Clinical observation and community engagement rotations

Goal

Learn about evidence-based pharmacological and behavioral treatments for substance use disorders and how addiction neuroscience research can lead to new and/or improved therapies.

Expectation

T32 trainees will work with MPI Dr. David Ledgerwood to develop an individualized plan to complete the clinical observation and community engagement rotation.

Evaluation

T32 trainees will draft a one-page summary of their observation and engagement activities, reflect on knowledge gained, and describe how those experiences will inform their future research.

Training locations

Tolan Park Research Clinic

WSU-based outpatient program that offers medications for opioid use disorder as well as psychotherapy.

Henry Ford Health System-based addiction treatment facility that offers 24-hour residential care, detoxification, medication-assisted treatment, individual and group therapy, and family support programs

Quality Behavioral Health

Private facility that offers residential care, detoxification, medication-assisted treatment, and outpatient therapy including self-help groups (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous)

Detroit Medical Center

Inpatient addiction medicine consultation service that offers supervised detoxification and rapid medication induction treatment

WSU Infectious Diseases Clinic

WSU-based outpatient program treats patients with infectious diseases (e.g., HIV, HCV) which often co-occur with substance use disorders.

During your clinical observation, you may:

Shadow clinicians and train in clinical interviews, assessments, and patient intakes

Participate in clinical research activities with patients in recovery

Engage individuals with lived experience in round-table discussions about addiction

Engage the community via:

Drug policy/advocacy

Volunteer with Science Policy Network-Detroit (SciPol) to write policy briefs, op-eds for local media outlets, or organize community-based panel discussions.

Community medicine

Volunteer with Detroit vs. Addiction and engage in harm reduction practices in the local community (e.g., distribution of naloxone kits).

Youth education

Engage Detroit high school students in discussions about neuroscience, drug use, and addiction while providing ‘hands-on’ demonstrations of neuroanatomy using human brains.