How to Research Addiction Medicine Fellowship Programs: A Complete Guide

Choosing the right addiction medicine fellowship is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as you shape your early career. While the field is relatively small compared with many other subspecialties, the variation between programs is huge: some are heavily academic, some are community-based, some focus on public health, others on interventional or consult services, and many sit somewhere in between.

This guide walks you through how to research programs in addiction medicine in a systematic, efficient way—so you can identify which fellowships truly fit your goals and prepare an effective application strategy.

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Understanding the Landscape of Addiction Medicine Fellowships

Before you dive into program lists and spreadsheets, you need a clear picture of what addiction medicine fellowships actually offer and how they differ.

What Addiction Medicine Training Typically Includes

Most addiction medicine fellowship programs aim to prepare you to:

• Diagnose and manage substance use disorders (SUDs) across substances and across the lifespan
• Provide evidence-based pharmacologic treatments (e.g., buprenorphine, methadone, naltrexone, acamprosate)
• Integrate behavioral therapies and interdisciplinary care
• Navigate co-occurring psychiatric and medical conditions
• Work across levels of care (inpatient, outpatient, emergency, consult, residential)
• Understand harm reduction, public health, and systems-level approaches
• Engage in advocacy and policy work related to substance use

However, the degree of emphasis on each of these components differs widely by program.

Accreditation and Pathways: Where to Start

First, clarify the type of training you’re seeking:

• ACGME-accredited Addiction Medicine Fellowships

  • Typically one year
  • Open to multiple primary specialties (e.g., internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, emergency medicine, etc.)
  • Graduates are eligible for subspecialty certification via the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) or, in some cases, specialty-specific boards.

• Non-ACGME or Institution-based Fellowships

  • Sometimes called “clinical scholar” or “clinical research” fellowships
  • May offer focused experiences (e.g., public health, research, harm reduction, or specific populations)
  • Certification pathways may differ; some are supplemental to ACGME training.

When you begin your program research strategy, confirm whether you need:

• Strict board eligibility,
• A particular type of visa support,
• Or specific institutional prestige for your long-term goals (e.g., academic career vs. community leadership).

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Step 1: Clarify Your Professional Goals and Training Priorities

You can’t effectively evaluate programs until you’re clear on what you want from fellowship. This step is often skipped—but it’s foundational.

Define Your Short- and Long-Term Career Goals

Ask yourself:

• In 5–10 years, do I see myself primarily as:

  • A clinician in a community addiction treatment setting?
  • A hospital-based addiction consultant?
  • An academic clinician-educator?
  • A clinician-researcher?
  • A public health or policy leader?
  • A leader of integrated addiction services in a primary care or behavioral health system?

• Do I want a career:

  • With a heavy research component?
  • With a strong teaching and supervision role?
  • Focused on a specific population (e.g., adolescents, pregnant persons, justice-involved patients, unhoused populations, rural communities)?

Your answers should guide the type of substance abuse training you prioritize.

Identify Your “Must-Haves” vs “Nice-to-Haves”

Make two lists:

Must-Haves

• Example: ACGME accreditation and board eligibility
• Ability to sponsor J-1 or H-1B visas (if relevant)
• Strong clinical exposure to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD)
• Supervised experience with co-occurring psychiatric illness
• Reasonable call schedule; emphasis on wellness

Nice-to-Haves

• Opportunities to design and lead a quality improvement project
• Dedicated research or scholarly time
• Exposure to public health agencies or correctional systems
• Formal teaching roles for residents or medical students
• Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) or low-resource clinic settings
• Supplemental certificates (e.g., teaching, leadership, or research).

Write these down. You’ll use them as filters when evaluating residency programs and fellowships.

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Step 2: Build a Systematic Program Research Strategy

Most applicants underestimate how many hours it takes to thoroughly research addiction medicine fellowship programs. A structured approach makes this manageable and reduces stress.

