Addiction Medicine Rounds: Incorporating #BlackGirlMagic in Substance Use Prevention Research and Programming

The Yale Program in Addiction Medicine is pleased to welcome Ijeoma Opara, PhD, LMSW, MPH, as speaker for Addiction Medicine Rounds on October 13, 2022.

This event will be held virtually via Zoom. Register to attend by clicking HERE or on the "Register for this Event."

Title: Incorporating #BlackGirlMagic into Substance Use Prevention Research and Programming

Learning Objectives

1. Describe cultural protective factors that can be used to reduce substance use among Black girls.
2. Understand the importance of innovative race and gender specific programming in youth substance use prevention.
3. Learn about youth engagement in substance use prevention initiatives.

Addiction Medicine Rounds are CME accredited. Each session will be assigned 1 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM.

Ijeoma Opara, PhD, LMSW, MPH, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences at the School of Public Health. She is also the founder and director of the Substances and Sexual Health Lab (SASH). Her research interests focus on HIV/AIDS, STI, and substance use prevention for urban youth, racial and gender specific prevention interventions for Black girls, and community-based participatory research with urban youth. Dr. Opara has received many awards for her work in prevention research from the American Public Health Association, National Council on Family Relations, and AcademyHealth. Most recently, Dr. Opara was named the 2020 recipient of the NIH Director's Early Independence Award, which funds her 5-year community-based study on youth substance use, mental health outcomes, and neighborhoods in Paterson, New Jersey. The Early Independence Award is given to junior scientists through the High Risk-High Reward program, whom who have demonstrated exceptional ability to engage in independent research. Prior to joining YSPH faculty, Dr. Opara served as an Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare, where she taught graduate-level child and family social work practice courses. She also worked as an adjunct professor at Columbia University School of Social Work teaching a graduate level adolescent development course and at Rutgers University Bloustein School of Planning & Social Policy where she taught an undergraduate social justice in public health course. Dr. Opara received her PhD in Family Science & Human Development at Montclair State University, a Master of Social Work from New York University (with a specialization in Primary & Behavioral Health Integrated Care) and her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from New York Medical College.