Program Curriculum

The curriculum covers major advances in the field of clinical addiction medicine presented through didactic presentations, one-on-one teaching project mentoring with our faculty, small group skills practice sessions and case discussions, meetings with guests in recovery, and observations of AA meetings.

Addiction Science

Epidemiology
Neurobiology of addiction
Pharmacology of drugs and alcohol
Substance-related health conditions
Impact of drugs on racially and ethnically minoritized populations

Clinical Practice

Screening, assessment, and brief intervention
Motivational interviewing
Treatment approaches (e.g., pharmacotherapy)
Relapse prevention
Pain management in patients with a substance use disorder
Safer opioid prescribing for pain
Optimizing safety in people who use substances
Overdose education and naloxone distribution
Criminal justice involvement and health impacts

Teaching Skills

Incorporating addiction medicine into a residency curriculum
Effective teaching techniques (e.g., teaching the reluctant learner)
Giving feedback to learners

Research Exposure

Review of clinically relevant addiction medicine research
Exploration of career opportunities in addiction medicine research
Critical appraisal of articles on addiction medicine

Mentoring Skills (for faculty participants)

Review goals and approaches for effective mentoring
Practice mentoring techniques
Support chief resident in their development of a Substance Use Teaching Project

Program Evaluation

Participants are expected to complete a series of evaluation instruments to help us gauge the effectiveness of the program. For Chief Residents this process includes a baseline survey as part of the application; a pre- and post-test and a post-training survey while at the training; four bi-monthly logs about teaching addiction medicine; a six month follow-up; and a brief final survey at around 10 months following the training. Faculty Mentors and Junior Faculty complete variations on a subset of these. Responses are confidential, and data are aggregated across participants.