Tuesday, February 26, 2019

MI Senate Binsfeld Office Building, 5th Floor, Room 5550
201 Townsend St, Lansing, MI 48933
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

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The opioid epidemic continues to be a national emergency. Michigan set a new record for overdose deaths in 2018—an alarming trend that is predicted to continue for several years to come. Opioids are commonly prescribed after both minor and major surgical proce- dures for pain management. Overprescribing is a widespread problem and contributes to the opioid crisis currently claiming 134 American lives every day. With up to 92% of patients having leftover opioids after common operations, millions of pills are left vulner- able to diversion into our communities. The impact is acute in urban, suburban and rural communities alike. Understanding the many complex issues related to opioid overuse and overdose is extremely important in developing effective policy. Please join us to hear from an informative panel of experts from the University of Michigan who will discuss their research and recommendations for policy changes that could help Michigan stem the tide in this growing opioid crisis.

Featured speakers:

Dr. Romesh Nalliah is the Director for Clinical Education at the U-M School of Dentistry and Clinical Associate Professor of Dentistry. He will discuss trends in opioid prescribing and overuse in dentistry and state and national level research related to prescribing and treatment. He will also discuss how opioid prescribing during the acute care period among those patients not using opioids has the greatest potential to reduce the number of new chronic opioid users and minimize unintended distribution of prescription opioids into communities.

Dr. Michael Englesbe co-directs the Michigan Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network, Michigan OPEN. He will discuss the unique opportunities provided by collaborative quality initiatives (CQIs) in Michigan. CQIs are statewide, physician-led networks that are devoted to improving the care of patients in Michigan’s major hospitals and surgical specialties. Michigan OPEN partners with them to gather data and implement change to transform surgical pain management and curb opioid misuse.

Dr. Rebecca Haffajee is the Policy Analysis Activities Lead, Policy Workgroup, Outreach and Translation Core, at the U-M Injury Prevention Center. She will discuss trends in state and national- level policies related to opioid prescribing and treatment, and the evidence base for several prominent state policies that target opioid misuse and overdose, prescription drug monitoring programs, pain clinic regulation and naloxone access laws.

Panel Moderator: Dr. Chad Brummett is Associate professor of Anesthesiology and co-director of the Michigan Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network, Michigan OPEN

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This data comes from the National Center for Science and Education Statistics’ Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey for fiscal year 2017. The “Federal R&D” column lists combined federal research and development expenditures for social sciences, psychology, law, communications, and social work.

On January 15 the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) released its 2019 report highlighting the top university recipients of research dollars in the social and behavioral sciences. The University Rankings for Federal Social and Behavioral Science R&D report includes information on 468 colleges and universities.

As in previous years, the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor continues to lead the nation in total federal social science research dollars. U-M received $117.2 million in federal social science R&D, making it the second largest university recipient of federal social science research dollars. This year’s rankings also feature a dashboard on the COSSA website that allows users to engage with an interactive map of recipients of social and behavioral science R&D funding.

The Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA), of which U-M is a member, is a nonprofit advocacy organization working to promote sustainable federal funding for social and behavioral science research and federal policies that positively impact the conduct of research. COSSA serves as a united voice for a broad, diverse network of organizations, institutions, communities, and stakeholders who care about a successful and vibrant social science research enterprise. The COSSA membership includes professional and disciplinary associations, scientific societies, research centers and institutes, and U.S. colleges and universities.

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By: Diane (Swies) Drago

There are no coincidences in life, just opportunities which provide you with choices that can lead to life-altering decisions. While a chance meeting with a U.S. Senate staffer on the night of a primary election seemed inconsequential at the time, this encounter eventually led to an unexpected career path. A paid position on that campaign staff later became the pathway to being selected for that UM internship program two years after the chance meeting.

Fast forward two years to a normal walk through Michigan’s campus the spring before my December graduation. Applying for the internship was the result of noticing a poster on campus and thinking that Washington, DC would be a fun place to spend that last summer before graduation from Michigan’s School of Education.

I was selected for the internship by the Congressman from Ann Arbor (Marvin Esch) primarily because his administrative assistant (staff director) knew the person I worked for on the U.S. Senate campaign. That person (who I had not seen or heard from since that campaign) thankfully gave me a good recommendation.

The internship led to being hired by that Congressman after graduation from UM…which led to 12 years in DC, getting married and ultimately, laid the groundwork for staring my own conference and event management firm back in Michigan.

No coincidences, just a series of choices that offer opportunities on which I decide to act. And that internship ultimately became a pivotal part of my life, although I didn’t realize it in that moment.
– Diane Drago

Assigned to the only floor of the Georgetown University dorms that had no air conditioning. The heat—and finding ways to beat it—led to great friendships. The best of which was a girl who became a lifelong friend—after she asked to borrow the Cosmopolitan magazine I was reading. We spent the summer exploring DC and stayed friends.

All the interns were nervous about how their assignments would turn out. I was extremely fortunate to have been placed in Congressman Esch’s office. He and his staff were welcoming and inclusive. I learned both the mundane and fascinating facets of a Congressional office, which was very helpful once I was hired by that office after graduation from Michigan.

I was able to follow certain pieces of legislation by attending committee meetings and following the progress on the House floor in a few instances. I answered the phones, met and helped escort constituents on visits to the Capitol, read and helped respond to legislative mail—the job for which I was eventually hired.

I was thrilled when asked to write an article for the Congressional Record on behalf of the Congressman. I still have the original. Other interns and I were be able to attend receptions on behalf of the Congressman—free food and great contacts! Of course, we realized later that we were doing the staff have a favor, so they could go home to their families!

38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford meets with PSIP interns in the White House Rose Garden. President Ford graduated from Michigan in 1935 with a Bachelor in economics.

We were given many opportunities to attend special events and lectures. Because of Congressman Esch’s personal relationship with President Ford, he was able to arrange a private visit to the White House and Rose Garden for all the UM interns. That was not the case for non-UM interns we met.

One of the lectures we were to attend was particularly memorable—not because of the lecture, but what it ultimately led to. Interns were invited to attend a lecture by then Congresswoman Bella Abzug of New York, who was known to be quite a character. It was at the Library of Congress, which sounded interesting enough. When we went to the Library, we instead found police barricades because a movie scene was being shot there. I’m guessing the Congresswoman’s lecture had many fewer interns in attendance than planned. Instead, we watched Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman shoot the scene from All the President’s Men where they run up the stairs of the Library to do research. Every time I see the movie and that scene, I think of one of the highlights of that summer!

In retrospect…

I was too young at the time to realize how those two chance occurrences—on a primary election night and a walk through campus—would help shape the decisions I would make about the course of my life.
– Diane Drago

The UM internship program was certainly pivotal in my life. The education, lasting friendships, professional contacts and opportunities it provided are priceless. Today, I continue to highly recommend it and similar programs to young people. Take advantage of the opportunities presented in life—you’ll never know where the decisions you make about those opportunities might lead unless you take a chance.