Opioids and Pain Management in HIV Medicine

Joanna L. Starrels, MD, MS
Associate Professor of Medicine
Division of General Internal Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
& Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx. NY



CME VIDEOTop of page

About the Presenter: Top of page

Joanna Starrels joined the faculty of Einstein and Montefiore in the Division of General Internal Medicine in 2008, where she is currently a physician-investigator and educator who focuses on the safety and effectiveness of opioid analgesics for management of chronic pain. Her research centers on defining best practices for managing chronic pain in primary care and HIV-treatment settings. She studies the benefits and harms of using treatment agreements, urine drug testing, and prescription monitoring programs in pain management; the effectiveness of collaborative care models for integrating behavioral health care and pain management; and the impact of opioid analgesic use, misuse and disorders on HIV outcomes. Her work has been funded by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the Society of General Internal Medicine, the New York Community Trust, and the Einstein-Montefiore Center for AIDS Research. Dr. Starrels serves as consultant to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on several initiatives to reduce prescription drug abuse, addiction and overdose in New York City. She served as a core expert for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2016 Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain.

Learning Objectives: Top of page

At the completion of this educational session, learners will:
  • Know how to identify pain and opioid management strategies that are consistent with national guidelines.
  • Appreciate common mistakes in interpreting urine toxicology tests.
  • Be able to identify and respond to opioid use disorder in patients with chronic pain.

CME Information: Top of page


This CME activity was approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ on November 14, 2017 and will terminate November 13, 2020.

The target audience is all physicians, NPs and PAs involved or interested in HIV education.

This online video and post-activity evaluation are one hour in length.
  • After you complete the video portion of this educational activity there will be a post-activity evaluation and quiz.
  • You must achieve at least 70% correct to receive your CME certificate.
  • If successful, you will be provided instructions to print your CME certificate at the completion of this activity.
  • Accreditation Statement: Top of page


    This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) and the Physicians’ Research Network (PRN). MSSNY is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

    The Medical Society of the State of New York designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with extent of their participation in the activity.

    Disclosure Statement: Top of page


    Policies and standards of MSSNY require that speakers and planners for CME activities disclose any relevant financial relationships they may have with commercial interests whose products, devices or services may be discussed in the content of a CME activity.
  • Dr. James Braun (Planner/Course Director) had no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
  • Dr. Starrels (Presenter) had the following personal financial relationships in the prior 12 months with manufacturers of the products or services that may be presented in this CME activity: research support through a subcontract from the Opioid Post-Marketing Research Consortium, a consortium of all US manufacturers of extended-release, long-acting opioids. Dr. Starrels submitted her slides in advance for adequate peer review, and will support her presentation and clinical recommendations with the best available evidence from the medical literature.
  • Financial Support: Top of page

    This PRN CME activity is funded in part by unrestricted educational grants from: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, Merck & Co, and ViiV Healthcare.

    How to Obtain CME Credit: Top of page

    To obtain CME credit for this PRN program, please visit the PRN Courses Page at the Clinical Education Initiative (CEI) web site. PRN and the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) jointly sponsor PRN enduring materials for CME, and provide them at no cost to the AIDS Institute of the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) for broadcast through the CEI. We thank the NYSDOH for making our CME programs available to a wider audience, and hope you will also browse the many other educational opportunities offered by the CEI.

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