The shortage of physicians qualified to conduct clinical research in addiction and of physicians who are sufficiently trained in substance abuse to translate research to practice is a problem. The former limits scientific advancement and the latter misses opportunities to provide optimal care for patients with substance abuse. This competing continuation grant - led by established physician-researchers at Boston Medical Center and the Boston University School of Medicine - will advance the Clinical Addiction Research and Education (CARE) Program, which has successfully fostered physician development in addiction research and education over the past 5 years. The program will pursue 4 goals: 1. Develop generalist physicians to become capable researchers in drug abuse by supporting a fellowship in drug abuse research, which will be part of an existing General Internal Medicine/Family Medicine program. 2. Train Chief Resident (CR) educators to teach state-of-the-art methods in clinical addiction practice by hosting a conference that will build skills in screening, assessing, and treating substance abuse;the conference will also highlight opportunities for physicians in clinical research careers focused on drug abuse. 3. Introduce medical students to clinical research careers in drug abuse by providing them opportunities to work with faculty on drug abuse research projects during a summer research program. 4. Ensure that physicians-in-training and physician-researchers in drug abuse are aware of the clinically relevant drug abuse research by producing and disseminating a high-quality newsletter that summarizes timely research findings. It is expected that the CARE program will continue to engage junior investigators to pursue career opportunities in addictions research and that chief residents will implement curriculum changes in their residency programs that incorporate research-based methods in drug abuse treatment. The program is significant, because it will help bridge the gap between research and clinical practice in drug abuse. Relevance to Public Health: This comprehensive effort will help the spectrum of young physicians (i.e., from medical students to fellows) apply advances in drug abuse care and research to """"""""real-world"""""""" practice. It will also inspire some of these physicians to make important contributions to research. Both will ultimately improve patient care and reduce the medical, social, and financial burden of drug abuse.
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