Addiction medicine certification and specialization offer physicians an opportunity to demonstrate excellence and competence in the field, serve as expert consultants for colleagues, and provide patients and families with quality and equitable health care.
It is also a dynamic and exciting field to practice in right now, one in which we can make a significant impact on the nation’s number one public health problem.
Dr. Wakeman is medical director of the Substance Use Disorder Initiative at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston. She is a diplomate of both the American Board of Internal Medicine and American Board of Addiction Medicine. For more information on the ABAM certification exam, visit www.abam.net.
References
2. CDC. Prescription Drug Overdose in the United States: Fact Sheet. Available online at www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/index.html.
3. The NSDUH Report: Substance Use and Mental Health Estimates from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Overview of Findings.
4. CASA Columbia. Addiction Medicine: Closing the Gap between Science and Practice. Available online at www.casacolumbia.org/addiction-research/reports/addiction-medicine.
5. NIDA. Addiction Science: From Molecules to Managed Care. July, 2008. Available online at www.drugabuse.gov/publications/addiction-science/introduction.
7. CASA Columbia. Missed Opportunity: National Survey of Primary Care Physicians and Patients on Substance Abuse. April, 2000. Available online at www.casacolumbia.org/addiction-research/reports/national-survey-primary-care-physicians-patients-substance-abuse.
8. Ann. Intern. Med. 2011;154:56-59.
9. Subst. Abus. 2013;34:363-70.
10. Am. J. Public Health 2013;103:917-22.