Didactics

Research, Education and Scholarly Learning 2025-2026

Fellows learn core principles of scientific inquiry and research design. They develop skills in evidence-based patient care and effective communication of treatment options. Training emphasizes asking meaningful clinical questions, using evidence to inform diagnosis and treatment, and understanding the strengths and limits of medical literature. Fellows are guided in publishing or presenting scholarly work and are mentored in teaching methods.

Opportunities include:

• Research in basic, translational, educational, clinical, or population health
• Peer-reviewed grants
• Quality improvement and patient safety projects
• Publications (systematic reviews, meta-analyses, reviews, textbook chapters, case reports, PubMed-indexed articles)
• Conference presentations (abstracts, posters, talks)
• Development of curricula, assessment tools, and educational materials
• Service on professional committees, educational organizations, or editorial boards
• A structured didactic curriculum addresses addiction medicine competencies. Fellows participate in weekly longitudinal learning, including lectures, small-group sessions, and mentored self-directed study.

Faculty Role

• Faculty serve as mentors, teachers, and supervisors.
• Lead clinical discussions, rounds, journal clubs, and conferences
• Co-lecture with fellows as content experts
• Attend didactic sessions
• Supervise fellows at clinical sites
• Match fellows with mentors aligned to their specialty
• Assess fellows’ clinical skills and receive annual engagement evaluations.

2-Week Rotation: LEARNING

AM and PM | 2 weeks | Attend Continuity Clinic, Wed PM didactics 

Scholarly Work 1 (ASAM Poster/QI) 

Scholarly Work 1 (Gambling/QI)

PLUS 

Longitudinal Learning Fellows rotate at multiple sites during a given month. Didactics, conferences, Journal Clubs, grand rounds, and other activities will be entered in MedHub under the specific category. 

Weekly Didactics

• Windy City Journal Club 
  • First Wednesday of Every Month | facilitated by Dr. Chien
  • Begins 8/6 /2025, Dr. Chien’s House for BBQ
• 2025-2026 ACAAM National Didactics
  • Wednesdays 1-3 pm begins 7/9/ 2025 | ends 5/14/2025 | end attendance attestations to Lora
• The Woman's Board Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Grand Rounds 
  • Thursdays from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. (CST) via WebEx webinar. Sept-June
  • Fellows present one grand rounds every year  

Addiction Medicine Bootcamp 

• Facilitated by Dr. Elisabeth Poorman Fridays | Zoom from 12-1 pm  
  • Links to background reading/listening prep

Conferences

• Rush Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Patient Safety and Quality Case Conference
  • 4th Wednesday of the month
  • Fellows join and participate in at least one event each year that involves addiction issues
     

• 9/15-9/16/2025:|Addiction Medicine Advocacy Conference (AMAC)
  Washington, DC | in-person |  Phoenix Park Hotel, Washington, DC 

  • Join ASAM members from across the country for this two-day in-person advocacy event in Washington, DC. On the first day, attendees will receive training from expert advocacy professionals on the issues most important to the practice of addiction medicine and help shape ASAM's policy priorities in 2025. On the second day, attendees will participate in carefully planned meetings on Capitol Hill with policymakers and their staff to advance an ambitious policy agenda designed to support addiction treatment professionals as they treat patients and save lives. 

  • ASAM Members interested in advancing addiction policy and able to participate in activities through the end of the day on Tuesday, September 16 (Hill meetings may take place as late as 5:30 pm). Capacity is limited to 95 attendees, so please only register if you can commit to the entire event.

  • Dr. Fitzgerald is attending the conference as the vice chair of ASAM's Legislative and Public Policy Committee.  Last year, our fellow Dr. Reese attended the conference with the help of a scholarship. 
     

• 9/18-9/20/2025 Women in Medicine Summit | WIM Summit* 
  Chicago, IL 

  • The Women in Medicine Summit is a dynamic three-day CME event dedicated to empowering attendees in their personal and professional pursuits. Through engaging keynote addresses, informative plenary sessions, interactive breakout sessions, invaluable mentorship opportunities, and enriching networking experiences, the Summit offers a comprehensive program. Dr. Ruchi Fitzgerald is a speaker on this year's panel.  www.womeninmedicinesummit.org

     

• 9/25-9/26/2025  2025 ASAM Region VI Conference 
  Hosted by WISAM *| Hyatt Regency Milwaukee | Milwaukee, WI  
  Wisconsin Society of Addiction Medicine - 2025 Annual Conference  
  Oshkosh Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center 

  • This educational conference is designed for professionals across disciplines who work in addiction treatment and prevention, including physicians, PAs, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, social workers, mental health and substance abuse counselors, recovery coaches, law enforcement, public health workers. This year's conference will be themed "One Region, One Mission: Integrating Medical and Psychosocial Approaches to Addiction.

   

• 11/13-11/15/2025| AMERSA 48th ANNUAL CONFERENCE *| AMERSA 2025 Conference 

  • AMERSA’s 49th Annual Conference will take place over three full days in Portland, OR, with exciting pre-conference activities on November 12. Visit AMERSA’s website for full conference details. 

