Innovative Strategies for Medication Initiation in Opioid Use Disorder

Sunday, April 26, 2026

8:30 AM - 9:45 AM PT

Location: Harbor G-I, Level 2

Presenter(s)

Pouya Azar, MD, FRCPC, DABAM

Addiction Psychiatrist, Pain Physician, and Assistant Professor
Vancouver General Hospital & The University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia

Slides Handouts
AH

Andrew A. Herring, MD

Chief of Addiction Medicine
Alameda Health System
Oakland, California
Melissa B. Weimer, DO, MCR, DFASAM

Physician/Associate Professor of Medicine (General Medicine) and of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases)
Yale School of Medicine
New Haven, Connecticut

Slides
Laura G. Kehoe, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School, MGH Bridge Clinic, Baymark/HCRC OTP
Boston, Massachusetts

For the past three years, Drs. Herring, Weimer, Kehoe, and Azar have delivered a highly rated and interactive session on buprenorphine initiation. This year’s workshop builds on that foundation, focusing on cutting-edge strategies for initiating methadone, buprenorphine, and buprenorphine extended-release across a variety of clinical scenarios in pre-hospital, hospital, and outpatient settings.

Learning Objectives:

Learners will be able to:

Describe the unique pharmacology of high-potency synthetic opioids and their implications for initiating medications for opioid use disorder.
Summarize the current evidence base supporting novel buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone initiation strategies.
Discuss the pharmacologic rationale, clinical applications, and relative risks and benefits of each initiation approach.

Disclosure(s):

Pouya Azar, MD, FRCPC, DABAM: Indivior: Speaker/Honoraria (includes speakers bureau, symposia, and expert witness) (Ongoing)

Andrew A. Herring, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Melissa B. Weimer, DO, MCR, DFASAM: No financial relationships to disclose

Laura G. Kehoe, MD, MPH: Indivior Pharmaceuticals: Consultant/Advisory Board (Terminated, September 1, 2025), Speaker/Honoraria (includes speakers bureau, symposia, and expert witness) (Terminated, September 1, 2025)