REVOLUTIONIZING ADDICTION TREATMENT AND TRAINING

Of the 20 million people in the United States diagnosed with a substance use disorder in 2019, only 10% received treatment. In 2021, an estimated 107,000 people died of drug overdoses, while every year nearly 95,000 people die from alcohol-related causes, making it the third-leading preventable cause of death in the U.S. The crisis surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among communities of color, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows.

The USC Institute for Addiction Science aims to revolutionize the way substance use is discussed, treated and prevented through a new Master of Addiction Science—the first of its kind to be offered at a major university. The program, open for enrollment for fall 2023, is a partnership between the Mann School, the Keck School of Medicine and the Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.

Addiction is largely treated by specialists who use only the tools within their individual discipline. The new degree seeks to create an integrated system-of-care model that supports codelivery of care and prevention for greater impact and increased patient satisfaction. The program will also foster collaboration among researchers to explore emerging scientific developments.

“The epidemic of substance use disorders cannot be solved in silos,” says Daryl Davies, associate director of the institute and associate dean of undergraduate programs at USC Mann. “We need interdisciplinary and novel approaches, and innovative training programs to build a pipeline of professionals dedicated to solving this crisis.

“To date, pharmacotherapies, even in conjunction with psychosocial strategies, have had limited success in treating alcohol use disorders—with approximately 70% of patients relapsing into heavy drinking within one year,” adds Davies, who is also director of the Alcohol and Brain Research Laboratory and the Timothy M. Chan Professor of Complementary Therapies at the Mann School. “The development of new treatments for addiction represents an important unmet medical need.”

Breaking Down Barriers

Students in the new program can choose among courses spanning 18 schools at USC, with an option to pursue clinical or research tracks. The new degree is in keeping with USC’s priority to leverage cross-campus collaboration for both faculty and students, drawing on the strengths and perspectives of multiple disciplines to create solutions to challenging societal issues.

The curriculum examines a wide variety of addictions—from opioids and alcohol to vaping and gambling—with myriad approaches to prevention and treatment. Students will develop the skills to translate research theory into clinical practice that uniquely accounts for individual patients and their histories, making it a true bench-to-bedside program.

“We are bridging the gap between science and practice,” says Terry Church, assistant professor of regulatory and quality sciences at the Mann School and one of the lead curriculum architects of the new program. “We’re bringing together people in the field and those in the lab to build a conversation that better applies scientific evidence and real-world experience. It makes for a broad view, and I think that’s truly how we’re going to solve some of these larger problems in the world.”

A Comprehensive Strategy

The causes of addiction and substance use disorders are multifaceted, often interdependent and not fully understood by current scientific research. Some people may have a strong genetic predisposition while others appear to be influenced by their environment, and still others may have developed damaging habits and behaviors over time. Studies show that social determinants of health can actually alter DNA and other core elements of physical health and development.

To address the many forms in which addiction can present, the Master of Addiction Science program takes a cell-to-society approach that spans from cellular biology to social and physical environmental factors and from behavioral norms to government policies. It also allows for a more comprehensive look at addiction from many angles.

In addition, this leading-edge, transdisciplinary approach to addiction science increases the potential career paths for graduates of the program, including clinical positions interacting directly with those seeking treatment, administration positions in recovery-related fields, research appointments across disciplines and high-level policy development opportunities.

Learn more about this one-of-a-kind new joint degree program at mann.usc.edu/program/addiction-science

New Outreach Program Opens Pathway For Underserved Students

Mann School student members of the Southern California Outreach for Pharmacy Education (SCOPE) developed SCOPE Saturday Academy in fall 2022 to provide high school students from underrepresented and/or marginalized backgrounds an introduction and pathway to pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences as potential career options.

Fifteen students from four partner schools—Academy of Medical Arts at Carson High School, John C. Fremont High School, Bravo Medical Magnet High School and Woodrow Wilson High School—joined the six-week program as the inaugural class. Over the course of the program, the SCOPE scholars learned about various areas of pharmaceutical research, drug development and pharmacy practice while receiving mentoring and demonstrations in how to conduct health screenings. They also formed mock pharmaceutical companies to successfully bring a pharmaceutical product from early development to market and formulary by the end of the program.

“Creating the program was rigorous but enjoyable,” Luis Larios, PharmD Class of

2025, says. “The hardest part of this program was translating all the clinical, pharmaceutical sciences, regulatory and health economics topics down to the high school level. The content was pretty complex but our scholars are brilliant and caught on quickly. They were eager for more rigorous content.”

USC Mann student leaders in the program in addition to Larios were PharmD students Evans Pope III, Daniella Del Toro, Alexander Cantres, Faith Pogosyan, Siara Magee, Ileeshiah Otarola, Ginika Nwokeabia, Jasmine Gomez Lopez, Karina Huereca, Ilham Batar and Danielle Fletcher-Williams and PhD students Atham Ali and Michelle Kalu, PharmD ’22.

The program is expected to expand to at least 25 high school participants for fall 2023.

“It’s a real win-win,” says Allison Bryant, Mann School associate director of recruitment and outreach. “USC Mann students loved their volunteer experiences and the high school students benefited from their mentorship.”

Two of the five SCOPE high school seniors, Wendi Li and Arizbel Gomez, have been accepted to USC for fall 2023 admission. To get involved, contact Melissa Durham, assistant dean of diversity, equity and inclusion, at mdurham@usc.edu.