Start with Authoritative Program Lists

Use centralized directories to identify potential programs:

• ACGME Program Search
  • Filter for Addiction Medicine to see accredited programs.
  • Verify accreditation status, sponsoring institution, and number of positions.
• Society of Addiction Medicine and Professional Organizations
  • American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) often lists training programs.
  • Specialty-specific societies (e.g., internal medicine, family medicine) may have addiction medicine training directories.
• Institutional Websites
  • Many large academic centers host addiction medicine fellowships that might not be obvious through broader search engines.

Create a master list in a spreadsheet with columns for:

• Program name
• Institution
• City/State
• Accreditation status
• Contact email
• Number of fellow positions
• Application platform (ERAS, email, other)
• Deadline
• Website link

This becomes your central dashboard as you continue researching.

Use a Tiered Review Process

To avoid overwhelm, adopt a three-pass approach:

First Pass: Quick Screen (5–10 minutes per program)

• Location: Geographic feasibility and lifestyle preferences
• Accreditation: ACGME or not, and relevance to your goals
• Basic scope: Adult vs. adolescent focus, academic vs. community, research-intense vs. primarily clinical
• Visa or eligibility criteria

Mark programs as:

• Green – Strong potential fit
• Yellow – Possible fit, needs deeper review
• Red – Unlikely fit (remove or park for now)

Second Pass: In-Depth Website Review (20–30 minutes per program) For Green and promising Yellow programs, systematically review:

• Curriculum and rotations
• Clinical sites
• Faculty interests
• Call schedule, clinic load
• Scholarly expectations
• Salary and benefits
• Program culture indicators (wellness, DEI statements, mentoring structure)

Third Pass: External Validation and Direct Contact

• Look up:
  • PubMed for faculty publications
  • Institutional news or local media about addiction services
• If the program still looks strong, plan to:
  • Attend virtual open houses or info sessions
  • Email program coordinators with targeted questions
  • Reach out to current or recent fellows (if contact is appropriate and available)

This structured program research strategy helps you move from a long list to a focused, realistic application list.

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Step 3: Deep Dive into Key Program Features

Once you have a shortlist, the real work begins: understanding the substance abuse training structure and day-to-day life in each program. Here’s what to evaluate in detail.

1. Clinical Breadth and Depth

You want exposure to a wide spectrum of addiction medicine settings and populations. Examine:

Settings Covered

• Inpatient consultation services (medical, surgical, ICU)
• Outpatient addiction clinics
• Primary care with integrated addiction services
• Emergency department consults/initiations of MOUD
• Residential treatment or rehab programs
• Detoxification units (inpatient or ambulatory)
• Harm reduction settings (e.g., syringe service programs, low-barrier clinics)

Populations Served

• Adults vs. adolescents
• Pregnant and parenting patients
• Individuals experiencing homelessness
• Justice-involved populations (e.g., jail/prison-based programs)
• Rural or frontier populations
• Patients with severe mental illness and co-occurring SUD

Procedures and Interventions

• Initiating and managing MOUD (buprenorphine, methadone via OTP partnerships, naltrexone)
• Management of alcohol use disorder (pharmacotherapy and detox protocols)
• Tobacco cessation treatment and counseling
• Management of stimulant use disorders
• Brief interventions and motivational interviewing
• Management of withdrawal in complex medical patients

Look for rotation schedules on websites. Do they show you spending most of the year in one clinic, or rotating widely? Do they specify longitudinal experiences (e.g., following a continuity panel of patients over time)?

2. Supervision, Teaching, and Educational Structure

You’re not just looking for high volume; you want high-quality teaching:

• Are there weekly didactics, journal clubs, case conferences, and interdisciplinary rounds?
• Is there a formal curriculum with:
  • ASAM Criteria, DSM-5 diagnosis, and current evidence?
  • Harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and cultural humility?
  • Regulatory and legal aspects (e.g., prescribing regulations, confidentiality laws)?
• Who supervises you?
  • Board-certified addiction medicine psychiatrists and internists?
  • Interdisciplinary faculty (social work, psychology, nursing, pharmacy)?

Review whether fellows teach:

• Medical students
• Residents from other specialties
• Interprofessional learners

If you want an academic career, programs that emphasize teaching skills and give you podium time are especially valuable.

