Didactics

In addition to Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds, fellows will attend weekly didactic lectures.  The didactic curriculum is structured into three units:

Fundamentals of Addiction

Course Description: This course will lay the groundwork approaching addiction as a biologic and social disease.  Topics will include assessment and diagnosis, the neurobiology of addiction and the pharmacology of many of the substances encountered in clinical practice. In addition, we will explore some of the basic medical issues with which an addictionologist should be familiar.  Sample lectures include: The Substance Use History, Neurotransmitters and Addiction, and Pharmacology of Cocaine.

Addiction and Psychiatry

Course Description: The Addiction Psychiatrist serves a unique role in the treatment of someone who a substance use disorder.  In this course, we will dive deeper into the diagnosis and management specific psychiatric co-morbidities.  We will also learn about many of the psychotherapeutic interventions to which a psychiatrist may refer a patient. Sample lectures include: Co-occurring Substance Use Disorder and AD/HD, Relapse Prevention Therapy and Use of Hallucinogens in Treatment Resistant Depression.

Addiction and Society

Course Description: Addiction is a disease that has many ramifications in society.  From involvement in the criminal justice system to the social determinants of health, an addictionologist needs to understand the biologic as well as the psychosocial aspects of a patient’s treatment.  In addition, we will take a more focused look at specific medical populations like OB/Gyn and the elderly, and explore the unique challenges that these populations pose. Sample lectures include: Treating Substance Use in LGBTQ populations, Physician Health Programs and Treating Addiction in Refuge Populations.

Didactics

• Weekly didactic lectures (1-2hrs/week) and
  • Fundamentals of Addiction
  • Addiction and Psychiatry
  • Addiction and Society
• Rotation-specific didactics and readings
• Addiction Psychiatry journal Club
• Psychiatry Department Grand Rounds (September-June, Thursdays at 12 noon)
• Elective
  • Neuropsychiatry Journal Club (September-June, Mondays at 12 noon)