UK Anesthesiologist to Co-Chair International Conference on Opioids

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 25, 2016) - The fifth annual International Conference on Opioids, founded by Dr. Paul Sloan, professor and vice chair of research in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, will be June 5 - 7 at the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

"Opioids: The New Normal, The Future of Opioid Prescription," is an intensive three day program led by world renowned specialists and is designed to inform primary care physicians, physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, pain specialists, pharmacists and other opioid prescribers in the uses, abuses and legal ramifications of opioid analgesics.

"We will present the latest research and medical opinion regarding the use of opioids for chronic pain, the current difficulties with prescription opioid misuse, abuse and overdose and death," Sloan said. 

The conference will close on Tuesday, June 7 with a panel of governors from Vermont, Rhode Island and Maine. “We are looking forward to a spirited discussion with the governors as they work to address the opioid abuse and heroin death epidemic in their states,” said Sloan, who has co-chaired the event since its inception in 2012 and also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Opioid Management.

"This year we are pleased to be joined by Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, the immediate past medical director at SAMHSA. Dr. McCance-Katz brings her unique perspective and skills to this important conference,” added Sloan. “The future of opioid prescription is in flux as the medical, legal and regulatory fields seek a new normal that balances adequate pain management with reducing risk to patients.”

Sloan has directed his career on the management of cancer and chronic pain (100 papers) with a particular interest in opioid pharmacology and spinal analgesics. His research has focused on the treatment of chronic and cancer pain, including opioids and adjuvant analgesics. He also serves on the editorial boards three other journals in the pain management, palliative medicine and oncology fields.

To register for the conference, go to: http://www.opioidconference.org/Register.html           

Media Contact: Ann Blackford at 859-323-6442 or ann.blackford@uky.edu

###

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue