Media Contact:
Kelly Thibert, DO, MPH National President
American Medical Student Association
Email: [email protected]
Amid the prescription drug abuse epidemic, described as the defining public health crisis of our generation by the Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health in November 2016, AMSA provides essential programming focused on substance abuse treatment and harm reduction, long-term recovery, and prevention to address significant gaps in medical education.
STERLING, Virginia – April 21, 2017: The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) will hold its inaugural week-long campaign, AWARE: A Week of Addiction and Recovery Education, from April 24th to April 28th, 2017. This initiative aims to enhance awareness about new evidence-based methods for treating and preventing substance use disorders.
The mission of AMSA’s AWARE campaign is to promote a compassionate, holistic approach to addiction treatment, emphasizing evidence-based practices and eliminating stigma. Addiction is a complex illness influenced by neurobiology, psychological trauma, and lived experiences and must be examined through the lens of social determinants of health. AMSA firmly believes that patients with substance use disorders deserve equal respect, dignity, and attention as any other patient group.
AMSA National President Dr. Kelly Thibert, DO/MPH, states, “Today, it is highly unlikely for medical students to graduate without encountering patients impacted by addiction, yet medical schools still lack standardized curricula addressing this critical issue. Now is the moment for us as students to advocate for better understanding and treatment of addiction. We must be adequately trained to care for every patient, and AMSA is proud to collaborate with organizations like ASAM to offer valuable educational opportunities to physicians-in-training while advocating for the integration of this vital subject into medical education.”
The AWARE campaign aligns with the Addiction Treatment Gap Awareness Week hosted by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), highlighting the substantial gap in treatment and availability of healthcare providers for those affected by addiction.
Dr. Brian Hurley, MD/MBA, DFASAM, addiction psychiatrist, current ASAM treasurer, and former AMSA National President, expresses pride in collaborating with AMSA to address gaps in addiction medicine education. “Medical schools are uniquely positioned to begin educating future physicians early about this chronic brain disease,” Dr. Hurley emphasizes, highlighting the urgent need for physician involvement in addiction treatment. “ASAM could not have a better partner than AMSA, the leading national organization for physicians-in-training, as we work together to advance professional medical education at all levels, ensuring the medical community is well-prepared to effectively treat addiction and save lives.”
These organizations’ initiatives coincide with the end of April, recognized as “Alcohol Awareness Month” by the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence, Inc.
The AWARE program will offer online sessions addressing treatment models, harm reduction strategies, recovery, prevention, and disparities related to substance use disorders. Sessions will feature expert speakers from organizations directly involved in addressing the substance abuse and prescription drug epidemic in the United States. Additionally, ASAM will collaborate with AMSA on a session dedicated to addiction medicine as a subspecialty and discussing the new board certification examination by the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM).
For more information about this event, please click here.
About AMSA:
AMSA is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. Founded in 1950, AMSA is a student-governed, non-profit organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training. To learn more about AMSA, our strategic priorities, or joining the organization, please visit us online at http://amsa.org.
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