This Month’s First Speaker:

Susie Baker, LCSW

Seminar Title: Supporting Older Adults in Early Stages of Cognitive Impairment: A Clinical and Interdisciplinary Perspective

Background: Susie Baker, LCSW, is the founder of Luminous Self Therapy + Coaching, where she supports individuals through grief, anxiety, and life transitions. With over a decade of experience working with older adults in hospice care, Susie brings compassion and deep understanding to end-of-life support and the challenges of aging. In her private practice, she specializes in one-on-one therapy, helping clients find resilience, healing, and meaning in life’s changing seasons. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Azusa Pacific University Social Work Department and provides supervision for those seeking licensure, guiding the next generation of social workers with clarity, wisdom, and heart.

Seminar Objectives: 

• Identify the emotional, psychological, and relational challenges faced by older adults navigating early cognitive changes
• Explore evidence-based approaches, such as narrative therapy, CBT, and IFS-informed strategies to support early-stage clients 
• Collaborate effectively across disciplines to design cohesive, client-centered care plans

This Month’s Second Speaker:

Amit Khurana, PharmD

Seminar Title: Interdisciplinary Approach to Opioid Use Disorder: a holistic perspective

Presentation Date: 10/31/2025

Presentation Time: 11:00 AM

Background: Dr. Amit Kaur Khurana is a health insurance executive and pharmacist who drives pharmacy strategy in Medicare, Medicaid, Commercial, ACA and TRICARE lines of business. Over the last three decades, she has worked in community pharmacy, academia, and managed care organizations developing metric-driven, holistic solutions that result in increased wellness of targeted members. She is passionate about the future of healthcare as a continuum and believes in strengthening strategic partnerships between payors, providers and hospital systems to achieve higher quality and lower cost outcomes. She currently consults on Azusa Pacific University’s Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) grant as a Pharmacy subject-matter expert.

Seminar Objectives: 

• Define opioid use disorder using current DSM-5-TR criteria
• Recognize signs and symptoms of opioid intoxication, withdrawal, and chronic use
• Understand evidence-based treatment modalities, especially MOUD, along with the impact of fentanyl in the opioid crisis and implication in treatment approach
• Evaluate the role and safety of over-the-counter intranasal naloxone in reducing opioid-related deaths and when to recommend for patients/families/caregivers
• Describe the role of each discipline in comprehensive OUD care
• Apply harm reduction principles in clinical practice
• Identify special considerations for older adults with OUD