IRETA has hosted the Scaife Medical Student Fellowship in Substance Use Disorders for 25 years. This year, two cohorts of medical and pharmacy students experienced one week of virtual learning and two weeks of in-person learning in Pittsburgh. Both virtual and in-person sessions included educational lectures and experiences about substance use, addiction, and addiction.
Throughout the program, students attended lectures on a wide array of topics including:
- Substance use and adolescents
- SBIRT and Motivational Interviewing
- Personal stories of addiction and recovery
- Special populations in addiction treatment
- Harm reduction strategies
During their two weeks of in-person learning, students visited many sites for hands-on experiential education. These sites included:
- Pregnancy Recovery Center at Magee Womens Hospital
- POWER (Pennsylvania Organization for Women in Early Recovery)
- UPMC Mercy Detox
- Gateway Rehab
- Pittsburgh Recovery Center
Early in the program, each student picked a research topic related to substance use and its treatment. Students were required to write a literature review and prepare a presentation on the topic. Presentations were held at the University of Pittsburgh’s University Club on the final day of each session in June and July.
We want to thank our students for their hard work, our faculty and site locations for offering their expertise, and the Scaife Family Foundation for their generous support that makes the program possible.
The application period for the 2025 Fellowship will be open in January.
