Greater Los Angeles, CA
Greater Los Angeles, CA
Program Description
The purpose of the Interdisciplinary Advanced Fellowship in Addiction Treatment (IAFAT) at Greater Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (GLA VA) is three-fold:
- Train the next generation of leaders in the field of addiction science to develop and deliver care for Veterans;
- Promote the implementation and delivery of high-quality clinical care spanning prevention, treatment, and recovery services for veterans with SUDs and MHDs, including Veterans at high risk of overdose; and
- Provide advanced and specialized education in SUDs to facilitate professional development, leadership skills, scholarly work and innovation in the field of addiction to better serve veterans with SUDs.
Research Opportunities
Upon matching with the GLA IAFAT program, fellows will be asked to consider their desired areas of scholarly focus, provided with a dossier of potential research mentors with active SUD-focused research and quality improvement initiatives at our facility, and supported in establishing a collaborative relationship with mentors towards the development and execution of successful scholarly projects.
- The VISN 22 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) [link], focuses on serious mental illness (SMI), including the intersection of SMI with substance use disorders
- The VA Health Services Research Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy (CSHIIP) [link] focuses on innovative care models to improve outcomes for high-risk/high-need Veterans, including those dealing with substance use disorders, and 3.
- The UCLA/VA Center of Excellence for Veteran Resilience and Recovery [link], whose mission is to improve the health and social outcomes of Veterans who are homeless and have complex needs, including substance use disorders.
- The UCLA National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network Greater Southern California Node conducts studies of behavioral and pharmacological SUD treatment interventions of therapeutic effect in rigorous, multi-site clinical trials to determine effectiveness across a broad range of community-based treatment settings and patient populations [link]
Clinical Opportunities
GLA IAFAT fellows’ core clinical experience occurs at our specialty outpatient substance use disorder (SUD) clinics, where they have the opportunity to contribute to a multidisciplinary team that includes peers, nurses, clinical social workers, pharmacists, addiction therapists, psychologists, addiction psychiatrists, and addiction medicine physicians. The SUD clinics offer a full continuum of evidence-based outpatient
addiction services including peer support, contingency management, behavioral treatment groups (such as Matrix-model intensive outpatient, motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy, seeking safety, mindfulness, and DBT skills), office-based mental health and substance use disorder medication treatment (including long-acting injectable buprenorphine and naltrexone), methadone maintenance treatment through a federally certified opioid treatment program, and nurse care management. Training at these sites will include the opportunity to staff with faculty supervisors who are national trainers in evidence-based practices such as CBT-SUD, and medications for opioid use disorder. Training will also include participation in a multidisciplinary, weekly, clinical didactic series focused on core competencies in SUD treatment.
- The West Los Angeles Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program, a 200 bed residential treatment program with 120 beds dedicated to SUD-focused treatment goals including medical withdrawal management. The program is staffed by a multidisciplinary team including peers, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and physicians.
- The West Los Angeles VA Hospital Addiction Consult Service, which is staffed by addiction psychiatry fellows supervised by VA addiction psychiatry/medicine faculty. The service sees hospitalized Veterans for recommendations on the management of withdrawal, medications for addiction treatment, and post-discharge coordination with outpatient SUD services.
- The West Los Angeles VA Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Services Chronic Pain Clinic, a fast-paced interdisciplinary outpatient team (Physical Medicine, Neurology, Nursing, Pharmacy, Psychiatry, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy) serving Veterans with chronic and complicated pain problems, along with comorbid mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression and substance use. Fellows will have the opportunity to see Veterans and staff with faculty supervisors who are national trainers in CBT for Chronic Pain evidence-based practices, and may pursue an equivalency EBP certification.
- Primary Care Mental Health Integration SUD Specialty Clinic: psychology trainees will have the opportunity to see patients with SUD issues identified in the primary care clinic, staff with faculty supervisors who are national trainers in CBT-SUD evidence-based practices, and may pursue an equivalency EBP certification
- West Los Angeles Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease Clinic: a multidisciplinary clinic staffed by GI fellows, hepatologists, and clinical pharmacists, with an established role for a trainee to offer complementary MI/MET, evaluation, psychotherapy, and treatment care coordination.
