Special Interest Groups (SIG) provide an opportunity for attendees to have focused discussions on various topics. AMERSA SIGs are committed to collaboration and inclusion. Click each to expand and to read the minutes from each group’s annual meeting.
This interest group seeks to provide a space for discussion and collaboration between researchers, providers and trainees from all disciplines who have an interest for pediatric and adolescent substance use and addiction issues. We will discuss a number of “hot topics” in the field. We also support the creation of working groups for collaboration on policy, research and education projects throughout the year.
Chair: Nicholas Chadi, MD, MPH – Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre, University of Montreal: nicholas.chadi@umontreal.ca
Click here to download minutes from 2024 annual meeting
This SIG is for individuals who are involved or who have a special interest in medications for a variety of substance use disorders, including but not limited to opioid use disorders, alcohol use disorders, and stimulant use disorders. The purpose of this SIG is to bring together professionals from all disciplines to discuss ideas and partake in special projects related to research, clinical interventions, teaching strategies, and/or policy implementation relevant to medications for SUD.
Chair: Judy Chertok, MD – University of Pennsylvania
Click here to download minutes from 2024 annual meeting
This SIG brings together nurses and other disciplines who focus on the practice of nursing across the continuum of substance use. Our numbers have grown over the past several years and regular meetings throughout the year provide a forum for ongoing networking, sharing of information, and providing contemporary education. Agendas are driven by the needs and interests of attendees.
Co-chairs: Annie Potter, CARN-AP, MPH, MSN, NP – Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Grayken Center for Addiction: annie.potter@bmc.org; Brandee Madden, DNP, RN, PMHNP-BC-Vanderbilt University School of Nursing: brandee.j.madden@vanderbilt.edu
Click here to download minutes from 2024 annual meeting
2021 Spring Lectureship Series
Stigma of Addiction in the Medical Community
Presenter: Jonathan Avery, MDDirector of Addiction Psychiatry and an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York-Presbyterian Hospital
Stigma is Harming our Patients: Addressing Opioid and Substance Use Disorders by Changing Culture
Presenter: Richard Bottner, DHA, PA-C
Director, Support Hospital Opioid Use Treatment (SHOUT)
Texas Dell Medical School at UT Austin
Marianne Marcus Scholarship
As many of you know, AMERSA member, Dr. Marcus is a pioneer in nursing who has dedicated her career to advancing the science associated with substance use prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery initiatives. As a pathfinder for the substance use-related field in general and nursing in particular, Dr. Marcus has “paid it forward” evidenced by those whose careers as educators, researchers, clinicians, and advocates have been fostered as a result of her mentorship.
Dr. Marcus’ birthday is October 25th, and whether honoring her on that day or any other throughout the year, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to fund this scholarship.
We are currently soliciting tax-deductible donations to fund this scholarship!
The AMERSA Special Interest Group in Geriatric and Palliative Care is a group of allied health professionals who share an interest in substance use disorders specifically as they impact older adults and palliative care populations (e.g., limited prognoses, chronic pain, social isolation, dementia, cancer, polypharmacy, age-related or disease-related changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, multiple transitions of care, and receipt of hospice/nursing home care). Our overall goal is to work within the interdisciplinary AMERSA conference membership to promote education, clinical care, and evidence-based research that improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of substance use disorders among older adults and people living with serious illness.
Chair: Vassiliki Pravodelov, MD – Boston Medical Center/Boston University School of Medicine: vassiliki.pravodelov@bmc.org; Co-Chairs: Justina Groeger, MD: jugroege@montefiore.org; Benjamin Han, MD: b2han@health.ucsd.edu; Katie Fitzgerald Jones, PhD, APRN: katie.jones4@va.gov
The Multidisciplinary Interest Group in Acute Care Addiction Services’ mission is to develop multidisciplinary best practices for addiction treatment in acute care settings, including hospital and emergency care, education, quality improvement initiatives, culture change and institutional policies. The group focuses on delivering care via addiction consult teams, but also other acute models of care, including pharmacy, protocol/ordersets, or hospitalist driven programs. A major goal is to incorporate the voices of peers, social workers, NPs/PAs and other allied health professionals into shaping addiction work within the acute care setting.
Co–Chairs: Zoe Weinstein, MD, MSc – Boston Medical Center/Boston University: zoe.weinstein@bmc.org; Kumar Felipe Vasudevan, MD, MSc-UCLA – Ronald Reagan: kumar.f.vasudevan@gmail.com
Click here to download minutes from 2024 annual meeting
While being a relatively new field in substance use treatment, the peer recovery specialist workforce is rapidly growing and becoming a vital part of the community. As the demand for the peer recovery specialist grows, there is a need for the position to evolve and adapt in order to not only serve the people in the community, but to also establish the peer recovery specialist in the world of treatment professionals. This SIG will work together to discuss ways of strengthening, supporting, and advocating for those on the frontlines while also maintaining the atmosphere of recovery that has made the peer specialist so important today.
Co-Chairs: David Scott, CRS – University of Pittsburgh Center For Research On Health Care: DAS348@pitt.edu; Nicole O’Donnell-Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System: Nicole.O’Donnell@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Click here to download minutes from 2024 annual meeting
The aim of the Social Work Special Interest Group is to connect social workers involved in all aspects of caring for people who use substances by providing opportunities to network and strategically engage in activities that advance our areas of focus. With a commitment to Social Work’s professional values including service, social justice, integrity and competence, this SIG will identify opportunities to increase equity and access to clinical care, advocate and influence policies that impact people who use substances, and empower and amplify the needs and wants of those for whom we care.
Co-Chairs: Shannon Mountain-Ray, LICSW-Boston Children’s Hospital: Shannon.Mountain-Ray@childrens.harvard.edu; Sheria Francis, MSW, LCSW, C-SWHC, CAADC-UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside: sheria.reeves@gmail.com
Click here to download minutes from 2023 annual meeting
The purpose of the Pharmacy SIG group is to recruit and unite pharmacists from community, ambulatory care, inpatient, and other care settings with pharmacy researchers and advocates to advance health equity among people across the cascade of SUD care. The SIG’s mission is to advance and highlight pharmacist roles and leadership in interprofessional SUD care in teaching, scholarship, advocacy, and clinical service teams.
Co-Chairs: Jeffrey Bratberg, PharmD, FAPhA-University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy: jefbratberg@uri.edu; TBD
Click here to download minutes from 2024 annual meeting
All meeting participants are welcome to attend these group meetings at the conference. AMERSA members who wish to start a new interest group should contact Rebecca Northup, Executive Director of AMERSA.