Dr. Diana Ngyuen is a second-year Psychiatry resident at the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine in San Antonio, TX with a specific interest in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She is also in the process of being trained to become an Asylum Evaluator through the Evaluation Alliance for Human Rights. Dr. Ngyuen related that in her clinical experience she is extensively exposed to patients presenting with addiction and substance use disorders, and said that many of the children and adolescents she treated had “concurrent substance use.”
She continued to iterate that even though she was trained alongside her colleagues in some areas of substance use, there was “still a great deficit in our knowledge of the disorder and treatment.” Because of this, Dr. Ngyuen has a strong desire to contribute to expanding knowledge in the substance use and addiction field. Through her collaboration with the Addiction Training for Health Professionals (ATHP) program, as a fellow, Dr. Ngyuen assists in creating and reviewing case studies that aim to help students apply and concretize the theoretical information they learn during the addiction courses provided by the NextGenU.org educational platform.
While she acknowledges that the “detriments of addiction and substance use spread through all aspects of an individual’s life,” Dr. Ngyuen shares her view that “ it (addiction) is the primary source of many health or mental issues that an individual may suffer from.” She goes on to say that in her experience, “addiction and substance use is not as often addressed as it should be, both in discussing this topic with the patient as well as treatment.”
By working with the ATHP, Dr. Ngyuen hopes to help increase the chances of patient success in treating substance use disorders, and she aspires to contribute to educating healthcare providers about addiction and substance use. She believes that “Knowledge is power” and “reducing the hesitation and barriers against addiction and mental health will increase the comfort felt when introducing these topics to patients.” Dr. Diana Ngyuen firmly supports the mission of ATHP to encourage education on addiction and substance use disorders, and she looks forward to playing her part in improving public health.
Alixandria Ali, BSc
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