Episode 15: The Role of Race in Addiction - Dr. Helena Hansen, UCLA Artwork

Trapped: Understanding Addiction

Trapped: Understanding Addiction explores the medical aspects and social implications of addiction. In this podcast, I’ll talk to experts about the science behind addictive behavior, how various substances affect the brain and body, how addiction impacts specific populations uniquely, and how our views on addiction and treatment have evolved. I will also speak with people who have had first-hand experience with a substance use disorder and get their insight on what it’s like to live with this condition.

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Trapped: Understanding Addiction

Episode 15: The Role of Race in Addiction - Dr. Helena Hansen, UCLA

February 23, 2022 • Ahana Wokhlu • Episode 15

In this episode, Dr. Helena Hansen talks about how she became involved in researching the role of race in addiction and drug policy. She discusses the impact of unequal drug criminalization and mass incarceration on communities of color and how media portrayal and treatment of use disorders have differed between racial groups. She also explains the importance of a comprehensive, culturally responsive treatment approach to addiction.

Dr. Hansen is a psychiatrist and anthropologist and serves as Co-Chair of the Research Theme in Translational Social Science and Health Equity at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She has published widely in clinical and social science journals and is the recipient of several awards. In addition, she has written two books with one forthcoming and co-developed the concept of structural competency.

Learn more about Dr. Hansen at https://socialmedicine.semel.ucla.edu/helena-hansen/

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