Aced It

Aced It

The Aced It podcast is the place to go if you‘re trying to find out what‘s new in the health and justice research world, but don‘t have the time, energy, or know-how to decipher all that academic writing. Dr. Danielle Rudes and Shannon Magnuson from the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE!) at George Mason University developed the Aced It! podcast to bring relevant research articles to a broader audience by putting them into layperson’s terms sharing the findings and implications in about 15 minutes.

Episodes

September 23, 2025 10 mins

In the final episode this season, I talk about harm reduction and social service workers’ roles, responsibilities, and reactions to overdose. I talk about the emotional toll of this work, some of the challenges social service workers face, strategies they use, and how their work is evolving in response to overdoses in the community.

Download the one-pager (PDF).

This project was supported by Grant [5PBJA-22-AG-00031-MUMU] awarded ...

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In this episode, I talk about witnesses’ and bystanders’ roles, responsibilities, and reactions to overdose. I discuss how witnesses and bystanders address or perceive overdoses in the community, and the steps they take to save the life of someone who is overdosing. I talk about the hesitation witnesses experience around getting involved, and why education and access to resources are so important. 

Download the one-pager (PDF).

Th...

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September 9, 2025 9 mins

In this episode, I talk about schools’ and colleges’ roles, responsibilities, and reactions to overdose. I describe how school nurses are positioned to notice red flags and intervene early, the implementation and use of naloxone in educational settings, how colleges are training staff to respond to overdoses, and how schools are preparing themselves – and their young learners – to tackle the overdose crisis. 

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September 2, 2025 12 mins

In this episode, I talk about community supervision staffs’ roles, responsibilities, and reactions to overdose. Community supervision staff include probation and parole officers. I cover what CS staff think about naloxone, the training they receive, how community supervision is viewed as a “touchpoint” for getting people treatment, and some of the policy recommendations surrounding implementing naloxone in community supervision. 

D...

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August 26, 2025 11 mins

In this episode, I talk about prison and jail staffs’ roles, responsibilities, and reactions to overdose. From 2001 to 2018, overdose deaths in state prisons rose by more than 600% and overdose deaths in county jails increased by more than 200%. I talk about the various harm-reduction strategies that have been implemented in prisons and jails, including how staff feel about these strategies. I also discuss the emotional toll that t...

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August 19, 2025 9 mins

In this episode, I talk about emergency department (ED) doctors’ and nurses’ roles, responsibilities, and reactions to overdose. Across multiple studies, researchers have examined the experiences of patients and staff in the ED, shedding light on the challenges, stigma, and opportunities that arise in treating opioid use disorder and preventing future overdoses. I talk about what the research tells us about patient perspectives, pr...

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August 12, 2025 9 mins

In this episode, I talk about law enforcers’ roles, responsibilities, and reactions to overdose. How do police officers perceive their role in overdose situations? Do they see overdose calls as medical emergencies, criminal events, or something in between? I talk about the role of police at overdose calls, how police perceive naloxone, and the impact of overdose training on police officers. 

Download the one-pager (PDF).

This proj...

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August 5, 2025 12 mins

In this episode, I talk about first responders’ roles, responsibilities, and reactions to overdose. First responders include firefighters, emergency medical responders, and police. I talk about first responders’ perceptions of naloxone, their procedures for responding to an overdose call, the emotional toll of responding to overdoses, and the policy issues raised by first responders.

Download the one-pager (PDF).

This project was ...

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July 29, 2025 9 mins

In this episode, I talk about illicit drug manufacturers’ and dealers’ roles, responsibilities, and reactions to overdose. Specifically, I talk about how buyers’ trusted relationships with dealers act as a protective factor against overdose, mostly because dealers are dedicated to safety-checking their supply. I also review the literature on how people who sell drugs perceive drug-test technologies. Finally, I discuss an innovative...

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July 22, 2025 13 mins

In this episode, I talk about prescribers, providers, and pharmacists’ roles, responsibilities, and reactions to overdose. I start by reviewing some of the opioid prescription guidelines that have been implemented. I also review the literature on prescribing patterns and attitudes towards naloxone. I end by discussing the literature about providers’ emotional reactions to a patient’s overdose. 

Download the one-pager (PDF).

This p...

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In the final episode of this season, I discuss support groups and treatment for the loved ones of people with SUD and overdose incidents. I review the literature on the coping mechanisms of bereaved loved ones, look at the formation and impact of peer-support groups, review therapy techniques to help people navigate grief after a drug-related death, and discuss the challenges of accessing support in general.

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In this episode, I talk about loved ones, addiction, and overdose in the context of rural areas. First, I review important context and statistics, including how rural Americans are at higher risk of overdose. Then I discuss research on family roles in prescription opioid misuse prevention, risk factors for drug misuse and disease among young people, and how rural women who use drugs perceive their social networks.

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In this episode, I discuss people’s experiences having unhoused loved ones with SUD and overdose incidents. First, I review some important context/statistics about the topic. Then I talk about how family relationships impact people’s paths into and out of houselessness and drug misuse. I also talk about how people perceive and access treatment for drug addiction while they are houseless, and how family support impacts these decisio...

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In this episode, I talk about involving loved ones in drug addiction and overdose treatment. I explain how loved ones actively contribute to the recovery process, and how people receiving treatment feel about involving loved ones in their treatment. I examine some of the barriers that prevent people from engaging in their loved one’s treatment. Finally, I talk about some of the potential pitfalls of including loved ones in addictio...

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May 27, 2025 13 mins

In this episode, I talk about friends’ experiences. First, I talk about friends’ experiences of witnessing an overdose, including some important context. I also look at people’s decision-making about using Naloxone and calling emergency services. Then I discuss the various outcomes people describe after witnessing a friend’s overdose, including their complex grieving process, mental health struggles, and substance misuse.

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May 20, 2025 15 mins

In this episode I talk about intimate partners’ experiences with SUD and/or overdose. I cover how partners and relationships influence drug misuse, the interpersonal dynamics of couples in which one or both people use drugs, and the relationship between substance misuse and relationship violence. I also discuss research on the drug-death-related bereavement experiences of intimate partners, finding that intimate partners experience...

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May 13, 2025 8 mins

In this episode, I explore siblings’ experiences, that is, people’s experiences of being the sibling of someone with an SUD and/or overdose incident. First, I talk about people’s experiences navigating their sibling’s substance abuse issues and life after their overdose. Then I describe the impact of drug-overdose bereavement on siblings’ emotional, physical, and social well-being.

Download the one-pager (PDF).

This project was su...

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May 6, 2025 11 mins

In this episode, I talk about children’s experiences, that is, people’s experiences of being a child with an SUD/overdose incident and of being the child of a parent with an SUD/overdose incident. I first review some important statistics about drug misuse by both parents and children. I describe the challenges of being a child of a parent with SUD and of navigating complex grief after a parent dies from an overdose. I also discuss ...

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April 29, 2025 13 mins

In this episode, I talk about parents’ experiences—that is, people’s experiences of parenting while having an SUD and overdose incident and of being the parent of a child with an SUD/overdose incident. I explore how child-related factors might impact treatment accessibility for parents and how substance misuse impacts people’s parenting. I also talk about the challenges of parenting a child with an SUD, and how parents navigate com...

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April 22, 2025 11 mins

In this episode, I introduce the topic of Season 11: SUD, overdose, and loved ones. “Loved ones” includes everyone intimately involved with someone with SUD or an overdose incident—including the family unit (parents, children, and siblings), intimate partners, and friends. I review the various topics/dynamics that we will cover this season, and I give an overview of some of the research on SUD, overdose, and loved ones—including ho...

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