UNE graduate health students present on harm reduction at Windham Middle School

UNE students presented on opioid harm reduction to three classes of seventh grade science students at Windham Middle School on Friday, April 7. 

Julia Marcus (D.O., ’25) and Skyler Evans (Pharm.D., ’24) presented on the causes of opioid use and addiction, the stages of addiction, and ways to support those affected by substance use disorder. The presenters used photos, games, and call-and-response activities to engage with students.

“We're trying to teach the students about different ways of how you go about harm reduction and how to use non-stigmatizing language for people with substance use disorders,” Evans said. 

Windham Middle School partnered with Be the Influence, an organization that helped create a curriculum that focuses on substance use disorder in Maine and is working to reverse the opioid epidemic in the state through education. The program started last year with collaboration from Associate Clinical Professor of pharmacy, Stephanie Nichols.

Angela Hebel (M.P.H., ’24) presented via video message and encouraged seventh graders to “have their own back” when it comes to peer pressure and substances. The students repeated this mantra by shouting in a call-and-response fashion, and writing letters of advice to their future selves about ways to avoid opioid substance use. 

In the classroom, Marcus and Evans worked together to answer students’ questions and present content related to each of their fields. 

Kris Hall, program manager for the Center of Excellence in Collaborative Education, said that interprofessionalism in health care allows complex issues, such as substance use disorder, to be explained and solved through a variety of specialities. 

“Having the medical point of view is critical, and also having the pharmaceutical point of view is critical. The students are able to present together and take turns talking about their different areas of expertise so that they're learning from each other, but they're also teaching at the same time, which is a great combination,” Hall remarked. 

Windham science teacher, Pilar Starkey said that not only did this presentation aid in helping to educate students on substance use disorder, but it also gave them exposure to forms of higher education in health care. 

“It's important that students get to see that they are part of a bigger community, which does include UNE and that they get to know that there are programs in the future that might interest them at the university,” Starkey said.