Presenter: Carrie Mier, PhD
Abstract
This project is a continuation of Dr. Mier’s Summer 2018 Fellowship looking at opioid contagion in the Midwest. She will cover how opioids have spread across our region nationally and at the state level, and she will also examine our local contexts and conditions in Wayne County that can influence the impact of substance use and addiction in our community. This project will focus on opioids, but also look at other substances of misuse such as alcohol, marijuana, and stimulants. Her presentation describes the opioid epidemic in particular, the toll of drug poisoning deaths in the United States, and an examination of the public health implications currently being felt in our nation by the spread of opioids, heroin, and most importantly, fentanyl. Further exploration of our state and local conditions will also be considered; county level indicators will be explored for their potential impact on addiction and substance use. Data are collected from Prevention Insight – a subsidiary of IU Bloomington, Drug Free Wayne County Partnership, the Indiana Rural Opioid Consortium (INROC), and local agencies actively involved in the enforcement, treatment, and recovery operations. A central conclusion indicates that while there is a contagion effect of opioids, stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine are beginning to gain prevalence in our local area while opioids are fading into a fentanyl problem. A more thorough discussion of results, public policy, and implications for our community will be included in this presentation.
Biographical Statement
Dr. Carrie Mier completed her doctorate in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University. She has a bachelor’s degree in Public Affairs with a concentration in Criminal Justice and a minor in Psychology from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and a master’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Florida State University. Dr. Mier has worked extensively in the community and with those who are recovering from substance abuse. She also has experience with service learning, experiential learning, distance-learning education, and undergraduate advising. Dr. Mier is President of the Board of Directors for Drug Free Wayne County Partnership and a member of several professional organizations including the American Society of Criminology, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and the Midwestern Criminal Justice Association. Her research interests revolve around substance abuse and dependence; drug policy, legalization, and the impact on the criminal justice system; and risk and resilience for substance abuse. Criminal justice education and pedagogical methods are also an interest for research. Dr. Mier’s prior work has appeared in the peer-reviewed journals Crime & Delinquency, Deviant Behavior, and the International Journal of Progressive Education. She has received three Summer Faculty Fellowships and the Chancellor’s Community Engagement Course Development grant from Indiana University East in support of her research agenda.
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