Course Description
Join the Conversation: Real Cases, Real Challenges, Real Learning
Step into a dynamic 30 minutes of facilitated discussion where substance use disorder (SUD) cases take center stage—especially the ones where evidence is limited, cannot be uniformly applied, or may not exist. Collaborate with your peers to unpack complex scenarios, debate treatment paths, and problem-solve solutions.
AAPP members can register once for this complimentary series and attend as many of the webinars as you like!
- Once registered, you will have access to each session’s case presentation and the session recordings, which will be available afterward.
- All materials can be found in the Course Materials section below.
- Registered attendees will receive an email reminder on the day of the session, which begin at 2:00 PM Central.
- ACPE credit is not available for SUD Scoop.
On the day of SUD Scoop, click here to join the session.
Upcoming Webinars:
November 4, 2026 | Designer Benzodiazepine Withdrawal
Case Overview: A patient with multiple psychiatric comorbidities and about to undergo benzodiazepine (benzo) withdrawal presented to the emergency department where designer benzo use was incidentally discovered. Given his complex psychiatric background and increasing CIWA trend, phenobarbital and diazepam were selected in-patient to target his benzo withdrawal while minimizing seizure risk. The patient subsequently transitioned to clonazepam and hydroxyzine with good tolerability, however declined residential treatment for follow-up. This case highlights the need for further research into the mechanisms of designer benzodiazepines and the development of novel treatment strategies.
Moderator: Michelle Geier, PharmD, APh, MPH, BCPP, FAAPP
Case Presenters:
Sierra Aguilar | PharmD Candidate 2027 APPE Student at South Texas Veterans Health Care System San Antonio, TX Sierra Aguilar is currently completing her PharmD. at The University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. During pharmacy school, she engaged in research focused on drug interactions in geriatric populations, developing student-led community engagement initiatives, and was recognized with the AAPP Foundation Student Registration Grant. She served as the Vice President of her AAPP Student Chapter at UT Austin and gained additional SUD experience by rotating with Dr. Williams at the VA. |
Raeschell "Shelly" Williams, PharmD, MPH, BCPS, BCPP
Dr. Williams is a graduate of the University of Virginia where she earned her BA in Psychology. She then relocated to Kentucky where she earned her PharmD and MPH degrees from the University of Kentucky Colleges of Pharmacy and Public Health, respectively. She then moved to San Antonio, TX, where she completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Practice and PGY2 Psychiatric Pharmacy residencies at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. She currently works as a clinical pharmacist practitioner (CPP) at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System at the Domiciliary Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (DRRTP), focusing on medication management for substance use disorders and mental health conditions. She is Board Certified in Pharmacotherapy and Psychiatric Pharmacy and has experience in substances of misuse through her work in the Clinical Pharmacy Practice Office (CPPO) Substance Use Disorder Subject Matter Expert Workgroup, AAPP SUD Committee, along with her current practice role. |
December 9, 2026 | Evolving Adulterants in the Illicit Opioid Supply: A Focus on Xylazine
Case Overview: Illicitly manufactured fentanyl is increasingly mixed with sedative adulterants. Alpha-2 agonists such as xylazine are added to illicit opioids to enhance their effects and prolong the short-lived euphoria of fentanyl. Xylazine is not detectable by standard urine drug screens, and its use is linked to severe and complicated opioid withdrawal symptoms. This session will focus on a patient presenting with opioid and xylazine withdrawal, and the treatment provided. It will also briefly review the existing literature on xylazine to raise awareness of evolving adulterants in the illicit opioid supply.
Moderator: Dongmi Kim, BCPP, BCPS, PharmD
Case Presenter:
Mei T. Liu, PharmD, BCPP Clinical Associate Professor, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Dr. Liu is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Psychiatry at the Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health and a Clinical Associate Professor at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University. After graduation, she went on to complete her PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (formerly known as Saint Barnabas Medical Center) and PGY-2 Psychiatry Pharmacy Residency at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Dr. Liu is an active member of the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP), American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), and New Jersey Pharmacist Association (NJPhA). |
February 10, 2027
Case Overview: Details to be released closer to the date!
Moderator: Lauren Wier, PharmD, BCPP
Case Presenters:
Brenna Dooley, PharmD PGY-2 Ambulatory Care Resident at UC Davis Health System |
Rebecca (Becky) Hoss, PharmD, BCPP Clinical SUD/Pain Pharmacist at UC Davis Health System |
March 10, 2027 | No Laughing Matter: Recognizing and Managing Nitrous Oxide Neurotoxicity
Case Overview: In June 2025, the FDA issued a Safety Alert advising consumers to abstain from use of recreational use of nitrous oxide due to the potential for serious adverse health risks. Misuse of nitrous oxide has become a growing public health concern due to the easy accessibility, low cost, and weak regulation with nearly 13 million Americans reporting misuse during their lifetime in 2023. Reported harms such as neurological, psychological and thromboembolic events have continued to uptrend in recent years. This session will discuss a case of a patient presenting with visual hallucinations and neurological toxicity (gait disturbances, ataxia, paresthesia) as a result of chronic nitrous oxide use over the course of several years. With introduction of high dose vitamin B12 supplementation, neurological toxicities began to resolve and naltrexone was initiated to promote cessation of nitrous oxide use. Increased awareness of nitrous oxide–induced neurotoxicity is essential for early recognition, timely treatment, and prevention of long-term neurological sequelae.
