Talk Objectives: 

• Identify the ways that stigma serves as a barrier to accessing care for individuals with substance use and mental health conditions.
• List the ways that the topic of stigma has emerged in evaluated community-engaged partnerships and research.
• Describe how stigma varies depending on the source and the individual experiencing it.
• Compare interventions with potential to reduce substance use and mental health stigma.

Speakers: Laura Palombi, PharmD, MPH, MAT, is an associate professor at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy in Duluth. Laura received a B.S. in Biology, B.A. in Theology and Master of Arts in Theology from the University of St. Thomas. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Minnesota in 2012, then completed a Post-Graduate Year One Residency in Ambulatory Care through the University of Minnesota at Essentia Health in Duluth, Minnesota. Laura completed her Master of Public Health degree in spring of 2015. Dr. Palombi has been involved in a variety of projects and collaborations throughout northeastern Minnesota, working on substance use prevention, intervention, recovery and harm reduction initiatives with rural and Tribal communities.

Katharine Dooley, MPH Candidate, is an Epidemiology MPH student at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Katharine received a B.A. in biology from Bard College in 2013. Prior to graduate school, Katharine worked as a Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Fellow at the National Institutes of Health and was a Health Education Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo, West Africa. Katharine is currently a student worker on Minnesota Department of Health’s "Team Diarrhea", where she assists with foodborne illness surveillance and outbreak investigations.