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Author Sam Quinones
‘Dreamland’ Author Sam Quinones to Discuss Impact of Substance Use on America on Oct. 9
| LITTLE ROCK — Award-winning author and journalist Sam Quinones will offer an in-depth look at the world of substance use and its disruptive effects on the United States in a presentation hosted by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Psychiatric Research Institute.
“The Least of Us: A Conversation with Sam Quinones” will be held Oct. 9 from 8 to 11:30 a.m. in the Central Arkansas Library System’s Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Ave., in Little Rock. The event, sponsored by Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, is free to the public, although pre-registration is required.
A former reporter with the Los Angeles Times, Quinones is the author of four acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction. His most recent book, “The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth,” was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle award for Best Nonfiction Book of 2021. His “Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic” won a National Books Critics Circle award for Best Nonfiction Book of 2015 and was selected as one of the best books of 2015 by Amazon.com, the Daily Beast, Buzzfeed, the Seattle Times, the Boston Globe, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Entertainment Weekly and Audible.
Quinones’ presentation will include a question-and-answer session with the audience, followed by a panel discussion featuring experts in substance use disorder treatment and recovery. The panelists will include Pastor Deborah Bell of Theressa Hoover Memorial United Methodist Church, Srini Gokarakonda, M.D., of UAMS’ Six Bridges Clinic, Katherine Millholland of the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and Kristin Martin, D.O., of River Valley Medical Wellness.
“The impact of opioids and methamphetamine on our communities continues to be devastating,” said Laura Dunn, M.D., chair of the Department of Psychiatry and director of the Psychiatric Research Institute. “Sam Quinones’ writing has illuminated so many aspects of this epidemic. With this event, we hope to raise awareness about substance use disorders, as well as shine a light on the many efforts being made to address their impact in Arkansas.”
To register for the event, visit https://psychiatry.uams.edu/patients-and-visitors/a-conversation-with-sam-quinones/
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###