Focal Areas
GLA fellows have the opportunity to participate in diverse SUD-focused scholarly projects across the GLA-UCLA ecosystem. Mentorship is particularly strong in the areas of clinical trials (e.g. CTN-0102 rural MOUD study with the UCLA NIDA –CTN-affiliated investigator Dr. Larissa Mooney [link]), quality improvement and implementation science (e.g. AUD-focused research with CSHIIP affiliated investigator Dr. Arpan Patel [link], OUD-focused research with MIRECC and CSHIIP affiliated investigator Dr. Sonya Gabrielian [link], various SUD-focused quality improvement opportunities with GLA’s Mental Health Chief of Quality Dr. Pushpa Raja [link], Stimulant Use Disorder opportunities with Dr. Michael Hsu [link]), and behavioral intervention research for SUD with UCLA-affiliated investigator Dr. Kate Wolitzky-Taylor [link].
Potential Mentors
In addition to opportunities to work with mentors from the GLA MIRECC, GLA CSHIIP, UCLA/VA Center of Excellence, and UCLA NIDA-CTN, a selected list of whom is provided above, our program can work with trainees to develop a scholarly mentorship relationship with other investigators within our outside the VA/UCLA ecosystem, such as mentors working within the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, or community-based settings in Los Angeles County. A link to our current dossier of potential mentors is available [here].
Application Process
Program eligibility
- MD/DO postgraduates who have or will be eligible for board certification in a primary medical specialty (e.g. internal medicine, family medicine, psychiatry). Applicants may, but need not, have also completed a secondary specialization (e.g. in a clinical addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry fellowship)
- Psychology graduates who have or will be completing all PhD/PsyD diploma requirements including a clinical psychology internship
- Clinical pharmacy specialists (CPPs) who have or will be completing all requirements towards a mental health pharmacy residency
To apply, please send a CV with references and statement of interest to the program directors [link]
Director Bios and Headshots
Larissa Mooney, MD
Larissa Mooney, MD, FASAM, DFAPA, DFAAAP is an addiction psychiatrist at the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Deputy Chief of the GLA SUD Subdivision, Director for GLA’s Interprofessional Advanced Fellowship in Addiction Treatment, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at UCLA, and Co-Director/MPI of the Greater Southern California Node of the NIDA Clinical Trials Network. Dr. Mooney’s research focuses on clinical trials of treatment interventions for substance use disorders, including opioid, stimulant and cannabis use disorders.
Katherine Bailey, PhD
Katherine Bailey, PhD is a clinical psychologist at the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Chief of the GLA SUD Subdivision, Co-Director for GLA’s Interprofessional Advanced Fellowship in Addiction Treatment, and Assistant Health Sciences Clinical Professor at UCLA. Dr. Bailey oversees clinical care for outpatient SUD programs and manages mental health staff, budgets, and new program development. Clinically, she provides assessment and psychotherapy using motivational interviewing, CBT, including third-wave treatments, for Veterans with substance use disorders and chronic pain. She has been working with psychology trainees for over a decade as a clinical supervisor, didactic contributor, and psychology training committee member. Dr. Bailey also serves as the primary supervisor for SUD clinical psychology fellowship, focusing on evidence-based practices.
David Lawrence, MD
David Lawrence, MD, FASAM is an internist and addiction medicine physician at the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles (GLA) Healthcare System, Medical Director at the VA’s Downtown Los Angeles Substance Use Disorder Clinic, Co-Director for GLA’s Interprofessional Advanced Fellowship in Addiction Treatment, and Assistant Clinical Professor at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. Through a practice grounded in the principles of motivational interviewing and harm reduction, David works as a clinician, educator, and health-systems leader to promote accessible, evidence-based, and compassionate care for people who use substances.
About Los Angeles
LA is a vibrant city that offers something for everyone, from world-class cultural institutions and renowned restaurants to endless outdoor activities in the mountains, beaches, and desert landscapes. As the nation’s second-largest city, it is home to thriving communities and opportunities to engage with patients from a wide range of backgrounds. Residents enjoy year-round sunshine, an active lifestyle, and the chance to balance rigorous training with access to music, art, sports, and nature just minutes away.