The U.S. Bureau of the Census estimates that there are 44 million people of African origin living in the country, comprising 13.4% of the total population. African Americans are overrepresented among drug abusers in the U.S., but they are also more likely to seek treatment for their drug addiction. In 2020, around 7,095 people aged 15 to 24 years died from a drug overdose. Opioids, primarily prescription pain relievers and heroin, are the main driver of overdose deaths. This webinar will explore the most common substance of choice, signs and symptoms of teen substance use and discuss treatment options for this population.
Tiffani Bell, M.D., is a public health expert and quadruple board-certified physician who specializes in adult psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, lifestyle medicine, and obesity medicine.
In 2020, Dr. Bell Washington received the Outstanding Teaching Faculty of the Year Award in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Wake Forest School of Medicine and the National Medical Association’s Post-Graduate Section’s “Top Physician under 40” Emerging Leader award. In 2022, Dr. Bell Washington was selected to be a 40 under 40 “Leader in Minority Health “by National Minority Quality Forum. Dr. Bell Washington is a recent graduate of Harvard T. H. Chan with a Master of Public Health and a concentration in health policy and leadership. She completed undergraduate education at Norfolk State University (a Historically Black College and University), medical school at Medical College of Virginia, and residency and fellowship at Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Dr. Bell Washington is passionate about advocacy, research, improving diversity and equity in leadership and decreasing stigma and bias surrounding chronic illnesses such as mental health disorders and obesity.Dr. Bell Washington currently works in her private practice, The Healthy Weigh MD PLLC, which focuses on prioritizing stress management, lifestyle medicine, mental health, and obesity treatment. She also works with marginalized communities, who often have substance use disorders, in correctional psychiatry with Centurion Health.
Annelle Primm, M.D., MPH, is the Senior Medical Director of the Steve Fund, an organization focused on the mental health of young people of color. She is also a member of the Black Psychiatrists of America Council of Elders.
General public, therapists, teens experiencing (or at risk for) substance use disorders, parents/caregivers of children/teens in the black community who experience substance use disorders.