Stanford Medical School Takes Lead in Teaching Addiction Medicine

While most medical schools devote little time to teaching addiction medicine, Stanford is leading the way in taking a new approach, NPR reports.

Stanford has announced addiction lectures will no longer be part of a psychiatry series, but will become a separate unit for doctors in all subspecialties. Training in addiction medicine will continue when students have clinical rotations.

As part of the school’s effort to reduce doctors’ reliance on prescribing opioids for pain, Stanford professor Dr. Anna Lembke is working with fellow faculty members to offer a lecture series on alternative treatments, such as acupuncture and massage.