In this episode, I speak with Dr. Timothy Hall about the intersection of methamphetamine use and HIV in the LGBTQ+ community, particularly in men who have sex with men. Dr. Hall explains how methamphetamine use can influence HIV transmission as well as health outcomes for those who are HIV positive and how new HIV medications that can be taken every few months instead of daily may improve medication adherence for those struggling with a methamphetamine addiction. He also discusses the potential consequences of the changing landscape of the LGBTQ+ community.

Dr. Hall is a Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor at the Department of Family Medicine and Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He has trained and studied at Harvard, UCSD, University of Chicago/NORC, Karlova Univerzita (Prague), the New Center for Psychoanalysis (Los Angeles), and UCLA. He is co-chair of the Human Sexuality & Anthropology Interest Group (HSAIG) of the American Anthropological Association. He has conducted long-term ethnographic research in Prague, Czech Republic, with four years of fieldwork since 1999. This project looks at processes of gay and bisexual men’s sexual identity formation and changes in the social and sexual networks of men who have sex with men (MSM) in the post-socialist era and since EU accession, with attention to HIV risk factors. He has also conducted fieldwork among non-gay-identified MSM in Los Angeles. His research interests include theories of sexual identity and the role of sexual identities and various forms of sexual-identity-based sociality in mediating risk for HIV, depression, and addictive disorders. He has worked as study physician on clinical trials of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (HTPN 073), the mStudy cohort study of HIV risk factors, and several trials of medications for methamphetamine use disorder (bupropion, varenicline, ibudilast, and bupropion/naltrexone). Dr. Hall is a psychiatrist with clinical interests in mood disorders, HIV psychiatry, personality disorders, and addiction.

Learn more about Dr. Hall at ​​https://www.uclahealth.org/providers/timothy-hall

If you enjoy what you hear, please feel free to contribute at www.trappedunderstandingaddiction.com to support harm reduction efforts.

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In this episode, I talk with Dr. David Goodman-Meza about the infectious disease complications associated with intravenous drug use. We discuss some of the most common infections seen in people who inject drugs (PWID), including Hepatitis C, HIV, skin and soft tissue infections, infective endocarditis, vertebral osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, and meningitis. Dr. Goodman-Meza goes on to explain the challenges PWID face in trying to get treatment for these infections and how he became interested in this field. Finally, he reviews strategies we can use to improve care for PWID, including having a specialty devoted to care of the entire patient struggling with substance use.

David Goodman-Meza, MD, MAS is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. His diverse research interests include the epidemiology of HIV and STIs in high-risk populations, biomedical prevention of HIV in people who use substances, and improving infectious disease-related outcomes in people who inject drugs. He is site principal investigator for HPTN094, a randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of mobile clinical units to improve health outcomes in people who inject drugs.

Read more about Dr. Goodman-Meza here: https://www.uclahealth.org/providers/david-goodman

If you enjoy what you hear, please feel free to contribute at www.trappedunderstandingaddiction.com to support harm reduction efforts.

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In this episode, I speak with Kristina Canfield, M.ED. about collegiate recovery programs. Kristina is the Executive Director for the Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE), the sole organization exclusively representing collegiate recovery programs and communities. Kristina explains how collegiate recovery programs came about, their benefits for students in recovery, and how ARHE can provide education, resources, and community connection to those looking to establish a collegiate recovery program in their school.

Kristina attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio where she earned both her bachelor’s degree in History and a master’s degree in College Student Personnel. During her time at Ohio University, Kristina helped to establish the Collegiate Recovery Community in order to assist students in or seeking recovery from substance use disorders on that campus. After graduation, she worked in an inpatient treatment facility where she continued to gain valuable experience in the continuum of care for substance use disorders. Previously, she was employed as the program coordinator for the Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP) at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and as the Substance Abuse Prevention & Recovery Coordinator for The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Kristina is very passionate about the field of collegiate recovery and prior to her current role, she worked closely with ARHE as Conference Manager for the ARHE/ARS/AAPG National Conference, Secretary of the Advisory Council, and Project Lead for two grant projects focused on advancing the field of collegiate recovery. Her vision is that one day, every institution of higher education offers support for students in or seeking recovery so that they feel supported no matter their chosen path of recovery.

As we approach Collegiate Recovery Day, ARHE will be celebrating thirteen years of propagating and supporting the vision of collegiate recovery programs. ARHE offers time-tested, research and experience-based modeling for fostering and supporting those in recovery who seek to excel in higher education.

Learn more about ARHE at https://collegiaterecovery.org/

If you enjoy what you hear, please feel free to contribute at www.trappedunderstandingaddiction.com to support harm reduction efforts.

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