12th Annual Penn State Addiction Conference
December 8, 8:00 am to 3:30 pm
The annual Penn State College of Medicine Addiction Conference is a FREE two-day, hybrid event held in Hershey, Pa., focusing on basic science and translational research and clinical practice aspects of substance use research, treatment, education and community engagement. The first day will be focused on clinically relevant translational research and the second on evidence-based clinical applications for treatment of substance use and use disorders. Each day will feature Keynote Speaker presentations, as well as poster and networking sessions. This year’s conference will include research and clinical approaches for reducing the ongoing opioid crisis.
All are welcome to attend part or all of the event in person or virtually.
Continuing Education credits will be available.
Please visit the Annual Penn State Addiction Conference Website to find out more and to register.
Monday, December 7, 2026: Basic Science & Translational Research
Presentation Topics:
-Neuroscience of Addiction
-Prevention Risk, and Recurrence of Opioid and Substance Use Disorders
-Innovations in Treatment for Opioid and Substance Use Disorders
Keynote:
A GLP-1 receptor-regulated brain circuit that controls drug craving
Paul Kenny, PhD, Director Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
**Abstract and Networking Reception 3:30- 5:30 pm**
Tuesday, December 8, 2026 — Clinical Focus
Presentations:
-“Gas Station Heroin:” Recognizing and Treating Kratom and 7-OH Addiction
-Polysubstance Use on the Frontlines: Clinical Dilemmas and Practical Solutions
-Opioids + Benzodiazepines: To Taper or Not to Taper?
Keynotes:
Flipping the Mental Health and Substance use Disorders Dialogue: Now is the time!
Mark Hyman Rapaport, MD, President of the American Psychiatric Association, Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine
Toward a Reparatory History of Medicine: A Crash Course in the Historiography of Addiction and Recovery
Claire Clark, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Behavioral Science and History, University of Kentucky College of Medicine; Author of The Recovery Revolution; Co-President, Health Humanities Consortium
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