
Addiction Medicine Fellowship
For fellows who want to pursue further training for a career in academic addiction medicine we offer an additional two years of research training, or one year of medical education training, including a master’s degree in clinical research or medical education. The two-year program combines Pitt’s own research and educational resources with the opportunities offered by the Institute for Clinical Research Education (ICRE) degree programs in clinical research and medical education at the University of Pittsburgh. These programs provide fellows with didactic training in a broad spectrum of research and educational methodologies, technologies, and tools; exposure to multidisciplinary research and educational teams; hands-on mentored experience in conducting patient-oriented research; and the conceptual and writing skills necessary to submit competitive grant applications for successful, long-term patient-oriented research or education careers. By the end of the second year, fellows will obtain a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh in clinical research or medical education, with a special focus on addiction medicine.
Training Sites
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UPMC Presbyterian Hospital is a Level I Regional Resource Trauma Center and a renowned quarternary center for organ transplantation. | UPMC Shadyside Hospital is a nationally ranked tertiary care hospital specializing in medical and surgical oncology care. |
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UPMC Mercy Hospital is home to the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute’s Centers of Excellence in stroke rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, and brain injury. | UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh is a nationally ranked in all 10 pediatric subspecialties surveyed by US News & World Report. It is also recognized as a top pediatric hospital for innovation and technology and has been praised as one of the nation’s most creatively beautiful hospitals. |
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VA Pittsburgh is the largest and most complex VA health care system in Pennsylvania, with seven sites of care including two medical centers (hospitals) and five community-based outpatient clinics. | Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic is a nationally recognized leader in mental health clinical care, research, and education. Services include UPMC Western Behavioral Health, a network of nearly 60 community-based programs providing specialized mental health and addiction care throughout western Pennsylvania. |
Clinical Program
The clinical focus of the fellowship is on acquiring skills in providing care to individuals with substances use disorders in acute medical settings, ambulatory settings, and in acute addiction treatment settings. Fellows will spend substantial time in each of these settings and will follow patients longitudinally as they move between different settings. The role of the physician as a member of an interdisciplinary care team will be emphasized in all clinical settings and encounters.
The individual aspects of the clinical program are:
- Inpatient Addiction Medicine Consultation Service – Fellows spend 18 weeks on the Addiction Medicine Consult Service at UPMC Presbyterian-Montefiore Hospital, in four to six week blocks. Over the course of their consultation service time they assume increasing responsibility for running the team and teaching learners on the service.
- Outpatient Addiction Medicine – Fellows will maintain their own outpatient addiction medicine clinic practice of one half day per week under the supervision of addiction medicine faculty, at the Primary Care and Recovery Engagement Services (PCARES) clinic, which is part of the Division of General Internal Medicine. At this clinic, fellows with evaluate new patients with opioid use disorder as well as other substance use disorders, and initiate buprenorphine and naltrexone treatment. Fellows who wish to become the primary care providers for their patients will have the opportunity to do so as part of their PCARES practice. Fellows will follow new patients longitudinally in the ambulatory setting as well as across settings if patients are admitted to the hospital or enter other treatment settings. Fellows will also rotate through the new Bridge Clinic, which provides low-barrier care of opioid use disorder and other SUDs, and spend two weeks gaining experience in managing patients with addiction or concern for opioid misuse in outpatient pain clinics. Fellows will also spend two half days on their non-consult months in the Adolescent Addiction Medicine clinic, which is part of Children’s Hospital.
- Inpatient Detoxification – Fellows will spend 20 half days over one month at the inpatient detoxification unit at UPMC Mercy, where they will assess and titrate medications for patients experiencing alcohol, benzodiazepine, and opioid withdrawal.
- Narcotics Addiction Treatment Program (NATP) – Fellows will spend 20 half-days over one month at the Narcotics Addiction Treatment Program, which is part of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, which provides methadone and buprenorphine for treatment of opioid use disorder.
- Veterans Administration – Fellows will spend six weeks at the Center for Treatment of Addictive Disorders (CTAD) at the Veterans Administration. Fellow clinical activities at CTAD will include evaluations for medication treatment with buprenorphine or naltrexone, ambulatory detox assessments, and participation in the VA’s methadone maintenance program. Fellows who have a special interest in caring for veterans may spend additional elective time at the VA.
- Women’s Recovery Center (Magee-Women’s Hospital) – Fellows at the Women’s Recovery Center at Magee will gain experience caring for pregnant and non-pregnant female patients on treatment with buprenorphine as well as methadone both in the inpatient and outpatient setting.
- Elective and Supplemental Clinical Experiences – Fellows will spend 2.5 months in electives, which can include adding more time to any of the required experiences, or additional experiences in the community, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, or inpatient hospital setting.
- Formal Teaching – Fellows attend all the relevant ongoing teaching conferences, including the monthly Addiction Medicine Journal Club (in which they present biannually), Addiction Medicine Grand Rounds, weekly Chief’s Conference, and the weekly didactic series hosted by the Addiction Psychiatry fellowship.
Faculty
Faculty in the Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program include nationally known researchers and educators in the field, and are from disciplines including General Internal Medicine, Adolescent Medicine, Palliative Care and Pain Medicine, Psychiatry, Toxicology, and Obstetrics-Gynecology.
![]() | Julie Childers, MD, MSDivision of General Internal MedicineProgram Director childersjw2@upmc.edu |
![]() | Julie A Kmiec, DODepartment of Psychiatrykmiecj@upmc.edu |
![]() | Kevin L. Kraemer, MD, MScDivision of General Internal Medicinekraemerkl@upmc.edu |
![]() | Liz Krans, MDDepartment of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Scienceskransee@mail.magee.edu |
![]() | Jane M. Liebschutz, MD, MPH, FACPDivision of General Internal MedicineDivision Chief liebschutzjm@upmc.edu |
![]() | Michael J. Lynch, MDDepartment of Emergency MedicineUPPEMoffice@upmc.edu |
![]() | Jessica S. Merlin, MD, PhD, MBADivision of General Internal Medicinemerlinjs@upmc.edu |
![]() | Payel Roy, MD, MScDivision of General Internal MedicineDirector, Addiction Medicine Consult Service payel.roy@pitt.edu |
![]() | Deanna Wilson, MDDivision of General Internal MedicineDirector, Adolescent Addiction Medicine Director, Research Track wilsonjd@pitt.edu |
Apply
The UPMC Medical Education Addiction Medicine Fellowship accepts applications through the Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS).
In addition, as a program participating in the Addiction Medicine Common Decision Date, the UPMC Medical Education Addiction Medicine fellowship will begin making acceptance offers on October 18, 2021.
Interviews will be held during the month of September for candidates under consideration for a decision on or soon after October 18.
Please apply to the UPMC Addiction Medicine Program through ERAS: MyERAS | (aamc.org)
Contact Us

Division of General Internal Medicine Academic Offices
UPMC Montefiore Hospital
Suite W933
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-692-4821
Patient/Clinical Inquiries
412-692-4888
Administrative Office
412-692-4889