   

• 04/23/2026 - 04/26/2026 The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)  2026 57th Annual Conference - Innovations in Addiction Medicine and Science
  San Diego, CA - Manchester Grand Hyatt 

  • Activity:  attend and present at the meeting (NOTE: attendance & travel expenses are contingent upon fellows presenting an abstract (poster/oral presentation) for submission or receiving a Ruth Fox Scholarship)

  • Expectation: Submission deadlines in October and January. 

1. The Fellow identifies a project, selects a faculty mentor,  and prepares an abstract. 

2. Request approval from faculty mentor.

3. Continue working with the faculty mentor toward the second round of the approval process in January. 

Scholarly And Learning Opportunities 

• ADePT Practice Pretest and Posttest: You will be given scheduled times to complete the pre- and post-tests, which are evidence-based, referenced cognitive assessment tools that include 187 questions addressing all 17 core content areas of the American Board of Preventive Medicine Addiction Medicine examination. Correct and incorrect answers are provided upon completion of the practice test, regardless of the passing rate. 
• ACAAM Q Bank* comprised of the same 187 questions as the ADePT test-- after answering each question, there is a short blurb (about 1-3 sentences) explaining which answer is correct and why (though the explanations are variable, and some are limited) ($209 for ACAAM members for a 1-yr subscription)
• ASAM Ruth Fox Scholarship | 8/1/2025 application deadline
  • Activity: Begin application 7/1/2025
  • Expectation: Complete the application and submit it. 
  • I. Curriculum Vitae 
  • II. Letter of Recommendation from the Program Director on RUSH letterhead.
  • III. Answer up to 10 short questions regarding your interest in addiction medicine.
  • The scholarship covers travel and registration for the ASAM meeting, provides complimentary three-year ASAM membership, offers exclusive discounts on live and online ASAM courses and published texts, and promotes networking opportunities. There is a limited number of scholarship members. All RUSH fellows have received the scholarship. Ruth Fox Scholarship Recipients
• ACAAM Fellow Lightning Rounds |   5/27/2026 1-3 pm 
  • Activity: ACAAM Lightning Round Presentation for National Meeting | virtual
  • 5-minute/5-slide oral presentations on a topic of your choice 
  • Expectation: Identify a mentor; propose& receive faculty approval; develop and submit five slides for a 5-minute presentation by 3/17/2026| ACAAM Fellow Member Lightning Round Call for Submissions  | rehearse several times with faculty members|  View past RUSH fellow lightning rounds on the ACAAM site. 

• “Behavioral Addictions: Beyond Gambling”   ACAAM National Addiction Medicine Didactic Curriculum | 2/11/2026 1-3 pm CST Activity:  Session presented by RUSH fellows | co-hosted by Dr. Basch et al. Expectation: Develop an understanding of behavioral addictions; update 2025 PPT; rehearse presentation with several faculty members several times; submit faculty-approved PPT by 2/1/2026 submission deadline on  ACAAM PowerPoint Template |more instructions from Dawn Levreau on email, also see Presenter Responsibilities 

   

E-Learning and Podcasts*

• ASAM e-Learning 
  Go to ASAM eLearning Center| make an account (free)|keep track of your certificates.
• ASAM Practice Pearls Podcast Series
• ASAM Clinical Tips 
• Addiction Medicine: Beyond the Abstract. 
• The Treat Addiction Save Lives Podcast
• ASAM eLearning: Advanced Buprenorphine Education: Best Practices and Emerging Evidence in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
• ASAM eLearning: Advanced Buprenorphine Education: Interactive Patient Cases
• ASAM eLearning: Stimulants
• ASAM Motivational Interviewing Mini Courses 
• Curbsiders Addiction Medicine Podcast. This series features leading voices in addiction medicine, offering practice-changing knowledge to support clinicians, trainees, and, in particular, incoming fellows in addiction medicine. The podcast brings expert interviews that break down complex addiction topics, tackle stigma, and provide actionable strategies for integrating evidence-based treatment and harm reduction into everyday practice.
• Health Talks podcast from the Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA), featuring Dr. Ruchi Fitzgerald, ISAM secretary. In this episode, Dr. Fitzgerald provides valuable insights into the use of long-acting injectables and other evidence-based treatments for opioid use disorder. This discussion offers practical and timely information for anyone involved in the care of individuals with substance use disorders. 
• PCSS's Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder Course Online Course  PCSS-MAUD Learning: Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder Course (gocadmium.com)
• CO*RE REMS Striking A Balance: Podcast Series (2.25 Credits) (less of a priority)
• CARLE Conferences
  Instructions for Account Setup: 1. Go to https://cmetracker.net/CARLE  2. Select “Sign In” from the upper right-hand corner  3. Type in your preferred email address and select “Create Account 4. You will receive an email code (sent to your email address) that you will need to enter in the fields and then select “Submit 5. Fill in all mandatory* fields and select “Save Profile” 6. You are all set and can now view, register for activities, claim credits, and certificates! For help or questions, please contact Continuing.Education@carle.com.

* Optional