Pharmacy student presents at addiction healthcare symposium

For one Cedarville University pharmacy student, what began as a project to fulfill required community service hours has grown into an opportunity to not only lead his peers in fighting the opioid epidemic but to present his work among professionals seeking to do the same.

Caleb Tang, a third-year pharmacy student from Irvine, California, will present at the 9th annual University of Dayton & Miami Valley Hospital Healthcare Symposium at the University of Dayton on April 14.

This year’s symposium, “#Re-Think Addiction,” will explore innovative approaches to understand and address the issue of addiction. Tang is the only student to present among nine other healthcare professionals from around the state.

Tang is speaking on a collaborative project he co-leads with Michael Holbrook, a student at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. They’re assessing the effectiveness of opioid disposal bags as a public health intervention for opioid medication disposal.

“I’m hoping to network and spread the word about how healthcare providers and patients can practically implement a preventative strategy to curb opioid abuse,” said Tang. “I hope this starts a conversation about one of the sources of people starting on opioid abuse--their own household--and how important safe medication disposal is to preventing opioid abuse.”

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,963 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.