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In January 2022, Richard Saitz, MD, MPH, professor of medicine\/GIM and professor & chair of Community Health Sciences at SPH since 2014, passed away.<\/p>\nIn January 2022, Richard Saitz, MD, MPH, professor of medicine\/GIM and professor & chair of Community Health Sciences at SPH since 2014, passed away.<\/p>\n
A Double Terrier (CAS\u201987, MED\u201987) and lifelong member of the BU community, Rich joined the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine faculty in 1993.\u00a0 He was internationally and locally respected in alcohol and drug addiction research, a field in which he changed the treatment of alcohol withdrawal and where his commitment to his patients was well known.\u00a0 He was also a beloved mentor to up and coming addiction scholars and clinicians.<\/p>\n
Rich had an international reputation in both alcohol and drug addiction research. His mantra was \u201cfollow the evidence.\u201d His landmark article, \u201cIndividualized Treatment for Alcohol Withdrawal: A Randomized Double-blind Controlled Trial,\u201d changed the approach to the treatment of the common problem of alcohol withdrawal syndrome.\u00a0<\/span>At his core, Rich was a dedicated physician committed to his patients and to our mission. He directed Boston Medical Center\u2019s Clinical Addiction Research and Education (CARE) Unit for more than a decade. He also chaired an Institutional Review Board\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>was co-principal investigator of BU\u2019s Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n His leadership in the addiction world was manifested in his many roles, including\u00a0<\/span>as associate editor for the\u00a0Journal of the American Medical Association<\/em>, editor-in-chief\u00a0of the\u00a0Journal of Addiction Medicine<\/em>, section editor and sole author of key chapters in\u00a0UpToDate\u00ae<\/em>\u00a0on unhealthy substance use, an editor of\u00a0The ASAM Principles of Addiction Medicine<\/em>, editor emeritus of\u00a0Addiction Science & Clinical Practice<\/em>, editor of\u00a0Evidence-Based Medicine<\/em>, author of more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, and former president of the Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance use and Addiction (AMERSA), in addition to\u00a0<\/span>numerous honors and awards. Beyond his outstanding\u00a0<\/span>contributions to the Boston, national and international scientific communities, Rich was a devoted friend, colleague and collaborator.<\/p>\n To honor the outstanding legacy of Dr. Saitz,\u00a0<\/span>BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine has established the Richard Saitz, MD (’87), MPH Memorial Lecture Fund<\/strong>. \u00a0The fund will support an annual campus wide lecture, Richard Saitz, MD, MPH Memorial Lecture: Controversies in Medicine\u2013 Show Me the Evidence. This annual event, as part of General Internal Medicine’s grand rounds, will feature speakers that reflect Dr. Saitz’s passion\u2013how to \u201cfollow the evidence\u201d to address controversies in medicine and public health. <\/span>Thanks to contributions from GIM faculty members, the fund has been established. \u00a0Once we reach $100,000, the fund will be endowed, ensuring that the Richard Saitz Lecture will continue in perpetuity.<\/p>\n We ask for your support to honor the legacy of such a wonderful colleague, teacher, mentor, and friend.\u00a0 Please consider making a donation today.\u00a0 To support the Richard Saitz, MD (’87), MPH Memorial Lecture Fund<\/strong>:<\/p>\n