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3. Research and Scholarly Opportunities

If you see yourself in academia, policy, or quality improvement leadership, review the research infrastructure carefully.

Ask:

• Is there protected research time during the fellowship? How much (hours/week or rotations)?
• What are faculty actively working on?
  • Clinical trials for SUD treatments?
  • Implementation science in MOUD expansion?
  • Public health initiatives, overdose prevention programs?
  • Health disparities and equity in addiction care?
• Are fellows expected to:
  • Complete at least one scholarly project?
  • Present at institutional or national meetings (e.g., ASAM, APA, ACP)?
  • Submit a manuscript or quality improvement report?

Search faculty names in PubMed or Google Scholar to understand their research focus and productivity. A strong match between your interests and a faculty member’s work is a major plus.

Even if you’re not research-oriented, programs with strong quality improvement and scholarship support can help you graduate with tangible accomplishments (posters, presentations, curriculum projects).

4. Program Culture and Support

Culture is harder to see from a website but crucial for your well-being.

Look for indicators of:

• Mentorship structure
  • Is there a formal advisor or mentor assignment?
  • Do fellows meet regularly with program leadership?
• Wellness and work-life balance
  • Reasonable duty hours and clear policies
  • Access to mental health support
  • Culture around time off and coverage
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
  • DEI statements that specify concrete initiatives
  • Faculty diversity and inclusive environment
  • Opportunities to work with underserved communities

When possible, during open houses or email exchanges, ask:

• “How does the program support fellows who are parents/caregivers?”
• “What does a typical week look like for a fellow?”
• “How approachable are faculty for feedback or career advice?”

5. Logistics: Location, Salary, and Future Opportunities

Practical realities matter:

• Location and Cost of Living

  • Is the city affordable on a fellow’s salary?
  • What’s transportation like (especially if you’ll rotate across multiple sites)?
  • Does the location align with your personal life (family, partner, support system)?

• Salary and Benefits

  • Fellow salary (PGY level, often PGY-4 or 5 equivalent)
  • Health insurance, retirement contributions
  • Conference funding or CME support
  • Parental leave policies
  • Moonlighting opportunities (and whether they’re realistic or restricted)

• Post-Fellowship Outcomes

  • Do websites list where recent graduates practice?
  • Are grads staying as faculty? Moving into community leadership? Joining national organizations?

When evaluating residency programs that you’re currently in or considering (if you’re not yet in fellowship), you can also think ahead: does your residency have strong addiction exposure or a pipeline into specific addiction medicine fellowships?

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Step 4: Gathering Insider Information and Comparing Programs

Once you’ve done your own research, the next step is to verify and enrich what you’ve learned.

Attend Info Sessions and Open Houses

Many addiction medicine fellowships now host:

• Virtual open houses
• Program-specific webinars
• Q&A sessions with current fellows and leadership

Prepare a shortlist of questions beforehand, such as:

• “How do fellows balance inpatient consults with continuity clinic?”
• “What are some common fellow-driven projects in recent years?”
• “How have graduates used this training in their careers?”

Take notes immediately after sessions; impressions fade quickly when you’re attending multiple events.

Reach Out to Current or Former Fellows

If the program offers contact with current or past fellows (or if you know someone through your networks), reach out respectfully:

• Introduce yourself briefly (name, current role, specialty).
• Mention how you found them and ask if they’d be open to a 15–20 minute conversation.
• Prepare targeted, respectful questions:
  • “What surprised you most about the program after you started?”
  • “How supportive is the program of individual interests (e.g., research, public health, specific populations)?”
  • “If you were choosing again, would you pick this program?”

Be professional and avoid asking:

• “Will I match there?” Instead, focus on fit and experience, not admissions decisions.

Use a Structured Comparison Tool

Create a comparison table or scoring rubric to standardize how to research residency programs and fellowships. Columns might include:

• Clinical breadth (1–5)
• Exposure to specific interests (e.g., perinatal, adolescent, justice-involved)
• Research and scholarly support
• Teaching opportunities
• Program culture/mentorship
• Location and cost of living
• Alignment with long-term goals

You can assign scores or simply use qualitative notes. The point is to compare apples to apples, not just rely on vague impressions.

