Episode #157 High Truths on Drugs and Addiction Season 3 Finale

This is a recorded podcast from a live Season 3 High Truths Finale featuring Dr. Bertha Madras, Dr. Kenneth Finn, and Arianna Campbell. These national experts reflected on 2023, gave hopes for 2024, and answered audience questions.

Bertha K. Madras, PhD (the honorable)

Bertha Madras is a Professor of Psychobiology, Harvard Medical School (36 years), based at McLean Hospital, cross-appointed at the Massachusetts General Hospital. The focus of her career is research (preclinical and human) and public policy. For over four decades, she has investigated addiction biology, neuropsychiatric disorders, with results published in over 200 manuscripts, articles, and co-edited books, “The Cell Biology of Addiction”, and “Effects of Drug Abuse on the Human Nervous System” and “Imaging of the Human Brain in Health and Disease”.  With collaborators, she holds 19 U.S. and 27 international patents.

Kenneth Finn, MD

Dr. Finn graduated Medical School from the University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston (’90). He completed residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation from the University of Utah (’94), and is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (’95) as well as Pain Medicine (’98), and Pain Management (’00). Practicing medicine in Colorado Springs since 1994, Finn serves on the American Board of Pain Medicine Exam Council (’01), Appeals Committee (’14), and Executive Board (’14).  He is the President-Elect of the American Board of Pain Medicine (’20).  Finn served on the Colorado Governors Task Force on Amendment 64, Consumer Safety and Social Issues Work Group (’12) and served 4 years on the Colorado Medical Marijuana Scientific Advisory Council (’14-’18). He was an Executive Board member of El Paso County Medical Society (’14-’18) and helped Colorado Medical Society and Colorado Pain Society develop their position statement on cannabis (’18) as well as the El Paso County Board of Health (’14) and Medical Society (’14) on their statements. Finn is a voluntary clinical instructor for the University of Colorado Medical School-Colorado Springs Branch (‘17-’20) and sees pain patients at the Colorado Springs Rehabilitation in Colorado.

Arianna Campbell, PA

Arianna Campbell is an Emergency Department PA with more than 20 years of clinical expertise informing her work. As an APP Lead for US Acute Care Solutions at Marshall Medical Center in Placerville, California, Arianna initiated an innovative program to treat patients with opioid use disorder. Recognized by leaders in addiction medicine and beyond, Arianna became a founding clinician of CA Bridge, a program of the Public Health Institute. She currently serves as Director and Co-Principal Investigator for CA Bridge, dedicated to making 24/7 access to addiction treatment the standard of care in every hospital. Arianna presently serves on Marshall’s Provider Advisory Council and the California Academy of PAs’ Professional Practice Committee. She is a dedicated advocate for harm reduction practices and treating the patient as a whole person.

California Bridge is a program of the Public Health Institute in Oakland, California. Their goal is to transform addiction treatment by ensuring that every hospital in California provides 24/7 access to evidence-based care, treating substance use disorder like any other life-threatening condition.