Addiction Medicine Fellowship - The United States faces an unprecedented substance use crisis, with overdose deaths at record levels and a critical shortage of trained addiction specialists limiting access to evidence-based care. Philadelphia, one of the hardest-hit metropolitan areas, continues to experience high rates of opioid and stimulant-related overdoses, disproportionately affecting underserved and marginalized communities. To address this urgent need, Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) is expanding its Addiction Medicine and Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship programs, leveraging prior HRSA Addiction Medicine Fellowship funding to enhance workforce capacity. Despite national challenges in filling addiction fellowship positions, TJU's program has successfully trained and graduated ten fellows (six in Addiction Psychiatry and four in Addiction Medicine) due to its strong educational foundation, deep community partnerships, and strategic location in a high-need region. This expansion aims to double the number of fellows over the next five years, increasing training capacity to 20 fellows (10 in Addiction Psychiatry and 10 in Addiction Medicine) by incorporating new rural clinical rotations, enhancing interprofessional education, and leveraging telemedicine partnerships to improve access to addiction care in medically underserved urban and rural areas. Housed within a single, integrated academic health system, this initiative will not only increase the number of highly trained addiction specialists but will also enhance care delivery in both urban and rural settings. The program will extend training opportunities beyond hospital settings by integrating fellows into community-based sites, including federally qualified health centers, harm reduction programs, and specialized perinatal addiction treatment centers. Fellows will gain extensive experience in the use of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), harm reduction strategies, and interprofessional, team-based care models. Additionally, the program will focus on reducing stigma associated with addiction treatment, integrating social determinants of health (SDoH) education, and incorporating medical-legal interventions into clinical training. TJU will work closely with its recently merged partner, Lehigh Valley Health Network, to establish rural clinical training rotations, further addressing workforce shortages in addiction medicine. By strengthening and expanding its Addiction Medicine and Addiction Psychiatry Fellowships, TJU aims to develop a diverse, skilled workforce prepared to lead, innovate, and transform addiction care in high-need communities. This initiative is expected to reduce overdose deaths, improve access to quality addiction treatment, and enhance health outcomes for the most vulnerable populations impacted by substance use disorders.
