{"id":243508,"date":"2026-04-15T07:30:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T11:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=243508"},"modified":"2026-04-09T16:53:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T20:53:12","slug":"uconn-at-the-united-nations-neha-shanavas-on-drug-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/04\/uconn-at-the-united-nations-neha-shanavas-on-drug-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn at the United Nations: Undergraduate is Heard on Drug Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe same problem repeats across the entire world,\u201d Neha\u00a0<\/span>Shanavas <\/span>\u201928 (CLAS) says she discovered during her time at the 69<\/span>th<\/span>\u00a0session of\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (UNCND). The conference united UN agencies, governments, global policymakers, researchers, and advocates to discuss global drug policy, arising obstacles, and evidence\u2011based responses from March 9 to March 13.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her passion for education on substance misuse and prevention began when a student at her high school<\/span>\u00a0passed away from a fentanyl overdose. She said that if the school had Narcan \u2013 a medication that reverses overdose \u2013 the tragedy could have been prevented. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was a chilling experience; Shanavas recalls being sheltered in place for hours on end. Prior to leaving school on the day of the tragedy, students had to step into a mini-inflatable pool of chemical solutions to decontaminate their shoes of any fentanyl traces potentially collected. The school went through a phase of intensive cleaning for several days, and Shanavas says that, even as time passed, that incident \u201cmade school almost never go back to normal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Four
Neha Shanavas (second on right) presenting as a panelist at a side event during the 69th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (UNCND) in Vienna, Austria (contributed photo).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two\u00a0<\/span>years<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>later,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Shanavas<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>was\u00a0<\/span>a senior<\/span>. After listening to a talk by The<\/span>\u00a0Governor\u2019s Prevention Partnership<\/span>\u00a0(GPP)<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 a Connecticut-based nonprofit\u00a0<\/span>committed<\/span>\u00a0to reducing youth substance use\u00a0<\/span>\u2013\u00a0<\/span>she joined the\u00a0<\/span>Speaker\u2019s Bureau with the\u00a0<\/span>Youth Advisory Board.<\/span>\u00a0In her current role, she\u00a0<\/span>serve<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>as an<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>ambassador for\u00a0<\/span>her<\/span>\u00a0peers in providing local,\u00a0<\/span>state,<\/span>\u00a0and federal legislative testimony on relevant<\/span>\u00a0substance<\/span>\u00a0prevention issues<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>She testified<\/span>\u00a0for various bills surrounding health and safety<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>initiatives<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>for<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>community member<\/span>s<\/span>.<\/span> In 2024, one of the bills she advocated for with<\/span>\u00a0GPP<\/span>,\u00a0 Connecticut <\/span>Senat<\/span>e<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Bill No. 1, “An Act Concerning the Health and Safety of Connecticut Residents,” was passed into law, advancing<\/span><\/span>\u00a0funding and policy change to support the co-dispensing of drug<\/span>\u00a0deactivation pouches alongside opioid pr<\/span>escriptions<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Advocacy led to purposeful<\/span>\u00a0action<\/span>. After the bill was passed, s<\/span>he\u00a0<\/span>assisted<\/span>\u00a0in the\u00a0<\/span>distribut<\/span>ion of<\/span>\u00a050,000\u00a0<\/span><\/span>drug deactivation and disposal pouches<\/a><\/span><\/span>\u00a0across Connecticut<\/span>, eliminating<\/span>\u00a0over 2 million pills from being misused<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Through her<\/span>\u00a0unwavering dedication\u00a0<\/span>with GPP, she earned national recognition from the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), a leading national nonprofit committed to coordinating substance use prevention efforts across the country.\u00a0<\/span>With deep appreciation for the meaningful work s<\/span>he<\/span>\u00a0has<\/span> done <\/span>in\u00a0<\/span>substance misuse prevention, she was honored with the prestigious 2025 Outstanding Youth Leader Award, cementing her place among the most influential young <\/span>changemakers\u00a0<\/span>in the nation.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the annual award recipient, s<\/span>he was\u00a0<\/span>celebrated<\/span>\u00a0during the Annual National Leadershi<\/span>p Forum<\/span>\u00a0from\u00a0<\/span>Feb<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a03<\/span>\u00a0to Feb.\u00a0<\/span>6,\u00a0<\/span>2025,<\/span>\u00a0where she met\u00a0<\/span>Matej Ko\u0161i<\/span>r\u00a0<\/span>\u2013\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>chair<\/span>person of the\u00a0<\/span>Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs, which bridges non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and key intergovernmental and international agencies involved in drug policy and control. <\/span>After connecting with him <\/span>in person,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>maintaining<\/span>\u00a0her\u00a0<\/span>newly formed connection <\/span>through<\/span>\u00a0LinkedIn<\/span>, he invited her to attend<\/span>\u00a0the 2026<\/span>\u00a0UNCND in\u00a0<\/span>Vienna,\u00a0<\/span>Austria<\/span>, held just<\/span> one week before Spring Break at UConn in March.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Shanavas was eager to attend, curious to learn if governments across the world have a specific allocation for substance use prevention and treatment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On top of her inquisitiveness driving her to participate, Shanavas<\/span> was excited to make a difference on an international platform. Through established networks, she was invited to present on youth leadership\u2019s role in substance prevention: \u201cFrom \u2018talking at youth,\u2019 to \u2018empowering youth,'” she says. Steadfast on the importance of including adolescents into policy decision-making, she wanted to \u201cencourage coalitions across the world to include youth voices.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her presentation amplified one message: Youth-led substance prevention efforts.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWhen the messenger doesn’t really understand the audience, the message gets lost,\u201d she says. <\/span><\/p>\n

