UNE College of Pharmacy co-sponsors annual symposium on safe medicine Oct. 10-12
The 2010 International Symposium on Safe Medicine, co-sponsored by the University of New England, will be held on Sunday, Oct. 10 through Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010 in Portland at the Holiday Inn by the Bay.
National and international experts from a variety of professions including medical, pharmaceutical, educators, legislators, and those from law enforcement will discuss the human and environmental impact of prescription drugs.
Gayle Brazeau, UNE’s dean of the College of Pharmacy and Lenard W. Kaye, director of the UMaine Center on Aging will provide welcoming remarks at the conference opening at noon on Sunday.
Stevan Gressitt, director of the International Institute for Pharmaceutical Safety and adjunct associate Professor of clinical psychiatry, UNE College of Osteopathic Medicine, will lead a workshop on Sunday to discuss formation of an association of Drug Waste Prevention, Disposal, and Medicine Safety Organizations.
Other speakers from UNE include Marc Hahn, dean and senior vice president for health affairs, College of Osteopathic Medicine; Kevin Wallace and John Schloss, College of Pharmacy; Phil Yund, director of the Center for Land Sea Interaction, and Tim Ford, vice president for research and dean of Graduate Studies.
Conference topics include: the environmental and social impact of unused prescription drugs stored in homes and flushed or otherwise discarded into the environment; innovative return and disposal policy and program responses and related environmental issues; the multitude of issues surrounding the use, misuse, and abuse of prescription drugs with a special focus on benzodiazepines, a class of medications used to treat anxiety, stress, and insomnia; and pertinent health, safety, and improved medication prescribing practices and policies.
In addition to the UNE's College of Pharmacy, the symposium is sponsored by the UMaine Center on Aging and Husson University School of Pharmacy. The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) and Purdue Pharma Grants and Giving are supporting this year’s symposium, along with corporate support that includes Willow Labs, Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals, and Waste Management.
Complete information, including a list and schedule of speakers, workshops and related conference events is available on the Maine Benzodiazepine Study Group website at http://benzos.une.edu/2010conference.htm.