Richard Saitz, MD, MPH Achievement Award Recipients
2025
Amelia Davis, MD, MPH
Internal Medicine Chief Resident
University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle, WA
Raising the floor and eliminating the ceiling: Advancing foundational knowledge of harm reduction principles and fostering confidence in ambulatory buprenorphine induction
Dr. Davis developed addiction medicine-centered Academic Half Days for PGY1-3 internal medicine residents. The goals included solidifying foundational knowledge in harm reduction principles for all internal medicine residents regardless of career interests and advancing knowledge in higher level management of opioid use disorder in the ambulatory setting for residents with career interest in general internal medicine and primary care. Sessions included content on structural racism in drug policy, stimulant use disorder, harm reduction, alcohol use disorder and outpatient use of medication for treating opioid use disorder. Both lecture-style format and hands-on small groups were utilized.
“Dr. Davis has had an outsized impact on the education and training of our residents and students for our most vulnerable patients…she has worked to increase the exposure to the entire residency program by leading several Academic Half Day sessions on the topic of addiction medicine…As I read through the moving work by Dr. Richard Saitz, I cannot think of a more deserving junior faculty member for this achievement award than Dr. Amelia Davis.” (John H. Choe, MD, MPH, FACP, – Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program)
Clara Warden, MD
Internal Medicine Primary Care Chief Resident
Yale University School of Medicine
New Haven, CT
Improving pain management skills for caring for individuals with opioid use disorder and increasing understanding of harm reduction services in New Haven
Dr. Warden led two educational projects focused on substance use. The primary initiative was a three-hour interdisciplinary program on caring for unhoused individuals, with emphasis on wound care and harm reduction. This session featured a speaker with lived experience of housing instability and substance use, integrated providers from a local street medicine program, and included a guided tour of a syringe exchange program. In addition, she created and delivered two didactic sessions to the entire residency program related to substance use disorders focusing on the management of acute pain in patients with opioid use disorder and harm reduction strategies and best practices for HIV and hepatitis C screening and prevention which included a primer on PREP for patients with substance use disorders.
” Recognizing the value of experiential learning in the community accompanied by practical classroom didactics with opportunities for clinical application, Dr. Warden built a multidimensional curriculum… Dr. Warden is an exceptional candidate for the Saitz Achievement award. She merged her passions for caring for underserved populations such as the unhoused and immigrants, addiction medicine, harm reduction and prevention and early identification of infectious diseases and her unbridled love of teaching to create a high quality, practical and engaging multi-pronged curriculum that will be foundational for trainees long after her chief year concludes.” (Sarita Soares, M.D. FACP – Program Director, Yale Primary Care Residency Program and Stephen Holt, MD, MS, FASAM Associate Program Director, Yale Primary Care Residency Program)
2024
Eugene (Brooks) Keener, MD
Internal Medicine Chief Resident
Dell Medical School at University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX
Substance Use Teaching Project: Designing an Interprofessional Addiction Medicine Elective
Dr. Keener developed a 1-week multidisciplinary elective to improve senior internal medicine residents’ understanding of evidence-based practices in addiction medicine. He provided this education via asynchronous teaching tools (modules and podcasts) as well as in-person experiences at different addiction medicine care sites. These sites included an outpatient addiction medicine clinic, a methadone clinic, an open mutual support group meeting, and the inpatient hospital setting. Residents learned about interdisciplinary care models and observed licensed clinical social workers providing screening and brief intervention, among other activities. Dr. Keener hopes that this curriculum will enhance residents’ ability to effectively care and advocate for patients with substance use disorder. Through pre/post surveys and knowledge assessments, the pilot curriculum was deemed a success and will now be incorporated into the required curriculum for senior residents during the upcoming academic year.
“Dr. Keener has had a transformative impact on our residency program’s education and care for people with substance use disorders….He has clearly found his “ikigai” – addiction medicine is where Dr. Keener’s passion and talent meet society’s need!” (F. Parker Hudson, MD MPH – Internal Medicine Residency Program Director)
2023
Meaghan Mobley, DO
Primary Care Chief Resident, Internal Medicine Residency Program
Ascension St. Vincent Hospital
Indianapolis, IN
Substance Use Teaching Project: Integrating Addiction Medicine Curriculum into Internal Medicine Program
In her community-based Internal Medicine residency program, Dr. Mobley created a multifaceted educational program that integrated addiction medicine topics into the existing learning environment of residents and faculty. This included case-based learning throughout the year, to equip learners to screen, diagnose, and treat opioid, cannabis, alcohol, and stimulant use disorders. Her preliminary pre/post evaluation found that her educational program had a strongly significant impact on resident comfort in managing the care of patients with substance use disorders.
“Dr. Mobley…has remarkably achieved transformative culture change around patients with substance use disorders while enduring the rigors of residency training.” (Laurel Fick, MD – Former Internal Medicine Residency Program Director)