Savage Sisters, a nonprofit organization that advocates for disease prevention, education, and ending the stigma around addiction, will be on campus Tuesday, March 3, for an education session co-hosted by the Psychology and Criminal Justice programs. The event will take place in Boyer Hall’s Calhoun Amphitheater from 4 to 6 p.m.

Several members of Savage Sisters will be on hand to share information about their mission, the work they do in the community, and the types of training and services they provide, including harm reduction and wound care. The organization focuses on housing for individuals in recovery, providing essentials like food, clothes, and wound care for those in communities most impacted by substance use, and providing harm reduction education.

“Each semester I teach [PY245: Drugs and Behavior], I try to invite people from communities most directly affected by these issues to speak with students, and I also offer extra credit opportunities for students who want to get involved with local organizations doing this work,” said Dr. Logan Fields, assistant professor of Psychology and organizer of the event. “I was especially excited to connect with Savage Sisters because they have been on the front lines of reducing harms associated with substance use in the Philadelphia area for quite some time. Being able to host them for an organized event like the one on March 3rd was really meaningful and exciting for me.”

Fields hopes that those in attendance will leave feeling more informed, but also more compassionate, and better able to talk about these issues with others.

“Substance use is something that needs to be approached with care, empathy, and understanding, not hostility or fear,” he said. “There are many good people who are struggling unnecessarily, and organizations like Savage Sisters are doing important work to help fill gaps that our society has often left behind.”

The event coincides nicely with much of the research Fields has been working on. His recent work has been to better understand the intricacies of substance use stigmatization. Though much is known about mental health stigma in general, he says much less work has been done experimentally exploring the mechanisms and interventions relating specifically to substance use.

“What makes substance use stigmatization particularly challenging, and also interesting, is that it is so heavily ‘moralized’ in our society, meaning that individuals who use a substance are often seen as having less moral character,” he explained. “This presents a unique challenge that many other mental health issues often do not face.”

Fields has some guidance for students interested in this topic.

“Students can get involved in this work in a lot of accessible ways, especially by connecting with organizations that are already supporting communities impacted by substance use,” he said. “Savage Sisters, for example, offers weekly volunteer opportunities throughout Philadelphia, and there are several other groups doing similar work across the region. Sometimes getting started really is as simple as doing a quick search and reaching out.

“On the research side, I am always happy to talk with students about the projects I’m currently working on. If someone is interested in getting involved, we can have a conversation about what that might look like and how their interests align with ongoing work. For me, these conversations are often the first step toward helping students find meaningful ways to contribute, whether that’s through research, community engagement, or both.”