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Behind the Scenes of the ACAAM National Addiction Medicine Didactic Curriculum

How ACAAM Established a Weekly, Fellowship-Run, Conflict-of-Interest-Free Addiction Medicine Curriculum

The ACAAM National Addiction Medicine Didactic Curriculum is a weekly, fellowship-run didactic experience for addiction medicine fellows and faculty. The curriculum sessions are now in their second year, having launched at the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic year. Each week, dozens of addiction medicine fellowship program faculty and fellows convene for live Zoom sessions and to hear an expert speak on different addiction medicine topics. The topics are mapped to the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) addiction medicine exam blueprint as well as the ACGME medical competencies. In addition to faculty and fellows, sessions are open to all health care professionals and trainees interested in expanding their education about treating and assessing patients with substance use disorders.

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Expanding Addiction Medicine Education Beyond A Traditional Fellowship: Local and National Endeavors

During the June 2021 Annual Meeting’s Fellows Lightning Round session, Nicholas Chien, MD presented “Expanding Addiction Medicine Education Beyond A Traditional Fellowship: Local and National Endeavors.” Dr. Chien is a 2021 graduate of Rush University Medical Center’s addiction medicine fellowship program.

Dr. Chien’s presentation highlights three educational endeavors that addiction medicine fellows can participate in throughout their fellowship. From online courses and webinars to cross-institutional collaborations, these local and national endeavors are what make the addiction medicine fellowship a platform for educational excellence.

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ACAAM Fellowship Program Member Feature: University of Wisconsin

ACAAM recently sat down with Randall Brown, MD PhD, Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Dr. Brown is also the University of Wisconsin’s Addiction Medicine Fellowship program director, having established the program in 2010 and overseen its initial accreditation in 2011.  

Dr. Brown has played an important role in the evolution of addiction medicine and ACAAM. He served on the committee that wrote the Program Requirements in 2016–17 that were adopted by ACGME, and he was President of the Addiction Medicine Fellowship Directors Association in 2018 during the period that led to the establishment of ACAAM. 

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Quality Improvement: Creating an Opioid Withdrawal Protocol for the Inpatient Setting

Ariana Abid, MD, was invited to present her research titled Quality Improvement: Creating an Opioid Withdrawal Protocol for the Inpatient Setting during the Fellows Lightning Round session at the June 2021 Annual Meeting. Dr. Abid is an addiction medicine fellow at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) 

Dr. Abid’s presentation discussed practical and evidence-based protocol for hospitalists and other hospital care providers who are treating patients vulnerable to opioid withdrawal. This protocol incorporates the administration of buprenorphine guided using a clinical tool called the Clinical Opioid Withdrawal Scale. According to Dr. Abid’s research, this tool can be seen as parallel to the Clinical Intoxication Withdrawal Assessment for alcohol use disorder. 

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ACAAM Celebrates Fellowship Program Membership Milestone

More than 30 ADM Fellowship Programs Enrolled as ACAAM Members

The American College of Addiction Medicine (ACAAM) has established itself as the go-to resource and advocate for academic addiction medicine fellowship programs. Today the organization is excited to announce it has exceeded 30 fellowship program institutional members, with a total of 32 programs currently enrolled. The ACAAM membership program was launched in May 2021.

“We are ecstatic to see fellowship programs enrolling as members and unlocking access to valuable benefits and resources for the faculty and fellows in their programs,” says ACAAM Membership Committee Chair, Alex Walley, MD. “The more programs that join our ACAAM membership coalition, the stronger our voices will be as we continue to advocate for resources needed to expand a fellowship-trained addiction medicine workforce.”

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July 22 Deadline for New Loan Repayment Program

Apply to the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program

Applications for up to $250,000 in educational debt relief are being accepted until July 22, 2021, 7:30 pm ET under the federal Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program (STAR LRP).

Addiction Medicine physicians are among the medical, nursing, and behavioral/mental health clinicians eligible for the new program offered by the Health Resources and Services Administration. Recipients must commit to working for six years in a full-time substance use position at an approved facility in an area that has an elevated overdose mortality rate or is classified as a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area. Eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens, nationals, and permanent residents.

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ACAAM Supports Introduction of Opioid Workforce Act of 2021

OFFICIAL STATEMENT

Contact: Bruce Hammond, CAE
Executive Director
847-375-4814
[email protected]

Attributable to ACAAM President, Martha Wunsch, MD FAAP DFSAM:


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Bruce Hammond to Serve as ACAAM and ABAM Executive Director

Mr. Hammond Will Help Lead and Support ACAAM’s Urgent Mission of Creating Addiction Medicine Fellowship Training Programs, Picking Up on Progress Made Under Dr. Kevin Kunz’s Leadership

Bethesda, Maryland – December 17, 2020 – The American College of Academic Addiction Medicine (ACAAM) today announced the appointment of Bruce E. Hammond, Jr., CAE, as Executive Director, effective January 1, 2021. Mr. Hammond will step into the new position following the long-planned end-of-year retirement of Kevin Kunz, MD MPH DFSAM, founding ACAAM President (2008) and Executive Vice President since 2013. ACAAM was formerly known as the ABAM Foundation and Addiction Medicine Foundation.

Mr. Hammond will work closely with the ACAAM Board of Directors and ACAAM Vice President for Medical and Academic Affairs Tim Brennan, MD MPH to help fulfill the organization’s mission.  ACAAM’s mission is the development and comprehensive support of addiction medicine fellowship programs, faculty and fellows at academic medical institutions and treatment centers across the U.S. There are currently 81 addiction medicine fellowship programs recognized and accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), with more programs in development.

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