PBS series NOVA to feature two WVU Medicine providers

WVU Medicine physicians James Berry, DO, and Mark “Cody” Smith, MD, will be featured on "Addiction," the next episode of NOVA, which premiers on West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 9 p.m. and nationally on PBS.

NOVA joins scientists and sufferers alike as they probe the mysteries of addiction. They are discovering that addiction is not simply a lack of willpower but that drug abuse produces significant chemical changes in the brain – changes that are hard to control and hard to reverse. What’s worse, many addictions start with prescription or over-the-counter painkillers for entirely legitimate ailments.

And, it is not just drugs – alcohol, sugar, caffeine, even exercise can incite addictive behaviors. In the midst of the opioid crisis, and in a world in which many other diseases can be traced to addictive behavior, NOVA investigates how addictions work and what the science of addiction can tell us about how we can and cannot resolve this dire social issue.

See the NOVA website for more details.