Irving Institute Hosts Columbia Opioid Symposium

On June 22, 2018 the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research hosted a symposium to stimulate collaborations among researchers, industry partners and the community to advance new efforts to address the opioid crisis. More than 200 attendees gathered for the Columbia Opioid Symposium titled “New Collaborations Towards New Solutions”.

The day began with plenary talks and presentations from across several domains including local efforts from Commissioner Mary T. Bassett, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and national efforts from Carlos Blanco from the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA), to address the opioid crisis.  Columbia faculty also gave research updates. A networking lunch followed where attendees, including researchers, community leaders, and members of industry organizations were able to collaborate and connect. The day ended with two concurrent networking sessions: one focused on business synergies and the other on community engagement. Both of these sessions included presentations from each field and a panel discussion. The community session was co-hosted by the Irving Institute’s Community Engagement Core Resource (CECR), NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia School of Social Work, and the Washington Heights Corner Project. The industry session was co-hosted by the Columbia Business School Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management Program and Columbia Technology Ventures.

Visit the Irving Institute's opioid key initiative page to learn more about our efforts to address this crisis.