The Strength of a Story: Partnering With a Community Organization to Destigmatize Substance Use Disorder

Date of Review: July, 2025

his resource describes a single-session, small-group facilitated discussion between second-year medical students and an individual in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD), as part of a longitudinal Professionalism, Communication, and Reflection (PCR) course. Specifically, the session was developed in response to student concerns from prior years, where students reported that readings and discussion on SUD were impersonal and disengaging from Vermont’s opioid crisis. To make the session more impactful, community guest speakers were recruited from a partnering organization that serves individuals with SUD. The curriculum was a single, 90-minute session that primarily consisted of a question-and-answer format where students asked speakers about topics from a session guide (e.g., general questions about addiction, bias experienced by individuals with SUD in healthcare settings). Both students and speakers were given the session guide beforehand. Overall, students reported positive perceptions about the session, including appreciation of the session format and learning something new about SUD. Despite these strengths, potential limitations include challenges associated with recruiting guest speakers with SUD–which may be challenging in many geographic areas, or at institutions that do not have strong community partners–and ensuring that the guest speakers cover aspects of SUD that are new or germane to students. Additionally, it did not provide any formal training or opportunities for students to actually attempt to care for patients with SUD. Nevertheless, the session’s innovative format was apparently impactful to students, and could likely be replicated (or improved upon) at institutions with strong community partners. –David Liss, PhD, NCEAS

Corresponding Author’s Email:

stephen.berns@med.uvm.edu

Institution:

Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine at the University of Vermont

Where was the Curriculum Implemented:

Burlington, VT

Outcomes that Have Been Reported for the Curriculum:

Learner Satisfaction or reaction

Self-reported learner attitude

Self-reported learner knowledge

Outcome and Study Design:

Post Only