Mission, Vision, & Values

The Yale Program in Addiction Medicine works to expand access to and improve the effectiveness of prevention, treatment, and harm reduction services for people with unhealthy substance use and those with addiction. Our program operates across four key pillars: Clinical Practice, Research, Education, and Policy.

We are striving toward high-quality, evidence-based diagnosis, treatment, and prevention services that are accessible to all adversely impacted by substance use and addiction. We envision a future in which the patient-centered, destigmatizing care we practice is the norm everywhere, in which academic medical centers like ours work hand-in-hand with government, community-based service providers, people who use substances, and their loved ones, to chart the course. Key goals supporting this vision include:

• “No wrong door” - Expand access to assessment and treatment, including low-barrier addiction services, to meet people wherever they present.

Every point of care presents an opportunity for assessment and linkage to treatment and/or supportive services. In order to effectively reach people, including those most medically marginalized or vulnerable, the Yale Program in Addiction Medicine is invested in expanding access to addiction services in general medical settings such as hospitals, emergency departments, outpatient offices and primary care clinics; integrating addiction treatment into specialty settings such as HIV, pain, women’s health, hepatology and nephrology clinics; and, exploring innovative models of care including mobile and street-based medicine for urban and rural populations.

• Advance understanding and de-stigmatization of substance use and addiction, as well as implementation of evidence-based, high-quality interventions.

In healthcare settings, and in society generally, understanding of and attitudes toward substance use and addiction vary substantially, resulting in disparities in patient health outcomes and experience. The Yale Program in Addiction Medicine is committed to dispelling harmful myths and biases about addiction, combating stigma associated with substance use and advancing the appropriate use of evidence-based pharmacologic and behavioral interventions. This commitment starts with but is not limited to a focus on the use of non-stigmatizing, person-first and medically accurate language, and is woven into all facets of our work.

• Prepare a diverse and multidisciplinary addiction workforce with the tools to meet and engage patients at all points along the care continuum.

Substance use and addiction affects everyone, and diversity and representation in academic Addiction Medicine is vital. The field currently lacks equitable racial, ethnic, and cultural representation. In addition, substance use and substance use disorders are multidimensional, demanding an interdisciplinary approach than extends beyond the medical and allied health disciplines to include policy; law; social science, and most importantly the perspectives and partnership of impacted communities. The Yale Program in Addiction Medicine seeks to advance equitable representation and interdisciplinary collaboration in addiction medicine, in partnership with the communities we serve, to address the biological, psychological, cultural, social, legal, and structural aspects of unhealthy substance use and addiction.

The Yale Program in Addiction Medicine’s core values are Excellence, Innovation, Compassion, and Partnership.

Excellence

• Built on over 30 years of pioneering research and evidence-based practice, our program is dedicated to excellence in all we do to care for our patients and improve the health and lives of people with unhealthy substance use and addiction.

• Our faculty and staff, hailing from across Yale University – from the schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health to the schools of Law, Management, and the College – reflect a strong tradition of interdisciplinary collaboration in pursuit of life-saving innovations. We are committed to the cutting edge and the diverse perspectives that will get us there.

• Unhealthy substance use and addiction are treatable conditions influenced by biological as well as structural and social factors. We meet our patients where they are and work alongside them to achieve their goals. Compassion is at the core of our treatment, prevention, and harm reduction work, and a primary driver of our policy and advocacy efforts.

• We proudly work with diverse stakeholders spanning government, professional associations, community-based organizations, advocacy groups, and other academic institutions, to grow our impact, strengthen the quality of our work and ensure fidelity to the needs of people with unhealthy substance use and addiction. We are invested in partnership, representation, and community engagement every step of the way.