Learn more about travel and lodging for the ACAAM Annual Meeting

ACAAM and ASAM are pleased to announce that in April 2023, each organization will be holding its live and in-person annual conference at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, right outside of Washington, DC. The location and timing of these respective conferences were designed with convenience in mind and to allow anyone interested in attending both to do so with ease.

Hotel and Travel

• For more information about ACAAM’s conference (April 11-12), click here. For more information about ASAM’s conference (April 13-16), click here.
• The Gaylord National Resort is the ONLY hotel contracted for the ACAAM Annual Meeting, as well as the ASAM Annual Conference.
• Book your room through the official website (linked below) or by calling the hotel directly.

Meeting Location

Reserve Now

Room Reservation Deadline: Monday, March 13, 2023 (Based on Availability)

Virtual Pediatric Rotations at Boston Children's Hospital Pediatric Addiction Medicine Fellowship

The Boston Children’s Hospital Pediatric Addiction Medicine Fellowship is taking applications from fellows in other addiction medicine programs (deadline January 6, 2023) for one-week virtual learning experiences in the first half of 2023 (January-May).

Because of the particular challenges posed by the cognitive and developmental changes that mark adolescence, treatment for adolescent substance use requires a distinctive approach that recognizes and respects adolescents’ desire for independence while understanding the special vulnerabilities of this period of life.

Happy Giving Tuesday!

Donate Today 

ACAAM honors veterans and addiction medicine specialists who served their country this Veterans Day

On Veterans Day, we honor our veterans and share our profound gratitude for their sacrifices. We also thank the addiction medicine specialists who tirelessly treat veterans with substance use disorders and lead them into recovery. This year, we'd like to highlight two addiction medicine specialists who not only treat veterans, but were veterans themselves. 

2023 ACAAM Annual Meeting
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

April 11-12, 2023 | Gaylord National Resort | National Harbor, MD

At the 2021 ACAAM Annual Meeting, David Tracy, MD, presented "Nicotine Patch Prescription Fulfillment Rate for Emergency Department Patients" during the Fellows Lightning Round session. Dr. Tracy is a 2021 graduate of MetroHealth's addiction medicine fellowship program.

Dr. Tracy's presentation reviewed a study he conducted with Charles Emerman, MD, and Jon Siff, MD, that evaluated fill rates for prescription nicotine patches (NRT-P) from the Emergency Department. The study was conducted because prior work has demonstrated that many Emergency Department patients fail to fill their NRT-P prescriptions.

Jeremiah Fairbanks, DO presented “Safe Station Initiative” during the June 2021 Annual Meeting’s Fellows Lightning Round session. Dr. Fairbanks is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Addiction Medicine fellowship program.

Dr. Fairbanks' presentation explored the Safe Station initiative, which strives to provide culturally sensitive low threshold substance use disorder treatment in underserved and predominantly African American neighborhoods. The initiative connects first responders with community-based peer recovery services to provide immediate service to individuals seeking help for addiction and substance abuse.

Jordana Laks, MD MPH, and Morgan Younkin, MD MPH, then-fellows from the Grayken Center for Addiction at Boston Medical Center, presented "Outpatient Benzodiazepine Taper in a Low Barrier Setting" at the 2021 ACAAM Annual Meeting.

Drs. Laks and Younkin's presentation explored the development of an outpatient extended-duration benzodiazepine taper protocol for patients with benzodiazepine use disorder in a low barrier addiction treatment bridge clinic. The need for a benzodiazepine taper protocol was demonstrated by clinical experience with a small number of individualized benzodiazepine tapers in this setting as well as a literature review supporting the benefits of extended duration tapers. The developed protocol includes patient eligibility criteria, a standardized stabilization phase, taper duration of 4-6 weeks, and recommended monitoring.

November 11, 2022, 6 - 7 PM EDT

We can't wait to see our members who are attending the 2022 AMERSA Annual Conference. Stop by from 6-7 pm EDT at the Hyatt Regency Boston, Quincy Room. Light hors d'oeuvres will be served. 

No registration is necessary. We look forward to seeing our members there!

ACAAM Member Fellow-Only Virtual Convening 
November 1, 1:30 - 3:30 pm EDT

Addiction medicine fellows (ACAAM Members) are invited to join a virtual convening to learn about addiction medicine careers. Louis E. Baxter, Sr., MD DFASM DABAM, will present, "Careers in Addiction Medicine: What Can I Do Within My Specialty?". This presentation will include an overview of career options within the field, many of which you have probably not even thought about. Dr. Baxter's presentation will be followed by small group networking. 

Check your email for your link! We hope to see you there. 

Join us in congratulating our dedicated ACAAM Board Member, Gail D’Onofrio, MD MS, on receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award from Boston University this September. Dr. D’Onofrio is Professor and Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Yale University and Physician-in Chief of Emergency Services at Yale New Haven Hospital. Congratulations again!

This October 17-21, during National Addiction Treatment Week (NATW), ACAAM partnered with the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) to help inspire upcoming leaders in addiction medicine. NATW is an initiative that highlights the treatment gap between the number of patients who need addiction treatment and the qualified medical professionals available to treat addiction. The partnership between the organizations included an effort to share fellows’ stories about the importance of addiction medicine fellowships. See their videos and more on the NATW website.

