Addiction Policy & Practice (ADPP)

This is a 2-credit course, providing students with the scientific foundation for understanding the neuroscience of addiction. It will focus, inter alia, on basic neuroanatomy, the cell biology of the central nervous system, neuroplasticity, and basic neuropharmacology.

This course will provide an overview of the behavioral health issues involved in addiction, including course instruction on the environmental and genetic factors leading to addiction, effective prevention efforts, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of addiction. Various treatment modalities, including pharmacotherapies will also be examined.

Addiction and mental health have increasingly become an integral part of the broader policy landscape. This shift has been accelerated by the impact of social issues such as the overdose epidemic, suicide and homelessness. This seminar will explore the framework of laws and policies promoting human rights, dignity, and recovery for people with substance use disorders and mental health conditions. It will highlight systemic and community responses to addiction, mental health, and related social issues as well as the use of litigation, legislation, advocacy and financial incentives as tools for reform.

Discussion will include:

Evolution of responses to addiction, mental health, and related social issues; Human rights, deinstitutionalization and the rights of an individual to receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs; Statutory and regulatory frameworks promoting access to treatment, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Understanding data, outcome measures, and healthcare finance structures for behavioral health, including Medicaid and commercial insurance; The role of litigation to promote accountability and protect civil rights; The impact of stigma, the dignity of risk, and harm reduction philosophy; Role of the health care and criminal justice systems and trends in reforms; The impact of globalization and comparative analysis of international drug policy; Cultural competence in legal advocacy and practice. Guest lectures and discussion will provide real world case studies on laws and policy reforms impacting addiction and mental health.

This course will review the primary data sets used in to track substance use trends in the U.S. and inform US drug and alcohol policy (e.g., National Survey on Drug Use and Health, National Vital Statistics System, Monitoring the Future.), the use and limitations of these data sets, state data collection efforts, and other public health/safety data that can be used when formulating drug and alcohol policy. Data sets on other forms of addiction, i.e. gambling, will also be considered. In addition, students will be introduced to the basics of statistics and policy analysis and will learn the fundamentals of critically reviewing drug policy-related research.

This is the second of a two part course to review the primary data sets used to track substance use trends in the U.S. and to inform U.S. drug and alcohol policy (e.g., National Survey on Drug Use and Health, National Vital Statistics System, Monitoring the Future.) and introduce students to research methods, study design, measurement, analysis and inference. This second course will build on the foundational concepts introduced in the first course and focus on developing logic models, measure development, and appropriate data sources used to evaluate drug policies and programs; introduce qualitative and mixed methods of data collection and research; and provide students with opportunities to apply the skills and knowledge gained throughout their course of study in a policy evaluation design project.

A foundational course providing an overview of U.S. policies on addiction, including federal and state legislative approaches, implications of supply reduction efforts, international treaty obligations, and the future of drug and alcohol policy.

Full title: Comparative Approaches to Addiction Policy This course provides an overview of international approaches to alcohol, drug and other addictions policy, to include liberalized policies in Western European countries, as well as countries that employ punitive responses to drug use. The influence international treaties have on drug policies across the globe will also be explored.

This course will examine the evolution of legal and policy responses to addiction, mental health, and related social issues. Legal frameworks, policy levers, and political landscapes that impact system reform will be examined. The first part of the course will introduce students to key principles in addiction and mental health law with a focus on the tension between the role and power of government and individual rights and liberties. The second part of the course will highlight key themes in the evolution of addiction and mental health policy. We will end by identifying policy levers and practical tools for reform.

A foundational course providing an overview of financing for behavioral health services in the US. The primary focus of the course will be public funds through CMS and SAMHSA with some examination of the private insurance system. Parity is an important part of any funding discussion and will be considered as we delve into the payment for care.

Students will apply social epidemiologic concepts to addiction, introduced through weekly lectures and readings, and the use of discussions and case studies. This course will prepare students to understand and appreciate the contribution of social factors to addiction etiology, course and the distribution in populations.

The goal of the course is to allow students to integrate academic coursework with real-world experience by introducing them to individuals working in various aspects of addiction policy across the continuum of care (social determinants of health, treatment, and recovery), as well as in the criminal justice and harm reduction settings. The curriculum will track with other course work, including the integration of science into policy, and will introduce students to other aspects not otherwise covered; at least one third of the course will involve engagement with scientific material and quantitative analysis. Class discussions will be combined with guest speakers and observational site visits in the DC area to addiction treatment and recovery facilities, as well as harm reduction and criminal justice venues.

The goal of the course is to allow students to integrate academic coursework with real-world experience by introducing them to individuals working in various aspects of addiction policy across the continuum of care (social determinants of health, treatment, and recovery), as well as in the criminal justice and harm reduction settings.

The capstone assignment required of all MAPP students is developed through the integrative seminar and will take place in May and June. Students work closely with a faculty advisor to design and complete their capstone projects allowing them to apply their MAPP skills. The final written assignment may take a variety of forms, including research papers or policy-focused white papers.