Addiction Medicine Fellowship. She has been a faculty member in the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at San Francisco General Hospital since 1999. Board certified in internal medicine and addiction medicine, Dr. Lum practices at the place where HIV, addiction, and poverty collide. Her research and clinical activities are grounded in evidence-based, patient-centered care to improve health outcomes and life quality of the urban poor. Her current areas of focus include: (1) HIV and viral hepatitis prevention and treatment in persons who inject drugs, (2) evidence-based interventions in primary care and non-traditional settings for substance use disorders and their complications, and (3) curricular interventions to provide health care professionals with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to offer effective patient-centered care to persons who use drugs. Triveni DeFries, MD, MPH was born and raised in Washington, DC. She studies Human Rights & Latin American Studies as an undergraduate at Columbia. After completing her MPH in Global Health at Columbia University, she moved to San Francisco where she attended UCSF for medical school and internal medicine residency. She worked for the Indian Health Service as a general internist in the Navajo Nation in Shiprock, NM for 2 years. Her professional interests are in transforming and teaching primary care to be trauma-informed and integrate the care of people with substance use disorder. She also spends time working on medical evaluations of people seeking asylum in the US. She enjoys spending time outdoors with daughters!