Interprofessional Education

Macomb County Judge Linda Davis speaks to students about opioid dangers

More than 300 hundred students and faculty participated in Oakland University's third annual interprofessional workshop on the nation's opioid crisis.

Linda Davis

Macomb County District Judge Linda Davis delivered the keynote address at Oakland University's interprofessional workshop on the nation's opioid crisis. The event was attended by more than 300 faculty and students from Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, the School of Health Sciences and the School of Nursing.

Panel Discussion

A panel of experts discussed non-opioid pain management strategies to curb the rise of addiction. Pictured from left are panel moderator Stephen Loftus, Ph.D., Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine associate professor of medical education; and panelists Ghada Abdallah, RPH., Clinical Pharmacist, Beaumont Health; Sheala Jafry, M.D., Family Medicine Physician, Beaumont Hospital, Troy; Mary Golinski, Ph.D., CCRN, OU Assistant Professor, Nurse Anesthesia Assistant Director; and Lisa McKay-Chiasson, Member, Oakland County Health Division Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force.

Case Study Discussion

Led by faculty facilitators, students participated in group discussions of a case study involving a typical patient in a clinical setting and were tasked with coming up with an intervention plan.

Kate Brancheau

Kate Brancheau, Client Services Manager at Transformations Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center and Board Member for Bryan's Hope, educated workshop participants on the use of naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses.

Ryan Rogers

Ryan Rogers, M1 student, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

Roxanne Ropponen

Roxanne Ropponen, Family Nurse Practitioner student, Oakland University School of Nursing

Erin Worman

Erin Worman, Doctor of Physical Therapy student, Oakland University School of Health Sciences

Raya Hollis

Raya Hollis, Master of Public Health student, Oakland University School of Health Sciences

icon of a calendarFebruary 7, 2019

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Macomb County Judge Linda Davis speaks to students about opioid dangers
Linda Davis

Longtime Macomb County District Judge Linda Davis recalls a time when she regarded addiction as a “moral failing” that only happened to flawed people from dysfunctional environments. It wasn't until her child, a straight-A student with a promising future, became addicted to heroin that she recognized the truth: “Addiction affects everybody. It affects all ages, all races, and all socioeconomic climates. It does not discriminate.”   

This was her message to more than 300 hundred students and faculty who participated in Oakland University's third annual interprofessional workshop on the nation's opioid crisis. The event was designed to help participants become more familiar with recent government legislation and guidelines regarding opioid use, and to focus on populations and communities – in addition to individual patients – to deliver effective health care. 

“All of you are going to be in helping professions, so you can be a real conduit to change a person's life.”

Opioids include drugs such as Oxycontin, Vicodin and Percocet and can be highly addictive. Davis, who is an OU graduate, noted that roughly 2.1 million Americans are currently struggling with addiction and that the stigma associated with addictive disease often prevents people from seeking help. 

“There's so much self-loathing when you're an addict, and people are so shamed by it, that asking for help is a real challenge,” she said. “If we don't start looking at this problem from all aspects, and working together to bridge the gaps, from prevention, to treatment, to recovery, then we are failing as a nation to deal with this in a real, viable way.”

In the midst of her child’s struggle and subsequent recovery, Davis made it her mission to support other individuals and families affected by addiction. She is founder and president of Families Against Narcotics, a community-based program for those seeking recovery, those in recovery and family members affected by addiction.

“Our mission has always been not to point fingers, but to bring people into the fold that can be part of the solution,” she explained. “We work with pharmacists, doctors, hospitals (and other organizations) to help identify people that might be looking for help.” 

Calling herself an “eternal optimist,” Davis encouraged participants – which included students in nursing, medicine, physical therapy and public health – to use their education to help others avoid and overcome the scourge of addiction.

“People do recover,” she said. “All of you are going to be in helping professions, so you can be a real conduit to change a person's life.” 

The keynote speech was followed by a panel discussion highlighting multi-disciplinary intervention options to limit the use of opioids. The panel was moderated by Stephen Loftus, Ph.D., Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine associate professor of medical education, and was composed of four health professionals: 

  • Ghada Abdallah, RPH., Clinical Pharmacist, Beaumont Health
  • Mary Golinski, Ph.D., CCRN, OU Assistant Professor, Nurse Anesthesia Assistant Director
  • Sheala Jafry, M.D., Family Medicine Physician, Beaumont Hospital, Troy
  • Lisa McKay-Chiasson, Member, Oakland County Health Division Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force

After the panel discussion, students were presented with a case study involving a typical patient in a clinical setting and were tasked with coming up with an intervention plan. Each group consisted of graduate students from the School of Nursing, School of Health Sciences and Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, along with a faculty facilitator. 


This year's workshop also included an information session about naloxone (Narcan), a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses. The session was led by Kate Brancheau, Client Services Manager at Transformations Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center and Board Member for Bryan's Hope, a nonprofit community advocacy organization providing awareness, education and support in the battle against opiate/heroin addiction.

The Oakland University Interprofessional Education Task Force, which is composed of faculty from the School of Health Sciences, School of Nursing and Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, organized the workshop. Funding and support for the workshop was provided by the School of Health Sciences; Theta Psi Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing; Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine; and Graduate School Physical Therapy Association.

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