Dr. Kristen Weersink is an Emergency Medicine physician (FRCPC) with fellowship training in Addiction Medicine from CAMH / University of Toronto. She practices at Guelph General Hospital’s Emergency Department, continues part-time at McMaster Children’s Hospital, and recently joined the Addiction Medicine Inpatient Program at Homewood Health Centre. She also holds academic appointments at both McMaster University and the University of Toronto, with a focus on integrating substance use care into acute care settings.
In this week's core session of Grand Rounds, she aims to provide an up-to-date, clinically grounded overview of pediatric substance use disorders in the acute care setting, coloured by the unique patterns, challenges, and resources at McMaster Children’s Hospital. Participants will learn to recognize common presentations and risk indicators, familiarize themselves with developmentally appropriate screening questions, and develop a structured approach to assessing and managing youth with suspected substance use disorders. We will review core principles of withdrawal management, highlight key medical red flags, and provide practical guidance on understanding local pathways, available resources, and how and where to ask for help within our system. The goal is to build confidence, consistency, and compassion in caring for substance-involved youth across the emergency and inpatient settings at McMaster Children’s Hospital.
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