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Dr. Lipi Roy          

National Addiction Expert & Media Medical Commentator; Former Rikers Jail Chief

As an MSNBC and NBC News Medical Contributor making 350+ live on air appearances while serving as Medical Director for New York City’s COVID Isolation and Quarantine Sites, Dr. Lipi Roy quickly became one of the nation’s most trusted voices during the pandemic. An internal medicine physician board-certified in addiction medicine and former Harvard faculty who oversaw substance use treatment and recovery services at Rikers Island jail, Dr. Roy is a sought-after international speaker, media personality, entrepreneur and host of the YouTube series, Health, Humor and Harmony. In July 2023, she founded SITA MED, a speaking and training company addressing stress-related conditions such as substance use, anxiety, loneliness and sleep disorders. She has trained doctors, judges, executives, law enforcement and leaders in multiple other sectors.

Dr. Roy’s work spans academia, clinical medicine, homeless health, social and criminal justice, public speaking and media. As a Forbes Contributor, Dr. Roy is a trusted expert within the music, entertainment and sports industries, having interviewed celebrities such as Mary J. Blige, Ice-T, Angela Bassett, Gloria Gaynor, Brittany Mahomes, NBA superstar Alonzo Mourning, tennis icon Martina Navratilova and NFL quarterback Rodney Peete.

Dr. Roy served as a primary care doctor to Boston's homeless population among whom the leading cause of death was drug overdose. She also served as an attending physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and as faculty at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Roy completed her medical and master’s in public health degrees at Tulane University, followed by residency training in internal medicine at Duke University Medical Center.

Dr. Roy has emerged as one of the most influential and inspirational speakers in the U.S. and globally, speaking most recently in Norway, Italy, Denmark, Poland and India. Her presentations blend her expertise in drugs & alcohol, clinical medicine and marginalized populations with her personal vulnerability – from COVID-related burnout to grief after her father’s death. Dr. Roy is incredibly adept at using science and storytelling, infused with her Canadian comedic inclinations, to educate and entertain audiences.

Speech Topics

Drug Use in the U.S. -- Lessons We Need to Learn from the World

The opioid epidemic preceded the COVID-19 pandemic, during which drug overdose deaths skyrocketed. One of only a few thousand addiction medicine-trained physicians in the U.S., Dr. Lipi Roy is a sought-after expert who was on the frontlines of both health crises, treating patients and speaking to national media (MSNBC, NBC News, etc.) as well as to global organizational leaders (Norway, Italy, U.S.) at the intersection of substance use disorders, mental illness, pain, trauma, incarceration, homeless health, media and entertainment.

Attendees will learn about the real reason people use drugs, why addiction develops, the overlap between addiction and mental illness, evidence-based treatment approaches including harm reduction tools; they will also learn about global strategies to address drug use and the root causes for addiction; organizational leaders including corporate executives in EVERY sector will learn how to improve profits by reducing the stigma of substance use and maximizing performance among their workforce.

COVID-19 Pandemic Response: Lessons Learned and Strategies Moving Forward

As the former Medical Director of New York City’s COVID Isolation and Quarantine Sites as well as MSNBC and NBC News Medical Contributor, Dr. Roy discussed all health aspects of the historic pandemic over 350+ live television appearances; her articles about the ever-changing COVID-19 crisis were published in Forbes, CNN.com and Psychology Today. Dr. Roy has also discussed the intersection of COVID-19, drug use and mental stress to national leaders in Norway, Italy and the U.S.

Attendees will learn about the challenge for public health experts in wide-ranging real-time data from neurologic and cardiac manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 and mitigation measures to vaccine misinformation, rising drug overdose and clinician burnout amid early political disarray; they will also learn about key lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, and necessary steps to prepare for the next pandemic.

Paging Doctors: Leveraging Medicine with Media & Advocacy Efforts to Save Lives

Dr. Lipi Roy shares her extensive and unique experiences as a practicing physician and clinical leader who has made over 300 live appearances discussing all aspects of COVID as well as drug overdose, burnout and other relevant health topics.

Attendees will learn about medicine being one of the most trusted professions, and why doctors need to leverage that trust to fix a broken healthcare system as well as combat the growing epidemic of misinformation; attendees will also learn the importance of educating and empowering the public about complex medical topics in a clear, digestible and engaging way.

Serving Underserved Populations

With over a decade of experience caring for society’s most marginalized patients who are disproportionately impacted by addiction and mental illness, Dr. Lipi Roy will share her fascinating experiences working in homeless shelters and New York City’s notorious Rikers Island jail complex. She travels internationally to train health care professionals, therapists, medical trainees, journalists and beyond about this highly specialized and challenging field of healthcare.

Attendees will get a sneak-peak behind Rikers Island, one of the most notorious jails in the world; they will learn how to speak to a homeless person on the street; they will also learn why it is critical to understand the needs and community impact of underserved men, women and children.

Combatting Loneliness & Isolation using Mindfulness, Data & Delight

The 2023 U.S. Surgeon General’s report declared loneliness and isolation as health crises that need urgent attention. As a doctor on the frontlines of both the opioid epidemic AND COVID-19 pandemic, for Dr. Lipi Roy it came as no surprise that drug overdose, depression and suicide skyrocketed during government-imposed lockdowns, school shutdowns, unprecedented job- and food-insecurity and ongoing uncertainty.

Attendees will learn the difference between loneliness and being alone; they will also learn simple but effective evidence-based approaches to addressing isolation.

News

Dr. Lipi Roy Articles
Lipi Roy is an internal medicine physician board certified in addiction medicine, speaker, writer, television medical commentator (MSNBC, NBC News, Newsy, etc.) and host of the YouTube show, "Health, Humor and Harmony."

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