Moderator: Katie Chamberlain, BCPP, BCPS, PharmD
Case Presenter:
Amber R. Tran, PharmD, BCPP Clinical Pharmacist - Psychiatry at John Peter Smith (JPS) Health Network Dr. Amber R. Tran, PharmD, BCPP is a Clinical Pharmacist in Psychiatry at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. Amber completed her Bachelors of Science in Psychology and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees at the University of Texas at Austin prior to completing her PGY1 at Saint Francis Hospital and PGY2 at Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a new practitioner out of residency, her professional interests include expanding access to substance use disorder treatment and the advancement of care for treatment-resistant mental health conditions. Her current practice consists of providing care for patients with a wide variety of mental health conditions as part of a multidisciplinary team in an inpatient setting. |
May 12, 2027 | Balancing Withdrawal Risk and Treatment Engagement in a Patient with Complex Polysubstance Use Disorder
Case Overview: A patient with chronic polysubstance use, including alcohol, methamphetamine, illicit benzodiazepines, and fentanyl, with co-occurring GAD, MDD, PTSD, and significant medical comorbidities has experienced recurrent detoxification and residential treatment admissions with limited outpatient retention. Housing instability, interstate travel for social support, inconsistent oral buprenorphine use, and repeated missed appointments have complicated treatment. Concurrent prescribed and nonprescribed benzodiazepine use, with inconsistent adherence to an outpatient taper, raises concern for withdrawal-related seizures and the safety and feasibility of outpatient management.
Moderator: Michelle Colvard, BCPP, PharmD, FAAPP
Case Presenters:
Tess Mcgill, PharmD PGY1 Pharmacy Resident, Department of Veterans Affairs Tess McGill, PharmD, is a PGY1 pharmacy resident at the VA Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics in White City, Oregon. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy, with Honors in Research, from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in 2026 and her Bachelor of Science in Biohealth Sciences from Oregon State University in 2022. Her clinical interests include psychiatric pharmacy, substance use disorder, and pain management. Under the mentorship of Dr. Percy, Dr. McGill has completed rotations in mental health and substance use disorder, with additional related experiences planned throughout the residency year. She intends to pursue PGY2 training in psychiatric pharmacy or pain management. |
Annette Percy, PharmD, BCPP
Annette Percy, PharmD, BCPP, is a Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner at the VA Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics. She completed her PGY1 residency at Providence Medford Medical Center and PGY2 psychiatric pharmacy residency at the Salt Lake City VA. Her interests include innovative, evidence-based substance use disorder care for Veterans, harm reduction, and motivational interviewing. She serves on the AAPP Substance Use Disorder Committee and the Clinical Pharmacy Practice Office Substance Use Disorder Subject Matter Expert Workgroup. |
June 9, 2027 | The Proof is in the Peth: Using Direct Biomarkers to Engage Patients in AUD Treatment
Case Overview: A patient with pertinent psychiatric history of opioid use disorder, in remission, who is followed by the outpatient mental health clinic for buprenorphine/naloxone treatment. Over the past 2 years, the patient developed an alcohol use disorder (AUD) and intermittent cocaine use. Although the patient was routinely counseled on the risks of concurrent alcohol use with buprenorphine/naloxone, they had poor insight regarding their alcohol use and was often unable to quantify the amount of alcohol consumed on a regular basis, which also precluded an accurate completion of an AUDIT-C screening. By trending serum phosphatidylethanol (PEth) and urine ethyl glucuronide panels, objective data was helpful for providers to assess alcohol consumption, as well as enhancing patient engagement in their care. This case highlights the need for further guidance on the utility, frequency, and interpretation of monitoring direct biomarkers for patients with alcohol use disorder.
Moderator: Zoe Karavolis, PharmD, MPH, BCPP, CPH
Case Presenters:
Ashley Maister, BS, PharmD, BCPP Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner, Psychiatry, at Corporal Michael J Crescenz VA Medical Center Dr. Ashley Maister, PharmD, BCPP is a Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner in the outpatient behavioral health clinic at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA, where she works under an independent scope of practice to provide mental health and substance use disorder care to veterans. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Thomas Jefferson University in 2018. She then completed her PGY-1 pharmacy residency at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA and PGY-2 psychiatric pharmacy residency at Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University in Piscataway, NJ. Dr. Maister is a Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist. She serves as a preceptor for both pharmacy students and residents, and was awarded her facility’s Preceptor of the Year award in both 2022 and 2025. She also contributes to the profession through research and involvement in both local and national pharmacy organizations. |
Lauren Shiplett, PharmD Pain Management/Substance Use Disorder Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner at Wilkes-Barre Veterans Affairs Medical Center Dr. Lauren Shiplett is a Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner at the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center. She practices in both the pain management and substance use disorder specialties. She graduated from Wilkes University’s Nesbitt School of Pharmacy and went on to complete PGY-1 training at the Wilkes-Barre VA and a PGY-2 in Pain Management and Palliative Care at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA. |
Webinar Series Dates (Add to Calendar)
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Disclosure
The SUD Scoop Series is an unaccredited member-driven initiative to facilitate dialogue among psychiatric pharmacy professionals. While presenters are encouraged to disclose any conflicts and to use the best evidence available, the presentations are not peer reviewed and attendees should accordingly verify details prior to making significant practice changes.
Continuing Education Credit and Disclosures
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AAPP Disclaimer: Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications on dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.
Unlabeled Use Disclosure: Faculty of this CE activity may include discussions of products or devices that are not currently labeled for use by the FDA. The faculty have been informed of their responsibility to disclose to the audience if they will be discussing off-label or investigational uses (any uses not approved by the FDA) of products or devices. The faculty, planners, and American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists do not endorse the use of any product outside of the FDA labeled indications. Medical professionals should not utilize the procedures, products, or diagnosis techniques discussed during this activity without evaluation of their patient for contraindications or dangers of use.
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