Dr. Lee S. Newman, MD, MA, FACOEM, FCCP, is a researcher, physician, public health practitioner, and educator. He is a distinguished professor in the Departments of Environmental and Occupational Health and Epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health. He is founding director of both the Center for Health, Work & Environment and the Mountain & Plains Education and Research Center. He co-founded Health Links™ and the ColoradoSPH Certificate in Total Worker Health®. Dr. Newman is also a professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He was founding president and CEO of Axion Health, Inc., an occupational health information technology company. Dr. Newman is recognized for his scientific and practical contributions to occupational health and safety, Total Worker Health, immunotoxicology, biomarker development, occupational lung disease prevention and treatment, beryllium health effects, health informatics, medical surveillance, and intervention science. He has authored over 165 scientific papers and over 100 books, chapters, and monographs. Dr. Newman consults for government agencies, multi-national corporations, small- and medium-sized enterprises, labor groups, and community organizations. His favorite life role is as mentor, second only to husband and father. He is irrationally optimistic.
More than 399,000 people died from overdoses involving prescription and illicit opioids from 1999-2017.[i] There are many efforts to educate physicians and dentists about their roles and responsibilities in addressing this national crisis. But what about veterinarians? Animals, like humans, may receive opioids for pain.