Robert Sokol, M.D., the John M. Malone Jr., M.D., Endowed Chair and director of the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth & Development at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has been elected treasurer of the American Board of Addiction Medicine.
The board is an independent medical specialty board established in 2007 to certify addiction medicine physicians from several specialties, including emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, preventive medicine, psychiatry and other specialties. Dr. Sokol, a distinguished professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is a founding member of the board.
In addition to his appointment as treasurer, Dr. Sokol also serves as chair of the board's Finance Committee and Maintenance of Certification Committee.
"Addiction medicine is a unique field, encompassing elements of a range of medical specialties that come into contact with patients with addictive disorders," said ABAM and ABAM Foundation President Jeffrey H. Samet, M.D., M.A., M.P.H. "We want addiction prevention, screening, intervention and treatment to become routine aspects of medical care wherever health care is provided. ABAM-certified physicians will also be able to address common medical or psychiatric conditions related to the use of addictive substances."
Although one in five Americans entering the health care system has a substance abuse problem, there has never been a board certified medical specialty, drawn from all areas of medicine, dedicated to treating addiction. "Physicians are often at a loss for what to do about substance use and addiction issues, and may even misdiagnose the problem," Dr. Samet said. "We hope to change this by expanding the cadre of board certified addiction medicine physicians across medical specialties."
Studies show that fewer than one in five physicians consider themselves adequately prepared to diagnose alcoholism or other drug use disorders. Yet physician training in addiction medicine is sorely lacking. Separate courses in addiction medicine are rarely taught in medical school, and there are no addiction medicine residencies among the 9,026 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited residency programs in the nation's hospitals.
To ensure that ABAM-certified physicians maintain life-long competence, the board offers a rigorous certifying examination developed by an expert addiction medicine committee and the National Board of Medical Examiners, as well as a maintenance of certification program. Nearly 2,600 physicians have been certified. Physicians from any specialty who are certified by a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties or who have completed an ACGME-accredited residency in their primary field may qualify to sit for the ABAM examination and become board certified in addiction medicine.
One of ABAM's goals is to have a member board of the ABMS certify physicians in addiction medicine. Certification by an ABMS member board is considered the "gold standard" in physician credentialing. In a move to meet ABMS criteria, the ABAM Foundation has given its accreditation to nine addiction medicine residency training programs affiliated with the nation's top medical schools, and, when a sufficient number of residencies have been established, the foundation will apply to ACGME to accredit these programs.
The ABAM was launched at a time of increasing promise for addiction treatment and at a time of increased need for treatment providers. Recent scientific discoveries have confirmed that addiction is a chronic disease of the brain caused by biological and developmental factors, with unique vulnerabilities and pathology, and a predictable course if not interrupted by effective treatment. An increasing number of medically based addiction treatments have recently become available, and more are on the horizon. The need for addiction medicine physicians will increase, as 30 million formerly uninsured Americans will have health insurance under the health care reform Affordable Care Act signed into law in 2010.
For more information on ABAM, the ABAM 2012 Certification Examination, and the ABAM Foundation accredited residency training programs, visit http://www.abam.net.