Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship
Welcome to our program! As the only addiction psychiatry fellowship in the state of North Carolina, we are committed to training clinical psychiatrists in becoming proficient in preventing, recognizing, and treating addictive disorders. In particular, we strive to provide graduates with a strong background in both knowledge and experience in treating patients with comorbid mental health and addictive disease.
We strive to provide fellows with a high level of didactic training along with supervision of their patient care by experts in this field of addiction psychiatry and medicine. These ongoing efforts will remain in place to graduate well-trained leaders in the field of addiction psychiatry with a firm foundation in the current evidence of care delivered both equitably and with compassion for those suffering from the disease of addiction.
Our fellowship, located in beautiful Asheville, NC, will give the fellow an opportunity to work with nationally recognized faculty in addiction psychiatry and medicine. There is an emphasis on working with a diverse rural population. The fellow will have the opportunity to rotate through residential, inpatient, and outpatient settings. This is an excellent opportunity for an individual that is looking for an intensive, individualized, hands-on program with a strong series of didactic offerings. There will also be opportunities to participate in a clinical research project.
We invite you to explore our program, contact us with any questions, and submit your application for consideration.
Sincerely,
Susan Whitley, MDProgram Director, Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship
Faculty, Psychiatry Residency Program
MAHEC is committed to creating an equitable and inclusive place to work, learn, and receive care. We actively recruit physicians, staff, and students from underrepresented minorities, and we strive to implement policies and procedures that value and support diverse backgrounds and experiences. MAHEC does not discriminate on the basis of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, spiritual practice, geography, disability, or age.
The didactics curriculum consists of addiction-related topics such as maintaining recovery; alcohol use disorder; opioid use disorder; hallucinogens; cannabis; stimulants; club drugs; complex withdrawal; gambling; behavioral addictions beyond gambling; and substance use disorders related to mood/anxiety, psychotics, PTSD, ACEs, adolescents, geriatrics, and women’s health. Fellows will also learn the history of addiction treatment, methods of harm reduction, issues of racial/social equity, ethical/legal issues, and how to care for an incarcerated patient.
Fellows are expected to participate in Tuesday afternoon didactics. Fellows will also participate in quality improvement projects and ongoing research projects.
Our outpatient psychiatry clinic, the Center for Psychiatry and Mental Wellness, is housed at UNC Health Sciences at MAHEC along with branch campuses of the UNC School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health program jointly conferred by UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and UNC Asheville.
Our fellowship program is located on the same campus with our dental, family medicine, transitional year, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pharmacy, psychiatry, and surgery residencies, which provides an optimal environment for cross-fertilization of ideas and collaboration.
Applicants must have satisfactorily completed a Psychiatry residency program, have DEA certification, and be eligible to obtain a license to practice medicine in North Carolina through the North Carolina Medical Board. Applicants with a J-1 visa will be considered, but must be ECFMG-sponsored.
Applicants will be required to submit:
Special laws and regulations apply to international medical graduates who wish to enter the United States to undertake graduate medical education. MAHEC's policies and procedures regarding graduates of international medical schools comply with federal and state laws and regulations and MAHEC's commitment to graduate medical education.
Graduates of medical schools outside the United States and Canada must have a currently valid certificate from ECFMG. Applicants must successfully pass both Step 1 (basic medical) and Step 2 (clinical knowledge and skills) of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).
While MAHEC does not sponsor a visa, the international medical graduate applicant must also possess a current/valid visa option or other status governed by the U.S. Immigration Regulations to participate in a GME program.
Finally, the North Carolina Medical Board requires that physicians who are graduates of schools that are not accredited by the LCME or the AOA (foreign medical schools) must be individually certified by ECFMG, have successfully completed at least three years of accredited graduate medical training, and have passed the USMLE or its equivalent to be eligible for application for full licensure. An international medical graduate must complete all other application requirements required by MAHEC and the GME program.
Questions regarding the international/foreign medical graduate process should be directed to the GME office at 828-257-4769 or gme@mahec.net.
Ben Vockery
Symone Simmons
Dustin Patil, MD
Blake Fagan, MD
Carriedelle Fusco, MSN, FNP-BC
Mark Mason, MD
Nathan Mullins, MD
Stephen Wyatt, DO