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ForwardECHO-Chicago: Addiction, Substance Use Disorder & Harm Reduction
October 29, 2026 to February 18, 2027
Meet the moment in substance use care right where patients already are.
Substance use disorders are affecting more than one in five adults in Illinois, yet 80% of those who need treatment never receive it. With overdose deaths continuing to climb, primary care has never been more essential or more powerful as a front line for change. This dynamic educational series equips community-based clinicians with practical, evidence-based tools to confidently identify and treat substance use disorders in everyday practice. Learn how to integrate addiction pharmacotherapy, recovery-oriented care, and team-based approaches that actually reduce ED visits and hospitalizations. Through real-world examples and proven models, you’ll build skills, expand access to care, and make an immediate impact for patients who need it most. If you care for patients, this program will change how you care for substance use starting now.
Target Audience
This activity is designed for primary care clinicians dedicated to identifying, treating, and managing substance use disorders.
Learning Objectives
After this activity, participants will be able to:
- Identify substance use disorders in primary care patients using standardized diagnostic criteria and validated screening tools.
- Describe evidence-based treatment options for substance use disorders in primary care settings, including pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic approaches.
- Apply motivational interviewing techniques and non-stigmatizing language to support patient engagement in substance use disorder care.
- Develop individualized, patient-centered treatment plans for substance use disorders that align with clinical assessment findings and patient goals.
- Initiate FDA-approved pharmacotherapies for opioid and alcohol use disorders in accordance with evidence-based guidelines.
- Integrate harm reduction strategies into primary care practice to reduce overdose risk and improve patient safety.
- Incorporate psychosocial supports, including recovery coaching, mutual-help programs, and behavioral therapies, to support long-term recovery and relapse prevention.
| Date | Session | Faculty |
|---|---|---|
| October 29 | Introduction to ECHO and Fundamentals of SUD Diagnosis | George Weyer, MD |
| November 5 | Treatment Planning and Assessment | Beth Dunlap, MD & Jacqueline Bango, LCSW |
| November 12 | Alcohol Use Disorder Part 1 | Beth Dunlap, MD |
| November 19 | Alcohol Use Disorder Part 2 | Beth Dunlap, MD |
| Fall Break – No Session | ||
| December 3 | Opioid Use Disorder Part 1 Fundamentals of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) and the Opioid Crisis | George Weyer, MD |
| December 10 | Opioid Use Disorder Part 2 | George Weyer, MD |
| December 17 | Motivational Interviewing and Communication Skills, Non-Stigmatizing Language for SUD | Jacqueline Bango, LCSW |
| Winter Break – No Sessions | ||
| January 7 | Stimulants: Cocaine and Methamphetamine | Jacqueline Bango, LCSW & Beth Dunlap, MD |
| January 14 | Co-Occurring Mental Health Conditions | Jacqueline Bango, LCSW & Beth Dunlap, MD |
| January 21 | Psychosocial Support – Recovery Coaches, Mutual Help, Therapy, 12-Step Programs | Jacqueline Bango, LCSW |
| January 28 | Chronic Pain, Acute Pain/Perioperative | George Weyer, MD |
| February 4 | Long-Term Relationships and Relapse | Jacqueline Bango, LCSW & George Weyer, MD |
The agenda is subject to change.
Online Webinar
Chicago, IL
United States
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
To learn more about the ECHO-Chicago curricula, visit our website!
ACCESSIBILITY The University of Chicago is committed to providing equal access appropriate to need and circumstances and complies fully with legal requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are in need of special accommodation, please contact ECHO-Chicago via email.
The University of Chicago reserves the right to cancel or postpone this conference due to unforeseen circumstances. In the unlikely event this activity must be cancelled or postponed, the registration fee will be refunded; however, the University of Chicago is not responsible for any related costs, charges, or expenses to participants, including fees assessed by airline/travel/lodging agencies.
FACULTY
Jacqueline Bango, LCSW
Director of Behavioral Health
Bicycle Health
Director of Behavioral Health
Bicycle Health
Beth Dunlap, MD
Medical Director
Northern Illinois Recovery Center
Medical Director
Northern Illinois Recovery Center
George Weyer, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
University of Chicago
Associate Professor of Medicine
University of Chicago
Disclosure Declarations
As a provider accredited by the ACCME, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine asks everyone in a position to control the content of an educational activity to disclose all financial relationships with any ineligible companies. This includes any entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Financial relationships are relevant if a financial relationship, in any amount, exists between the person in control of content and an ineligible company during the past 24 months, and the content of the education is related to the products of an ineligible company with whom the person has a financial relationship. Mechanisms are in place to identify and mitigate any relevant financial relationships before the start of the activity.
Additionally, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine requires Authors to identify investigational products or off-label uses of products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at first mention and where appropriate in the content.
As a provider accredited by the ACCME, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine asks everyone in a position to control the content of an educational activity to disclose all financial relationships with any ineligible companies. This includes any entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Financial relationships are relevant if a financial relationship, in any amount, exists between the person in control of content and an ineligible company during the past 24 months, and the content of the education is related to the products of an ineligible company with whom the person has a financial relationship. Mechanisms are in place to identify and mitigate any relevant financial relationships before the start of the activity.
Additionally, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine requires Authors to identify investigational products or off-label uses of products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at first mention and where appropriate in the content.
Physician Credit
The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Social Worker Credit
University of Chicago Medicine is a Registered Social Work Continuing Education Sponsor through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and will offer continuing education units for ECHO-Chicago: Addiction, Substance Use Disorder, & Harm Reduction for LSW and LCSW social workers in the state of Illinois.
12 social work continuing education units are provided for this live activity.
University of Chicago Medicine is a Registered Social Work Continuing Education Sponsor through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and will offer continuing education units for ECHO-Chicago: Addiction, Substance Use Disorder, & Harm Reduction for LSW and LCSW social workers in the state of Illinois.
12 social work continuing education units are provided for this live activity.
Other Participant Credit
Other participants will receive a Certificate of Participation. For information on the applicability and acceptance of Certificates of Participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by the ACCME, please consult your professional licensing board.
Please note: The credit-claiming process closes 1 month after the activity ends. Requests submitted more than 1 month after the event date may incur additional fees.
Registration: For more information about ECHO, visit the program website below.
Claiming Credit: Enter the access code to unlock the credit-claiming process.
Please note: The credit-claiming process closes 1 month after the activity ends. Requests submitted more than 1 month after the event date may incur additional fees.
Please note: The credit-claiming process closes 1 month after the activity ends. Requests submitted more than 1 month after the event date may incur additional fees.
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