3rd Annual Acute Care Toxicology Symposium

Thursday, November 19th, 2026

Saint Andrews Hall – Wayne State University
5105 Anthony Wayne Drive, Detroit, MI 48202

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Target Audience

The target audience for this education event will be health care professionals including physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and mid-level practitioners in the fields of emergency medicine, critical care, and pediatrics.

Program goal

The goal of the program is to provide participants with an update on the latest advances in the areas of toxicological health problems.

Program objectives

  • Recognize and differentiate toxic syndromes — distinguish common and emerging toxidromes, exposure classes, and high-risk or time-sensitive presentations (recreational drugs, hydrocarbons, workshop/garage chemicals, antidepressants, envenomation, lithium, valproate) from clinical and scene-based clues.

  • Interpret diagnostic data to gauge severity — apply history, examination, ECG, laboratory values, and serum concentrations (accounting for limitations like delayed absorption, protein binding, or screening inaccuracy) to stratify risk and guide clinical decisions.

  • Initiate evidence-based, syndrome-specific treatment — select appropriate decontamination, stabilization, antidotal, or extracorporeal therapies (e.g., hemodialysis, levocarnitine, antivenom) while avoiding unnecessary or harmful interventions.

  • Plan monitoring, disposition, and escalation — determine appropriate observation intervals, serial reassessment, and disposition, and know when to escalate care or consult poison-center, toxicology, or other specialist resources.

  • Apply systems-level and safety practices — incorporate harm-reduction counseling, responder/scene safety, interprofessional communication, and lessons from case review (including fatal outcomes) to reduce recurrence and improve patient safety.

This catered event is made possible by support from SERB Pharmaceuticals.

Program Schedule

8:00 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast 

8:30 a.m. Opening Remarks

8:45 a.m. Update on Recreational Drugs — Brandtly Yakey, DO

9:30 a.m. Hydrocarbons — Matthew Hedge, MD

10:15 a.m. Break 

10:30 a.m. the Toxic Garage — Jenn Thompson, MD

11:15 a.m. Lithium Toxicity — Varun Vohra, PharmD, MPH, DABAT, FAACT

12:00 p.m. Lunch (provided)

1:00 p.m. Antidepressants — Emily Winograd, PharmD, DABAT

1:45 p.m. Snakebites — Olivia Sturdavant, MD 

2:30 p.m. Break 

2:45 p.m. Valproic Acid Toxicity — David Carroll, MD

3:30 p.m. Death Cases — Andrew King, MD

4:15 p.m. Closing Remarks 

Speakers have no disclosures.
A 5-10 minute Q&A session will follow each presentation.

The Wayne State University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Wayne State University School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 6.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.

Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Students, fellows, residents, and trainees are not eligible for CE credit.

The Detroit Medical Center Department of Pharmacy Services is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This activity is eligible for ACPE credit; see final CPE activity announcement for specific details.

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