The Opioid Crisis in America
Confront the epidemic.
Join Harvard faculty in this online course to learn about the origins and spread of the opioid epidemic.
3-6 hours per week
What You'll Learn
On average, 130 Americans die every day from an overdose of opioids, the class of drugs that includes heroin, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, and fentanyl. Around 70% of all opioid overdose deaths involved a prescription opioid. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States — opioid addiction is driving this epidemic.
In this course, you'll learn about the origins and spread of this epidemic. Our experts will cover the appropriate ways this class of drugs should be used, but we will also explore the impact of opioid misuse on the individual, family, and community. You’ll hear about effective medical treatments for addiction and how to reduce the stigma that exists around addiction. You’ll learn how to help prevent overdose deaths and explore the multiple pathways to recovery.
Join us to confront this epidemic with a broad perspective of the causes, effects, and solutions to the opioid crisis. After learning about harm-reduction approaches and evidence-based interventions to prevent addiction and support recovery, you will be equipped to confront the opioid epidemic.
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This course is available for Continuing Education credit. Enroll in the course to learn more about options for earning credit.
The course will be delivered via edX and connect learners around the world. By the end of the course, participants will understand:
- Medical and non-medical use of opioids, including heroin and fentanyl
- How to manage pain with and without opioids
- The risks and neurological pathways to opioid addiction
- That addiction is a disease of the brain, not a lack of will
- The multiple ways people can become addicted to opioids
- The individual and social impacts of opioid addiction
- The latest harm reduction approaches for law enforcement and public health officials
- Empathic evidence-based behavioral approaches and medications that health care professionals can offer those struggling with opioid addiction
Your Instructors
Gregory Curfman, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School at Harvard University
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Catherine Finn, MSW, LCSW
Deputy Editor, Harvard Health Publishing at Harvard University
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Syllabus
Ways to take this course
When you enroll in this course, you will have the option of pursuing a Verified Certificate or Auditing the Course.
A Verified Certificate costs $149 and provides unlimited access to full course materials, activities, tests, and forums. At the end of the course, learners who earn a passing grade can receive a certificate.
Alternatively, learners can Audit the course for free and have access to select course material, activities, tests, and forums. Please note that this track does not offer a certificate for learners who earn a passing grade.