Understanding the Opioid Crisis: A Frontline Perspective
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 | 4:00 PM- 6:00 PM | Hybrid Event – Asian American Cultural Center and Livestream
Join us for a two-hour presentation offering a firsthand look at the opioid epidemic through the eyes of Peter Canning, a UConn Health experienced paramedic and public health advocate who has spent decades on the front lines of emergency response. Click on this link to read Peter Canning’s bio.
Through real-world stories and practical insights, participants will gain a clear understanding of the roots of the crisis, the dangers of fentanyl, and the life-saving benefits of medication-assisted treatment (MAT). The session also covers essential harm reduction strategies—including how to recognize the signs of an overdose, understand key risk factors, and take effective, compassionate action during an emergency.
The workshop is designed for community members, healthcare providers, educators, advocates, and first responders alike. Special attention will be given to the unique challenges faced by police officers, firefighters, and EMTs, as well as their critical role in prevention, response, and community partnerships.
This event is hosted by the Office of Outreach and Engagement in collaboration with Student Health and Wellness (SHaW)—a Division of Student Life and Enrollment — with community initiatives focused on mental health, prevention, and building empathy-driven responses to substance use. This event is also coordinated with support from the Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center (PRLACC) and the Asian American Cultural Center (AsACC). This program is also supported by a grant from the Connecticut Healthy Campus Initiative (CHCI), reinforcing our shared commitment to fostering healthier, safer campus communities.
If you require accommodation to participate in this event, please email merly.downey@uconn.edu by January 22, 2026.
UConn is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Program Provider
Registration
The first 20 in-person registrants and the first five online registrants will receive a free copy of The Friends and Family Guide to the Opioid Overdose Epidemic.
| Platform/Venue | Registration Link |
|---|---|
| In-person at the Asian American Cultural Center | Use this link to register for in-person attendance. |
| Virtual – WebEx | Use this link to participate via livestream. |
Agenda
| Time | Activity | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 3:45 PM | Light refreshments provided for in-person attendees | |
| 4:00-4:05 PM | Welcome | Office of Outreach & Engagement |
| 4:05-4:50 PM | Keynote – Understanding the Opioid Crisis: A Frontline Perspective | Peter Canning, R.N., UConn Health EMS Coordinator, Paramedic and Public Health Advocate |
| 4:50-5:05 PM | Brief training on how to administer Naloxone; overview of substance-related support and resources available to UConn students; distribution of Naloxone and other harm-reduction materials | Audrey Jean-Guillaume, M.A., Program Manager, Substance Use Prevention Initiatives at UConn, and SHaW Substance Use Risk Reduction Peer Health Educators |
| 5:05-5:35 PM | Beyond Naloxone Administration: The Day After | Dr. Yifrah Kaminer, MD, MBA, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at UConn Health |
| 5:35 – 6:00 PM | Panel Discussion Q&A | Peter Canning, SHaW Peer Educators, and Dr. Yifrah Kaminer |
RSVP Form – Understanding the Opioid Crisis: A Frontline Perspective
Please fill out this RSVP form for in-person attendance. If you’d like to join via livestream, please use the livestream registration option found on the website. If you require accommodation to participate in this event, please contact Merly Downey at merly.downey@uconn.edu by January 22, 2026.
Peter Canning’s Biography
Peter Canning has been a paramedic in Hartford, Connecticut, since January 1995. His first book, Paramedic: On the Front Lines of Medicine (1997), details his journey from speechwriter for the Governor of Connecticut to caregiver on the city streets. Rescue 471: A Paramedic’s Stories (2000) is the sequel.
His nonfiction book about the heroin epidemic, Killing Season: A Paramedic’s Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Opioid Epidemic published by Johns Hopkins University Press (JHUP)was selected by Amazon as one of the ten best nonfiction books of April 2021.
JHUP will also publish his latest book, The Friends and Family Guide to the Opioid Overdose Epidemic, in 2025.
He is the author of two EMS novels, Mortal Men (2012) and Diamond in the Rough (2016), and the short story collection, Promised Land (1994)
Since 2006, Canning has written the influential EMS blog: StreetWatch: Notes of a Paramedic. Writing as “Medicscribe,” he posts regularly about the opioid epidemic and other topics from an EMS perspective.
A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Canning attended the Phillips Exeter Academy and the University of Virginia. He has held many jobs in his life, including tennis instructor, aide to a United States Senator, taxi driver, meatpacker, line cook, telephone solicitor, book and movie reviewer, factory worker, health department administrator, speechwriter, and political campaign director, before finding his place in life as a paramedic. In addition to being a field paramedic, he is the EMS Coordinator at UConn Health John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington, Connecticut.
Canning lives in West Hartford with his wife, Chevaughn, and their three children.
Dr. Yifrah Kaminer, MD, MBA
Dr. Kaminer, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, joined UConn Health in 1993 from Brown University, Providence, RI.
Dr. Kaminer’s main clinical interests and research lie in the spectrum of adolescent high-risk behaviors. In particular, the assessment and treatment of substance use disorders (SUD), psychiatric comorbidity, and suicidal behavior. Dr. Kaminer is also a senior investigator at the Injury Prevention Center of the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, where he has been involved in research on adolescent risky driving behavior and youth suicide prevention at the emergency department.
Dr. Kaminer has been teaching on youth SUD at UConn Health, the Institute of Living, and the Yale Child Study Center. He has received funding for his research from NIDA, NIAAA, CSAT, and the Donaghue Foundation. Dr. Kaminer is on the board of several peer-reviewed journals. He has authored/edited five books and 150 articles and book chapters. Dr. Kaminer has been a guest editor of several peer-reviewed journals on the topic of adolescent substance abuse. Most recently of Substance Abuse Journal, Vol.35(4), 2014. Recent published books include “Adolescent substance abuse, psychiatric comorbidity and high-risk behaviors”, (2008) by Routledge/Francis & Taylor; “Brief Telephone Continuing Care Therapy for Adolescents” (2010) by Hazelden; “Clinical Manual of Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment”(2011); and “Youth substance abuse and co-occurring disorders” to be published in the fall of 2015 by the American Psychiatric Publication Inc. (APPI).
Dr. Kaminer has been consulting and training nationally and internationally on youth high-risk behaviors, program development, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI/MET) for youth. He is the primary author and trainer of the Teen Addiction Severity Index (T-ASI) and the Teen Treatment Services Review (T-TSR). The T-ASI has been translated into several languages and psychometrically tested, including Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Finnish, Hebrew, and Portuguese (Brazilian). It is being translated into additional languages, including Arabic, German, Turkish, and Hindi.
Finally, Dr. Kaminer has published poetry, science fiction stories, and has been writing children as well as psychological/political and fantasy stories.