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Voluntary Faculty

Voluntary faculty are typically clinicians or others who are employed outside of the School but make significant contributions to department programs at the medical center or at affiliate institutions.

Voluntary rank details

Julio Nunes, MD

Clinical Instructor
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About

A common misconception is that buprenorphine and methadone just replace one addiction with another. The problem is the old goal of abstinence from all substances. If instead the goal is well-being, reconnecting with family, working, parenting, avoiding arrest, then what matters are outcomes. And the outcomes are clear: these medications should be offered to every patient who needs them.

Julio Nunes, from interview with Health Journalist Emma Yasinski ("The Road Back")

Biography

Julio C. Nunes, MD is a research-track Psychiatry Resident at Yale University and Chief Resident of Outpatient and Addiction Services at the West Haven VA. His work focuses on addiction, chronic pain, and health disparities, with an emphasis on translating research into patient-centered policy, advocacy, and practice. He is a Laughlin Fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists and a Leadership Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

As a member of Yale’s Pain and Addiction Interaction Neurosciences (PAIN) Laboratory and a former research fellow at the Stanford Center for Clinical Research, Dr. Nunes has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, chapters, and commentaries. His scholarship has been recognized by the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the American Society of Hispanic Psychiatry.

Nunes also serves on the board of Doctors for Drug Policy Reform and recently partnered with U.S. Senator Edward Markey’s office on the dissemination of the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act, legislation aimed at expanding access to methadone through community pharmacies.

Education is another core commitment. Dr. Nunes is a recurrent lecturer at the Yale School of Medicine, has led national workshops on addiction and chronic pain, and received Yale Psychiatry’s Resident Teaching Award as a PGY-1.

Originally from Brazil and Mexico, he brings a global perspective to questions of access and equity in mental health and addiction treatment. Across his clinical work, research, teaching, and advocacy, his goal is to make addiction care more equitable, compassionate, and accessible.

Last Updated on August 20, 2025.

Departments & Organizations

  • Pain and Addiction Interaction Neurosciences (PAIN) Lab

Education & Training

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Stanford University, Center for Clinical Research (2022)
MD
Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, School of Medicine and Surgery (2020)

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

Featured

  • honor

    Laughlin Fellowship

    08/20/2025National AwardAmerican College of Psychiatrists (ACP)
  • honor

    Leadership Fellowship

    05/07/2024National AwardAmerican Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF)
  • honor

    Don Quixote Award - Critical Research Issues in Latinx Mental Health

    03/13/2025National AwardAmerican Society of Hispanic Psychiatry (ASHP)
  • honor

    Resident Teaching Award

    06/15/2023Yale School of Medicine AwardYale School of Medicine - Department of Psychiatry
View full list of achievements

Activities

  • activity

    American Psychiatric Association

    05/01/2024 - PresentProfessional OrganizationsFellow
  • activity

    College on Problems of Drug Dependence

    06/01/2024 - PresentProfessional OrganizationsMember
  • activity

    American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry

    10/01/2023 - PresentProfessional OrganizationsMember
  • activity

    Doctors for Drug Policy Reform

    06/15/2025 - PresentAdvisory BoardsBoard of Directors

Honors

  • honor

    Travel Award for Early Career Investigators

    06/01/2025National AwardCollege on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD)
  • honor

    John Renner Travel Award

    08/17/2023National AwardAmerican Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP)
  • honor

    Diversity Scholars Travel Award

    07/19/2023National AwardNational Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
  • honor

    Postdoctoral Champion of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

    10/01/2021Other AwardStanford University - Office of Postdoctoral Affairs

Research

Overview

Medical Research Interests

Analgesics, Opioid; Chronic Pain; Opioid Epidemic

Public Health Interests

Substance Use, Addiction

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Julio Nunes's published research.

Publications

Featured Publications

See All Publications

Teaching & Mentoring

Teaching

  • Didactic

    Assessment of Pain in Persons with Opioid Use Disorder

    LecturerLecture Setting

Get In Touch

Contacts

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