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In this talk, I will review findings from national and local epidemiological studies on recent changes in U.S. overdose mortality. In recent years, overdose deaths increasingly involve polysubstance, namely opioids and stimulants. Fentanyl dominates almost everywhere, but the other specific drugs implicated vary regionally. Overdose rates are quickly rising among populations that previously had relatively low overdose mortality, including older adults, teens, Black people, and Hispanic/Latine people. At the same time, mortality remains high among populations that have long had elevated rates of overdose, including American Indian and Alaska Native and white populations. As overdose statistics grow more dire in almost every population, evidence-based interventions at the patient, community, and policy level offer tools can reverse these trends if we adopt them.

At the conclusion of this seminar, attendees should be able to:

1. Characterize recent changes in drugs involved in fatal overdose. 
2. Highlight populations with rising overdose rates. 
3. Identify policy and patient-level interventions to prevent fatal overdose.

Chelsea Shover, PhD