Abstract:
Binge alcohol use is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the under 25 age group. Nowhere is this more prevalent than the organizations of the college fraternal system. The author has completed more than ten years of direct interactions withing the local fraternity and sorority system teaching and counselling more than 5000 students. The presentation encompasses the lessons learned from those interactions and explores some of the root causes of alcohol use in this population.
Audience Take Away Notes:
- Understand the modern college Greek experience and why alcohol is prevalent
- Understand and learn how to counsel students regarding need for emergent help
- Discuss gender differences regarding effects and morbidity of binge alcohol use
Biography:
Dr. Martin Makela is a practicing Emergency Physician at the University of Washington Medical Center. During his ten year tenure as the Medical Director, he was focused on reducing student death, assault, and injury from binge alcohol use. Having been a member of a UW fraternity, and having his children recently within the Greek system, he is uniquely qualified to discuss the causes of binge alcohol uses within that system. He has spent the last ten years lecturing and counseling within the local fraternities and sororities to more than 30 houses and 5000 students. He is a 1995 graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine and joined the Emergency Medicine faculty following a 22 year career in the US Navy. His career included a tour leading a combat hospital in Fallujah, Iraq for which he received the Bronze Star. He has won many teaching and patient care awards in his 15 years at the University of Washington, including a safety award directly connected to his work within the Greek system.
