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Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship

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Welcome to MAHEC's 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, MD Susan Whitley, MD
Director, Psychiatry Residency Program
Director, Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship



Contact

Ben Vockery Ben Vockery
Program Administrator
email addictionpsychfellow@mahec.net

Symone Simmons Symone Simmons
Program Coordinator
email addictionpsychfellow@mahec.net


Our Culture & Values

  • Excellence: We are committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-informed services and activities that meet the evolving needs of our communities and partners.
  • Belonging: We actively foster environments where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.
  • Integrity: We lead with transparency, fairness, and a strong ethical foundation in all our decisions and actions.
  • Collaboration: We embrace partnerships across professions and communities to drive collective impact.
  • Innovation and Growth: We remain agile and forward-thinking, continuously improving through learning, creativity, and responsiveness.
  • Civility: We uphold a culture of mutual respect, empathy, and professionalism in all interactions.
  • Empowerment Through Accountability: We cultivate ownership, engagement, and shared responsibility in fulfilling MAHEC’s mission and stewarding its resources.

Our Commitment

MAHEC is committed to inspiring and equipping the next generation of healthcare professionals and expanding access to care for all. Our vision is to create a healthier community in Western North Carolina and beyond.

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.

PGY5 Fellows will rotate through the following sites:
  • One block at MAHEC’s FM Clinic seeing OBOT patients
  • One block (longitudinal) at MAHEC Psychiatry’s outpatient psych clinic
  • One block at the Sweeten Creek inpatient adult psychiatry unit
  • Two blocks at Mission Hospital doing addiction consults
  • Two blocks at the VAMC seeing pain management and addiction consults
  • Two blocks at JFK ADATC seeing patients for both detox and addiction rehab
  • One block at the Asheville Behavioral Health Group (BHG) OTP/Methadone clinic
  • One block at October Road for addiction group therapy
  • One block for an elective

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.


Faculty

Fellows

Application Requirements

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:

  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Personal statement
  • Three letters of recommendation
    • One should be from a residency program director
    • Two should be from psychiatrists
  • Medical school transcripts
  • Current licensure information
If you are interested in applying to our program, please submit your application online via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Questions regarding the application process should be directed to addictionpsychfellow@mahec.net.

VISA Sponsorship

MAHEC does not directly sponsor residents or fellows that need a J-1 Sponsorship VISA. Non-U.S. citizen applicants needing visa sponsorship must secure this directory from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). The ECFMG is authorized by the U.S. Department of State to sponsor foreign national physicians for the J-1 Exchange Visitor visa for the purpose of participating in U.S. programs of graduate medical education or training. ECFMG is designated by the U.S. Department of State as a BridgeUSA sponsor for J-1 exchange visitor physicians enrolled in accredited programs of graduate medical education or training, or advanced research programs (involving primarily observation, consultation, teaching, or research). Although many universities and research institutions in the United States are authorized to sponsor exchange visitors as research scholars, ECFMG is the sole sponsor of J-1 physicians in clinical training programs.

Questions regarding VISA Sponsorship should be directed to the GME office at 828-232-2946 or gme@mahec.net.

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