ACAAM recently partnered with AOD Health to recruit the publication’s first-ever Richard Saitz Editorial Intern. Congratulations to this year’s recipient, Corey McBrayer, DO, from OhioHealth! Dr. McBrayer will join AOD Health Associate Editors to co-author summaries of current addiction medicine literature. This internship also includes participation in podcasts, interviews with authors, and more. Congratulations again to Dr. McBrayer, and thank you to all who applied for this opportunity!

Working Together to Reduce Harm and Improve Safety for People Who Use Substances
August 31, 2022, 2 - 4 pm EDT

As part of the American College of Academic Addiction Medicine National Addiction Medicine Didactic series, we are hosting an open access session (anyone can attend) on August 31, International Overdose Awareness Day. This two-hour webinar will feature a didactic presentation on harm reduction in addiction medicine by Alexander Y. Walley, MD MSc, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, followed by a panel discussion with a multidisciplinary group on the front lines of substance use care focused on working together to reduce harm and improve safety for people who use substances.

Panelists:
Emily Lapidus, LICSW, Social Worker, Boston Medical Center Addiction Consult Service, Boston, MA
Stephen Murray, NRP, MPH, Community Implementation Specialist, Boston Medical Center Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Boston, MA
Theresa Rolley, CARC, Wellness and Recovery Advocate, Boston Medical Center Addiction Consult Service, Boston, MA

Dear Colleagues,

The American College of Academic Addiction Medicine (ACAAM) is built from our members’ determination and passion for advancing academic addiction medicine. With our first year of membership coming to a close, we are so grateful for your energy, ingenuity, and focus to create a healthier future for those across this nation who need high-quality substance use care.

With Addiction Medicine about to begin a new application season, some 180 fellowship representatives and potential candidates turned out to meet one another on May 11 for the second ACAAM virtual Addiction Medicine Recruitment Fair.

On hand were ACAAM President Jeanette Tetrault, MD, and ACAAM Vice President for Medical and Academic Affairs Timothy Brennan, MD, MPH, who gave an informative overview of addiction medicine training. Attendees were then free to network for the remainder of the event, with potential applicants visiting fellowships at individual virtual breakout “tables.”

At the 2021 ACAAM Annual Meeting held virtually, Claudia Moore, then a fellow at the University of Nebraska (and now faculty in the Addiction Medicine fellowship program), presented a case report titled, "PEth Testing and Liver Transplant Evaluations," which she created along with Alëna Balasanova, MD, and VaKara Meyer Karre, MD.

The case, which is still in progress, is of a critically ill adult man on the liver transplant list with a significantly elevated PEth and an adamant history, confirmed by family and consistent through his hospital stay, of only distant minimal alcohol use. Dr. Moore's presentation explored the background of the case, the patient's history, the results of laboratory testing, and the follow-up provided.

REACH Application Deadline is June 30

ACAAM is a proud partner in REACH (REACH: Recognizing and Eliminating disparities in Addiction through Culturally informed Healthcare), which is supported by a federal grant to the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

Minority candidates for 2023-24 Addiction Medicine fellowships are encouraged to apply for the REACH Scholar program, which provides funding as well as additional training, mentorship and scholarly activity.

Upcoming Events: May and June

Addiction Medicine Fellowship Recruitment Fair
Wednesday, May 11, 7:30 pm EDT

Anticipation is building for the ACAAM Addiction Medicine Fellowship Recruitment Fair. The virtual 90-minute event will get under way with a welcome from ACAAM President Jeanette Tetrault, MD. Following a presentation on addiction medicine training by ACAAM Vice President for Medical and Academic Affairs Timothy Brennan, MD, MPH, the remainder of the fair will be a learning and networking opportunity where participants can visit fellowships at individual breakout “tables.” Residency programs across the nation have been invited to have their residents attend. Thank you to the program directors in the ACAAM Pipeline Task Group for helping plan the event. 

Virtual Addiction Medicine Fellowship Graduation
Thursday, June 9, 6:00 pm EDT

Two national leaders in addiction research will return to give the opening remarks for the 2022 Virtual Addiction Medicine Fellowship Graduation. Nora Volkow, MD, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, will join George Koob, PhD, Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, in celebrating the Class of 2022, along with family, friends, faculty and others. Drs. Volkow and Koob, who have both been instrumental in advancing Addiction Medicine, also spoke at last year’s virtual graduation. Following their remarks, this year’s graduates will be recognized in a virtual procession of individual slides as ACAAM leaders announce their names.

Brendan Sullivan, DO presented "Improving Rates of HIV/Hepatitis C Screening and Naloxone Co-prescription” during the June 2021 ACAAM Annual Meeting’s Fellows Lightning Round session. Dr. Sullivan is a 2021 graduate of the addiction medicine fellowship program at St. Joseph Mercy in Ann Arbor, MI.

Dr. Sullivan's presentation explored the second cycle of an ongoing quality improvement project conducted by St. Joseph Mercy's Addiction Medicine clinic to increase Hepatitis C/HIV screening and naloxone prescription rates. For this intervention, a medical assistant called the clinic's new patients and asked three screening questions for naloxone, Hepatitis C, and HIV. If the patient screens positive for any of the questions, the provider can then discuss screening with the patient and place the necessary orders.