Kathleen Kelly Presents at the American Academy of Pediatrics on Quantifying Rates of Naloxone in Youth and Schools

Kathleen Kelly, a second-year candidate in the M.D./M.P.H. program at the Miller School of Medicine and at the Department of Public Health Sciences, presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) meeting on quantifying rates of naloxone distribution in youth and schools. Naloxone is used to reverse drug overdoses in an emergency situation. The AAP meeting this year took place in the New Orleans Morial Convention Center from Oct. 25, 2019 to Oct. 29, 2019. 

At the meeting, Kelly also learned more about a wide range of topics, ranging from how social media advertisements are being used to target the youngest members of society, how people can prepare and prevent school shootings to how telehealth can be implemented to better serve rural populations.

“I was honored to have the opportunity to attend and present at the American Academy of Pediatrics. I made invaluable connections at the conference and received inspiration from the leaders across the field,” Kelly said.

At the meeting, she presented at roundtable discussions, specifically at the Council for School Health. Kelly’s work typically focuses on providing data to inform legislation regarding naloxone in schools.

“Sadly, the opioid epidemic has spread into the lives of youth. Naloxone is the opioid overdose antidote that is approved for layperson administration. To combat the opioid epidemic in youth, states have enacted various policies regarding naloxone in schools. Our work focuses on quantifying rates of naloxone administration in youth and schools, which has not been previously shared,” she said.

As the data analysis has become more involved, Kelly has partnered with Raymond Balise, Ph.D., and Daniel Feaster, Ph.D., who are two researchers at the Department of Public Health Sciences.

“Our interdisciplinary team has been invaluable to provide ideas on how to best use data to understand and combat the opioid epidemic in youth,” Kelly added.

Written by Amanda Torres 

Published on December 12, 2019