Session Description: My presentation examines the prevalence of mental health disorders among individuals who died from drug overdoses in Iowa. I will discuss the findings to inform prevention efforts in our state.

Learning Objectives:

• Highlighting the importance of addressing mental health in overdose prevention.
• Examining the relationship between Mental health disorders and Overdose deaths.
• Analyzing Iowa specific data on Mental health and overdose trends.

Sarah Vannice
Senior Epidemiologist, Division of Behavioral Health, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services

Sarah Vannice joined Iowa Health and Human Services in November 2019 as a Community Health Consultant for the State Opioid Response grant and is now the Senior Epidemiologist for the Division of Behavioral Health.

Prior to her role in the Division of Behavioral Health, Sarah practiced public health in Canada for several years after completing her Master’s of Science in Epidemiology from the University of Ottawa and Undergraduate degree in Anthropology at McGill University.

During her time within the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) and the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA), Sarah worked within teams of national experts on alcohol, cannabis, and overdose. Her work has focused on applied population health and moving research toward action. She began her career within a community-based participatory research team, the principles of which continue to ground her work.