Dr. Harold Tu ’71, a nationally renowned expert on the opioid epidemic and member of the Linfield University Board of Trustees, will speak on the background and current state of opioid abuse and overdose deaths at noon on Wednesday, May 3, in Building 2’s Lecture Hall 102 on the Portland campus and via Zoom. His appearance is part of the Linfield University-Good Samaritan School of Nursing’s Navigating Nursing lecture series.
During the lecture, Tu will address the impact the crisis has had on Oregon, highlight evidence-based solutions including his own clinical trial, and speak to the role of nurses in addressing this ongoing epidemic.
“The opioid crisis deeply impacts the work of anyone involved in health care, particularly nurses,” said Paul Smith, dean of Linfield University-Good Samaritan School of Nursing. “This is a unique opportunity for our students to learn directly from someone who is not only a leading authority but also an incredibly distinguished member of the Linfield community.”
Tu, who holds both an M.D. and D.D.S., has been an acclaimed oral and maxillofacial surgeon since completing his residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he later served in residency education; he also was an associate professor and director of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery for the University of Minnesota’s School of Dentistry.
In 2018, Tu was appointed to the new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force. He and the other task force members were charged with proposing updates to best practices and recommending solutions to gaps or inconsistencies in managing chronic and acute pain.
The event is free and open to the public via Zoom; registration is required. For more information, contact son@linfield.edu.
