Treatment of Perinatal Pain and Opioid Use Disorder
When
Where
Pain and Pregnancy: Treatment of Perinatal Pain and Opioid Use Disorder reviews approaches to pain management during pregnancy and the perinatal period. It will explore sex differences in pain perception, treatment options for pregnant patients, and strategies for assessing and managing co-occurring opioid use disorder.
Learning objectives:
- Recognize sex differences in the experience of pain with a focus on chronic pain.
- Identify pain management options during pregnancy and labor.
- Understand pregnancy- specific considerations for treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in the perinatal population.
Kathryn Emerick, MD: Dr. Emerick, the co-director of the Arizona Perinatal Psychiatry Access Line, is passionate about women’s mental health and finds working with perinatal patients extremely rewarding. She is also passionate about educating residents and her patients regarding the concerns that are unique to people who are in the stages of pre-, during and perinatal/post-pregnancy.
Dr. Emerick has worked with numerous patients throughout her career, and many through multiple pregnancies. She finds her work in perinatal psychiatry professionally satisfying due to her motivated patients and the fact that many of the psychiatric concerns in the perinatal stage — such as postpartum depression and postpartum rage — are treatable.
She is passionate about ending the shame and stigma surrounding perinatal people’s mental health struggles and helping providers understand how psychiatric medications work during pregnancy. Her personal interests include trail running, hiking, backpacking and reading.
Degrees:
- MD: University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson
- BS: Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
- BA: Spanish, Washington State University, Pullman, WA