Physiology of Addiction Dr. Ruth Potee, M.D.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2018

In the first installment of the Demystifying the Teen Brain Speaker series, Dr. Ruth Potee will focus on teen brain development and its impact on how teens behave and take risks – such as using alcohol and drugs – and what this means for parents of teens. Dr. Potee will provide an overview of how substances and addictive behaviors impact the brain and how the brain is injured by prolonged exposure to these substances and behaviors. This talk focuses on the three predisposing factors that put individuals at risk for addiction: genetics, early exposure during brain development and history of childhood trauma.

About Dr. Ruth Potee

Dr. Ruth Potee is a board certified Family Physician and Addiction Medicine physician at Valley Medical Group in Greenfield, MA. She attended Wellesley College, Yale University School of Medicine and did her residency at Boston University. In addition to practicing full-scope family medicine, she is currently the Medical Director for the Franklin County House of Corrections, the Franklin Recovery and Treatment Center and the Pioneer Valley Regional School District as well as the Chair of the Healthcare Solutions of the Opioid Taskforce of Franklin County. She was named Franklin County Doctor of the Year by the Massachusetts Medical Society in 2015 and is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at BaystateFranklin Medical Center. Dr. Potee engages communities in discussions surrounding substance abuse through her wide ranging series of talks.