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Step 5: Narrowing Your List and Planning Applications

After thorough research, you should be able to refine your application list and prepare strong, targeted materials.

Balance Reach, Match, and Safety Programs

Although addiction medicine is relatively small, there’s still a range of competitiveness. Use your program research to categorize:

• Reach Programs
  • Top-tier academic centers with intense research focus
  • Very popular urban or coastal locations
• Match/Target Programs
  • Solid clinical and teaching programs aligned with your interests
  • Competitive but realistic based on your CV
• Safety Programs
  • Programs in less popular locations or smaller institutions
  • Still strong training, but may receive fewer applications

Most applicants should apply to a mix across these categories. The exact number depends on your profile, but many apply to 8–20 programs.

Customize Your Application Strategy

Research pays off when your application clearly reflects what you’ve learned:

• In your personal statement, reference:
  • Specific aspects of addiction medicine that drive you (e.g., integrating SUD care in primary care, harm reduction, perinatal addiction).
  • Skills and experiences that match what programs emphasize.
• Adapt your messaging for different types of programs:
  • For research-heavy programs, highlight scholarly work and curiosity.
  • For community-focused programs, emphasize your commitment to underserved populations and systems-level change.
• Use your program knowledge in interviews:
  • Prepare thoughtful questions that show you’ve done your homework.
  • Connect your interests to existing program strengths (“I saw your faculty are involved in X; how do fellows typically participate in that work?”).

Thorough program research strategy doesn’t just help you pick programs—it helps programs see why you belong there.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. When should I start researching addiction medicine fellowship programs?

Ideally, begin seriously researching 12–18 months before you plan to start fellowship. For many residents, that means:

• Late PGY-2 or early PGY-3 (for 3-year residencies)
• Mid-residency for longer programs

Start by:

• Clarifying your career goals
• Exploring core addiction experiences in your current program
• Identifying mentors in addiction medicine, psychiatry, or related fields

By the time ERAS or other application systems open, you want a well-vetted list of programs.

2. How many addiction medicine fellowship programs should I apply to?

The number depends on your competitiveness, visa status, geographic constraints, and flexibility. Many applicants apply to 8–15 programs, though some apply to more if:

• They are geographically restricted to a small region
• They have academic or visa-related limitations

Use your program research strategy to ensure that every program on your list is:

• A place you’d be happy to train
• Aligned with at least some of your key goals (clinical, academic, or otherwise)

3. What if my current residency has limited addiction medicine exposure?

You’re not alone; many residencies still have minimal structured addiction training. To strengthen your application and help with how to research programs effectively:

• Seek out:
  • Electives in addiction medicine, psychiatry, or related clinics
  • Rotations at methadone clinics, FQHCs, or public health departments
• Engage in:
  • Quality improvement projects around screening, MOUD initiation, or overdose prevention
  • Scholarship related to substance use (case reports, posters, small studies)
• Find mentors in:
  • Psychiatry, primary care, emergency medicine, or public health with interest in SUD care
  • Regional addiction medicine leaders (sometimes via state or national societies)

Programs will appreciate your initiative, especially if you show you have done careful homework about their specific training environment.

4. How do I interpret limited or outdated information on a program’s website?

Some excellent programs have sparse web pages. When you find this:

1. Don’t immediately discard the program.
2. Email the program coordinator or director with:
   • A brief introduction and your interest in addiction medicine
   • A few specific questions (e.g., main training sites, typical fellow schedule, research opportunities)
3. Ask about:
   • Virtual open houses
   • Program brochures or slide decks
   • Whether you can speak with a current fellow

Your communication itself can demonstrate professionalism and sincere interest—qualities programs value.

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Systematic, thoughtful research transforms fellowship applications from a stressful guessing game into a strategic, informed process. By clarifying your goals, using a structured program research strategy, and deeply evaluating residency programs and fellowships in addiction medicine, you set yourself up not only to match, but to thrive in a training environment that truly fits who you are and the kind of addiction physician you want to become.