S<\/span>hanavas\u00a0<\/span>aims to \u201cflip the model,\u201d where instead of\u00a0adults trying to reach young individuals, adults should\u00a0equip\u00a0youth to reach each other.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hopefully reassured the adults in the room that youth leadership can be successful if executed properly, and hopefully they will go back into their communities to find youth leaders to uplift,\u201d she says.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During the conference, she spoke with numerous member state representatives and coalition leaders. She was fascinated to learn how a coalition in Kazakhstan supports those in substance misuse recovery through a creative and holistic approach, where individuals create felt dolls or objects, steering away from a punitive practice and more focused on rehabilitation. She added she was also captivated\u00a0<\/span>by a side event where delegates<\/a> from Kazakhstan and numerous Central Asian countries reiterated the importance of joint efforts by states and international organizations in combating illicit drug trafficking, <\/span>implementing advanced\u00a0security measures.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I found fascinating was that it wasn’t just law enforcement presenting, civil society organizations were at the table too, which tied directly into what I was talking about in my own presentation, this idea that you need multiple sectors working together,” she says. “They were talking about monitoring cryptocurrency transactions and using advanced analytics to catch drug networks, which is a totally different angle than what we focus on in the U.S. It made me realize prevention looks different depending on the country’s resources and challenges, but the need for collaboration is universal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
Shanavas at the 69th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs, where she presented on youth-led substance use prevention to an international audience. (contributed photo).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With appreciation for\u00a0<\/span>Kazakhstan’s<\/span>\u00a0nurturing\u00a0<\/span>framework for those in recovery\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>fascination<\/span>\u00a0with advanced technological\u00a0<\/span>tracing<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>for drug transportation,\u00a0<\/span>Shanavas<\/span> says <\/span>that talk\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>made me realize there has to be a balance between criminalization and care because if all we do is punish our way through this epidemic, we’re going to keep losing people who needed support<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At UConn, Shanavas is currently pursuing an individualized major, <\/span>studying \u201cHealth Policy Informatics,\u201d and learning how health policy and management function and the importance of data in clinical care. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shanavas<\/span>\u00a0has been accepted into UConn\u2019s Special Program in Medicine<\/a><\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and after\u00a0<\/span>graduation<\/span> plans to work toward <\/span>he<\/span>r<\/span>\u00a0M.D.<\/span>\u00a0at the UConn School of Medicine.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Her mission is to combine clinical\u00a0<\/span>work with involvement in health care policymaking, \u201cencouraging doctors to show up for legislative <\/span>efforts<\/span>\u00a0and advocate for patients.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>She is grateful for UConn\u2019s <\/span><\/span>Special Program in Medicine <\/span>for granting her the \u201c<\/span>breathing room\u00a0<\/span>that<\/span> allowed me to really explore what I care about, which led me to dive deep into prevention work, and eventually to presenting at the UN in Vienna before I even start medical school.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking back on<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>her experience presenting on a global stage,\u00a0<\/span>her face lit up as she enthusiastically says she<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>feels even more inspired. Substance usage is normalized within her\u00a0<\/span>generation, and\u00a0<\/span>Shanavas<\/span> aims to challenge that narrative of normalization. She hopes to partner with existing UConn student organizations or start a new one focused on promoting substance use prevention and disseminating <\/span>resource<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0for those in recovery.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Husky representation on a global stage: Neha Shanavas ’28 urges coalitions worldwide to focus on youth support as a curative measure to the issue of substance misuse<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":237,"featured_media":243732,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2429,2226,1715,2467,156,2712,2235,2458],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2706],"class_list":["post-243508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-awards-scholarships","category-clas","category-community-impact","category-global-cultures-perspectives","category-profile","category-student-success","category-today-homepage","category-undergraduates"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-30 19:02:08","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/237"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243508"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243741,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243508\/revisions\/243741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/243732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243508"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=243508"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=243508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}