Novel Opioid Use Disorder Interventions in the Fentanyl Era: From Bench to Bedside to Community
Details
This presentation will examine cutting-edge clinical opioid withdrawal management and opioid agonist treatment protocols developed to treat patients using unregulated fentanyl and its analogues. It will also explore non-opioid adjunct medications and molecular targets to reduce opioid tolerance, as well as the use of medical devices and digital health apps to facilitate the treatment of opioid use disorder. Finally, the presentation will discuss an innovative primary prevention program to engage youth aimed at preventing the development of substance use disorders.
Pouya Azar, MD, FRCPC, DABAM
Medical Manager of the Complex Pain and Addiction Service & Director of the Innovations in Mental Health, Addiction, Pain Research Program
Pouya Azar, MD, FRCPC, DABAM is the Medical Manager of the Complex Pain and Addiction Service (CPAS), a consult service under the Department of Psychiatry at Vancouver Coastal Health, which provides management of pain, mental health disorders, and substance use disorders across all clinical services at Vancouver General Hospital, UBC Hospital, and GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre. He is also the Addiction Lead at Foundry Vancouver Granville, which is a community youth clinic providing access to low-barrier mental health and substance use supports, a consulting physician for psychiatry and addiction medicine at British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, a physician for the Vancouver General Hospital Transitional Pain Clinic, and a clinical faculty member at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Azar’s clinical and translational research focuses on the development of novel opioid agonist treatment initiation and withdrawal management protocols, medical devices, primary prevention programs, and digital health apps to improve patient outcomes.