Is drug testing important? Does it make a clinical difference? I discuss this question with Drs. Dawson and Passik from Millennium Health.
Millennium Health
Millennium Health is an accredited specialty laboratory with over a decade of experience in medication monitoring and drug testing services, helping clinicians monitor use of prescription medications and illicit drugs and analyzing specimens to find nationwide drug use trends.
Eric Dawson, PharmD
Eric Dawson, PharmD brings a diverse background of over 20 years of clinical experience, research, and education. He has a particular interest in the issues surrounding appropriate opioid prescribing as well the consequences of drug abuse, misuse, and diversion. He is passionate about educating clinicians on the topic and has given many lectures to pharmacists, nurses, and physicians. Dr. Dawson has also authored or coauthored several publications in JAMA, JAMA Network Open, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, etc. on drug use. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Auburn University graduating with highest honors. He is also a licensed pharmacist in the state of Alabama.
Steven Passik, PhD
After a 25-year career as an academic clinical psychologist working with cancer and non-cancer pain patients and their families, Dr. Steve Passik has now been in industry for nearly 10 years. Having worked at the interface of pain and addiction both clinically and conducting research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, University of Kentucky and Vanderbilt University, Dr. Passik came to industry to contribute to safer pain management and improved addiction recognition and treatment.
He initially began working at Millennium Health with an eye toward strengthening the evidence base underpinning urine drug testing in pain and addiction management. He then spent several years in pharma working to help in the development of safer opioid formulations.
He returns now to Millennium Health as VP, Scientific Affairs and Head of Clinical Data Programs, working primarily on expanding work begun at MH using aggregated urine drug testing results from around the country to inform clinicians, policy makers and public health officials on the changing landscape of substance use to help facilitate a data driven approach to this enormous public health problem.
