Closing Blog on ATHP Research Initiative – Part 8 of 8

Since its establishment, ATHP has become a leader in providing Addiction Medicine education globally (APTP Summary Report, 2021). The program has led the way in generating research that supports and guides the use of Addiction Medicine education. Additionally, ATHP has had registrants for its courses from every country and has been able to reach and train learners globally. The program has achieved a number of significant successes and milestones over the last 17 years. These include establishing and developing high-quality programs and courses, nominations for external awards, funding to continue work in Addiction Medicine, invitations to present our research to some of the most prestigious organizations, and presentations at major conferences. Itemized below are some of ATHP’s key achievements in its Addiction Medicine educational pursuits and interventions:

• ATHP has had registered learners from 77 U.S. medical schools and more than 300 universities globally — and in every country. These courses include a range of clinical courses, public health courses, community health courses, professional development courses, Master’s in Public Health courses, Concentration in Substance Use Disorders, Mental Health, and Equity in Health and Healthcare, and nursing courses. 
• Dozens of courses with either an Addiction Medicine focus or Addiction Medicine threading are offered to physicians, public health workers, community health workers, and others in the areas of medicine, public health, and counseling. These courses create entire curricula, which are used as degree programs by our partners. Multiple ATHP-related training programs, primarily for physicians and occasionally for other health workers, have been established within Medical Schools and Health Science Centers with university partners in the U.S. and internationally. 
• Dr. Frank, ATHP’s former Research Director and current Volunteer Research Advisor, has received multiple awards related to this work. These awards include the American Medical Association’s National 2006 Paul Ambrose Award for Leadership Among Resident Physicians, the American College of Preventive Medicine’s Best Resident Award (2001, 2007), the Rising Star Award (2003, 2005, 2006), the Best Scientific Poster (2008), the Michael Smith Foundation Senior Scholar Award (5-year funding and establishment award) and Senior Scholar designation (2006-2011), the Director’s Group Award, National Cancer Institute, NIH, for work on physician health/tobacco addiction (2012), the Distinguished Service Award (sole national recipient), American College of Preventive Medicine (2012), and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award (sole national recipient, first year the award was offered), American College of Preventive Medicine, 2015, to name a few. 
• Publication of more than 50 peer-reviewed papers related to our educational intervention research in the world’s leading journals, yielding some 9,708 citations for the program’s former Research Director, Dr. Erica Frank, specifically for her health education research and physician health.
• Millions in additional funding from organizations such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and Grand Challenges have been acquired for Addiction Medicine-related educational interventions and research resulting in 17 courses spanning medicine, public health, and community health either directly addressing substance use disorders or containing significant integrated addiction education components.  

• Dozens of university-sanctioned, full-time, months/years-long ATHP research trainees have assisted with ATHP course creation or co-authored ATHP literature.

• ATHP’s most significant research output, a novel educational approach, the “Healthy Doc = Healthy Patient” principle, demonstrated a strong and consistent relationship between patients’ substance use and other health practices, and those of their patients. This principle has been demonstrated in more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, and has had uptake from distinguished individual medical institutions (e.g., Harvard, Stanford, and the American, British, and Canadian Medical Associations), and even the World Medical Association.
• Former Research Director, Dr. Erica Frank, has been frequently invited by the CDC, the WHO, the World Bank, and others to present her ATHP educational research.
• Major presentations have been made on this Addiction Medicine education and educational research work at multitudinous venues, including the American, British, and Canadian Medical Associations, the American Public Health Association, and the UN Commission on the Status of Women, especially around the efficiency of Addiction Medicine education for both online education and education through the Healthy Doc = Healthy Patient principle.
• Physician education regarding substance use issues has been discussed by ATHP’s Dr. Frank in multiple international television and radio appearances, written editorials, and given as quotes in print with Agence France Presse, Associated Press, BBC, CBC, CNN, Later Today Show, National Press Club, New York Times, Reuters, USA Today, and others.