A 3-Hour Training Event with David de Gijsel, MD, MSc, MPH, Antonia Altomare, DO, MPH, Erin Miers, PsyD, Solomon Hallal, MA, LICSW, and 2 guest panelists

November 10, 2021

10am- 2:45pm

Virtual Presentations

**Co-Sponsoring with NHADACA (New Hampshire Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors Association)

**TO REGISTER CLICK: NHADACA - Sexual Health in the Syndemic: Addressing HIV, Hep C and STIs in the Context of Addiction

PRESENTATIONS:

Ending the Syndemic with David de Gijsel, MD, MSc, MPH. (10am- 10:45am) This presentation will review data on the ongoing syndemic of addiction, hepatitis C, HIV and sexually transmitted infections and examine its root causes. Will discuss the role behavioral health providers play in ending this syndemic.

Objectives:

• To appreciate the interactions driving a syndemic

• To understand the root causes of this syndemic

• To learn about opportunities of ending this syndemic

The Current State of HIV Treatment and Prevention with Antonia Altomare, DO, MPH. (11am-11:45am). This session is intended to provide a broad overview of the current state of HIV treatment and prevention. I will take you through time from the past, present, and into the future.

Objectives:

• Attendees will be reminded of the benefits of HIV treatment

• Attendees will gain a better understanding of current HIV treatment options and how treatment can be used as prevention. Attendees will become more familiar with assessing risk for HIV infection and how to prevent infection through Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).

Let’s Talk About Sex! with Erin Miers, PsyD & Solomon Hallal, MA, LICSW. (1pm-1:45pm) Solomon and Erin will be presenting a very brief overview of sexual education for mental health providers. They will also discuss how to gather a sexual health history while in a therapeutic session, including strategies around being non-judgmental and assessing risk level of sexual behaviors. They will talk about utilizing unconditional positive regard for patient care, especially in conversations around sex. Finally, we will be discussing how, as mental health providers and case managers, we can utilize our time with patients to discuss self-advocacy around sexual health.

Objectives:

• Identify two questions that can be asked in a therapeutic session to gather a sexual health history

• Identify two strategies to use in a therapy session to help reduce pt risk of STIs

• Identify at least one societal norm that influences their own expectations of sexual behavior

• Identify at least one way unconditional positive regard can be used while taking a sexual health history

Patient Panel moderated by Erin Miers, PsyD. (2pm-2:45pm) Two panelists will join us and speak about their lived experience dealing with these topics.

PRESENTERS:

David de Gijsel, MD, MSc, MPH (he/him) works on the intersection of poverty and health. Currently, he focuses on the infectious complications of injection drug use, specifically on new care models for the integrated treatment of hepatitis C in people who inject drugs. Throughout his career, he has been involved in global health education and service delivery in various African countries. David hails from the Netherlands, where he completed medical school at the University of Amsterdam. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine and Primary Care at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. He stayed at Montefiore as an internist for several years before spending two years in Kigali, Rwanda, teaching Rwandan medical students and residents through the Human Resources for Health Program. Upon his return to the US, he came to Dartmouth-Hitchcock for a fellowship in Infectious Disease and a residency in Leadership Preventive Medicine, combined with an MPH at The Dartmouth Institute. David holds appointments as Assistant Professor at the Geisel School of Medicine and at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice. He is a staff physician in the Section of Infectious Disease & International Health at Dartmouth-Hitchcock and the Medical Director at Better Life Partners, a community-based substance use disorder treatment provider.

Dr. Erin Miers, PsyD is a clinical psychologist who has been with the Dartmouth-Hitchcock HIV Program since 2017. Prior to that she worked with high risk youth both in private settings, at community mental health, and in schools. She obtained her PsyD in 2015 from California School of Professional Psychology in San Francisco. She has been trained in a variety of trauma focused therapies, including: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and EMDR. Erin has a passion for social justice and helping others; she works on a variety of committees to help make New Hampshire a better place for everyone. She has a wide variety of research interests including the intersectionality of gender identity and autism spectrum disorder, the impact of stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV, and the impact of burnout on mental health care providers. Erin considers it a privilege to work with the DH HIV Program and to provide care for her patients.

Antonia Altomare, DO, MPH, is an Infectious Disease physician at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Dr. Altomare is the Program Director for the Ryan White Part D HIV Program at DHMC. She completed her medical school training at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and residencies in Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine, as well as a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at DHMC. Additionally, she has a Masters of Public Health from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice. Her primary research interests are clinical quality improvement, particularly within HIV care. Additionally, she treats everything from general infectious diseases to immunocompromised hosts, with an interest in HIV and STIs.

Solomon Hallal, MA, LICSW (they/them) is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), Instructor of Psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, and Behavioral Health Consultant to the Infectious Disease and Moms in Recovery Programs. In addition to holding an MSW from Smith College School for Social Work, Solomon holds an MA in Gender and Cultural Studies from Simmons College in Boston. Prior to working at Dartmouth, Solomon was a mental health provider and clinical supervisor for the State of Vermont’s Department of Corrections’ southern facilities, and specialized in working to make so-called men’s correctional facilities safer for trans* women. Solomon’s current research interests are around the mental health impacts of the HIV/COVID syndemic as experienced by individuals who survived the AIDS epidemic and are currently living through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Registration Fee: $40 which includes the NBCC continuing education; FOR MORE INFO CONTACT: 603-225-7060 or training@nhadaca.org

NHADACA is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing addiction professions in NH. Through education and advocacy, we strive to enhance the knowledge and skills of addiction professionals, increase awareness of addiction issues in NH, and promote programs and policies that ensure access to high quality services for NH citizens struggling with addiction.

3 Contact Hours Available
CRSW Performance Domains:  1, 4
LADC/MLADC Categories of Competence:  1, 7, 11, 15 & 16
Certified Prevention Specialist Domains: 1 & 2
NBCC: LICSW/L-MFT/LCMHC (Category A) & Psychologist (Category A)  NH Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors Association has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider. ACEP No 6754. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. NHADACA is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.

PLEASE NOTE: Only one registrant per form.  For multiple registrants you must register each one individually.  Registration is not complete or guaranteed until payment is received.  Payment by means other than credit card may slow down completion of registration.  Checks and cash are still accepted, however, your registration will be placed on a pending list until payment is received.  We strongly encourage payment by credit card for training of high demand topics.  Thank you.