Introduction and Director’s Welcome

Rodney Eiger, MD
Director, Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program

Welcome to the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Website!!

The field of Addiction Psychiatry has seen a mushrooming of information regarding the neurochemical, physiological, psychological, and anatomical implications of various substance-related disorders. This has been accompanied by a more rigorous approach than had been used even a decade ago to finding answers to the question of which treatment modalities are effective in countering these disorders. New neurochemical, physiological, and anatomical insights have helped to point towards new pharmacological approaches to substance-related disorders or to provide rationales for older pharmacological treatments. These same insights are beginning to provide an underpinning for the verbal interventions used in the treatment of substance-related disorders---interventions which have also seen advances in the last ten years and which still remain essential to substance-related disorder treatment.

Given the widespread incidence of substance-related disorders and their staggering social costs, the development of the foregoing advances and the training of specialists in this area warrant a certain urgency. The current national opioid “epidemic” is but one example of a need for an urgent response. The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology recognizes that optimal care of the patient with a substance-related disorder requires specialized training in a field which incorporates the foregoing advances and insights. ABPN has designated Addiction Psychiatry as one of a limited number of psychiatric subspecialties for which subspecialty certification is available. 

Also, because of the urgent need for treatment of these disorders, individuals trained to care for this diverse but impaired population often find themselves having more options for practice than others less prepared. Psychiatrists, because of their expertise in the psychological and pharmacologic aspects of addiction are ideal for serving as administrative, research, and clinical leaders in confronting substance-related disorders.  Psychiatrists certified with Added Qualifications in Addiction Psychiatry are among the most sought after psychiatric specialists in the U.S., and employment opportunities are available in virtually all regions of the country.

The University of Illinois Chicago is pleased to offer a one-year clinical fellowship in Addiction Psychiatry for up to two qualified candidates per year. The rich variety of rotations and experiences offered in this Fellowship will prepare the trainee to practice in a variety of areas of Addiction Psychiatry. Also, it will enable the trainee to eventually take the examination for subspecialty certification in Addiction Psychiatry.  Testing for subspecialty certification in Addiction Psychiatry began in 1993.  Early on, board-certified psychiatrists who had worked extensively with addicted clients were permitted to take the subspecialty certification examination. Since 1998, however, only those who have completed a recognized Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship, such as that available at UIC, are eligible to sit for this examination.

Thanks for your interest in the UIC Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship. Please call or e-mail me with any questions.