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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Massachusetts General Hospital and The Matthew Perry Foundation are creating a new fellowship in addiction medicine.
The fellowship focuses on training physicians who have completed an accredited residency program to become specialists in addiction medicine. This new program is one of just 105 available throughout the country and will allow take up to three candidates a year.
Dr. Sarah Wakeman, the program director of the MGH fellowship and senior medical director at Mass General Brigham said the fellowship will allow the next generation of physicians to hone in their skills.
“Continuing to silo addiction care outside the rest of medical care and marginalize addiction as a social problem outside of the domain of physicians will only exacerbate stigma and inequities and increase the deadly impact of this epidemic,” Wakeman said in a statement. “It is vitally important for the medical community to address substance use disorder using effective, holistic, wraparound services across medical settings.”
Throughout the year-long fellowship, fellows will train in various departments throughout MGH, including Mass General Brighams’s regional partnerships, to get the necessary skills to become expert clinicians and leaders in Addiction Medicine. Dr. Sarah Kler will be the program's first fellow. She was chosen from a poll of over 60 applicants and will begin the fellowship on June 30.
The Matthew Perry Foundation is funding the program, alongside the Health Resources & Services Program. The foundation was created after Perry's death from an overdose in 2024 and focuses on maximizing access to recovery for communities in need, prioritizing youth prevention and early intervention programs, and providing nonjudgmental support.
“Mass General will work in close collaboration with the Matthew Perry Foundation to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and, most importantly, offer hope to those of every age, background, and experience who are struggling with substance use disorder,” Dr. Wakeman said.
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