Congratulations To AOAAM Board Member
Adam Scioli, DO, FAOAAM

Wernersville, PA – May 20, 2024 – Caron Treatment Centers, a nonprofit behavioral healthcare leader for almost 70 years dedicated to transforming lives through treatment, research, prevention and addiction medical education, announced the appointment of Adam Scioli, D.O., DFAPA, FASAM, FAOAAM, to Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. Scioli will serve on Caron’s Executive Leadership Team, reporting directly to Caron Chief Executive Officer John Driscoll.

As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Scioli will oversee all medical services at Caron, including psychiatry, psychology and neuropsychology as well as Caron’s expanded neurocognitive services. Caron currently operates two addiction-focused medical centers – The Carol and Ray Neag Center in Pennsylvania and The Keele Center in Florida. Dr. Scioli also oversees Caron’s research program at the Fran and Doug Tieman Center for Research, as well as the Addiction Medicine Fellowship program and Caron’s medical education efforts. In addition to these efforts, Dr. Scioli is a leader on Caron’s interdisciplinary Neurorestorative Health Program which focuses on optimizing and restoring brain health functionality compromised by substance use and issues such as trauma, anxiety and depression.

“While this promotion is a well-deserved recognition of Adam’s significant contributions at Caron, it also demonstrates our commitment to treating the disease of substance use disorder (SUD) as the brain disease it is,” said John Driscoll, CEO of Caron. “The role of Chief Medical Officer has a long history at Caron, reflecting our dedication to healthcare and ensuring consistency of medical philosophy and care throughout the Caron continuum. Adam’s leadership will enable Caron to continue implementing evidence-based and medically appropriate treatments for their substance use and behavioral health disorders, while helping us to advance the treatment of these diseases at its root – the brain. With individuals presenting in treatment with more complex and co-morbid conditions at a greater rate than before, the medical sophistication that Adam and his team provide and their approach to these diseases are invaluable to providing this lifesaving, transformational healthcare.”

“We’re excited to elevate Adam to this important role,” continued Driscoll. “He’s already spearheading Caron’s brain health and neurorestorative care initiative which will transform addiction treatment.”

“I am honored by the opportunity to further advance the practice of addiction medicine, both here and throughout the treatment sector,” commented Dr. Scioli. “Substance Use Disorders are diseases, and they need to be treated as such. Medical research is rapidly advancing our understanding of these diseases and how they affect the brain, and Caron is committed to incorporating advances in medicine into clinical practice in the treatment of SUD.”

Dr. Scioli has been a medical leader at Caron Treatment Centers since July 2015, most recently serving as the corporate medical director and head of psychiatry at Caron.

Dr. Scioli is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed an internship at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, New York and later completed his psychiatry residency training at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, where he was chief resident for two years and was conferred the title of Distinguished Laughlin Fellow for professional achievement, dedication and scholarship. Dr. Scioli simultaneously completed fellowship training through the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia, where his work focused on the relationship between addiction and attachment.

Dr. Scioli is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Osteopathic Board of Neurology and Psychiatry. Additionally, he is board-certified in addiction medicine through the American Board of Prevention Medicine and the American Osteopathic Board of Neurology and Psychiatry. Dr. Scioli is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a fellow of both the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine. He also serves as secretary/treasurer on the Board of Trustees of the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine and as board chair of the International Doctors in Alcohol Anonymous.

Caron Treatment Centers

Caron Treatment Centers is an internationally recognized nonprofit dedicated to transforming lives through addiction and behavioral healthcare treatment, research, prevention and addiction medicine education. During our almost 70 years Caron has helped thousands of individuals struggling with behavioral health issues, including substance use disorder, begin to manage these brain diseases and find hope. Anchored by two medical centers on our Pennsylvania and Florida campuses and headquartered in Wernersville, Pennsylvania, Caron provides a comprehensive continuum of care that includes medical stabilization and detoxification, residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient programs, as well as Recovery support, family and alumni services. Caron also provides concierge signature treatment for executives, healthcare professionals and older adults and offers Neurorestorative Health Care at our Keele Medical Center in Palm Beach County, Fl. In addition to our Pennsylvania and Florida campuses, Caron provides services in Wyomissing, Pa, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and New York City. Caron accepts several major insurance plans and provides financial assistance for those who qualify. For more information, please visit caron.org or @CaronTreatment.

Congratulations to
AOAAM Resident Board Member 
Mohit Chhatpar, DO

2024 Scientific Poster Presentation Winner
ACOFP Annual Convention

R. Gregory Lande, DO, COL (Ret) FACN, FAOAAM

How 19th-century news coverage helped shape the early years of osteopathic medicine

The press played a pivotal role in broadcasting the new philosophy of holistic care and shaping the public perception and acceptance of osteopathic practices.

By R. Gregory Lande, DO, COL (Ret) FACN, FAOAAM

In the late 19th century, a new medical philosophy made its debut on the front pages of newspapers. After A.T. Still, DO, MD, unveiled his vision for osteopathic medicine in 1874, early mentions in the press mingled curiosity with controversy, mirroring the public’s perception.

Negative Impacts of High Potency THC on the Developing Brain and Mental Health This Is NOT "Medicine"

Elizabeth 'Libby' Stuyt, MD

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Linked is a joint letter of support for the Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, H.R 7050 signed by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine (AOAAM). In short, the legislation would add an additional 1,000 Medicare GME supported residency positions in addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry, or pain medicine. Our belief is grounded in the necessity of increasing the number of residents specializing in these specialties, ultimately ensuring broader patient access to better and more effective care.

The AOAAM remains steadfast in our commitment to supporting legislation that advances care for individuals struggling with the disease of addiction. We will keep you informed on about updates related to the Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, as well as other legislative relative to patient care and the practice of addiction medicine.

Read the Letter

Today, FDA is announcing that Emergent BioSolutions is extending the shelf-life of newly manufactured NARCAN (naloxone hydrochloride) 4 milligram (mg) Nasal Spray products from 3-years to 4-years. This action was taken at the request of the FDA and is the latest of multiple steps the Agency has recently taken to prevent overdoses and reduce overdose-related deaths by expanding access to naloxone and other overdose reversal agents.

Naloxone is a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdose and is the proven standard treatment for opioid overdose as it is a medicine with no abuse potential, and it is not a controlled substance. NARCAN nasal spray was first approved by the FDA in 2015 as a prescription drug. In March 2023, FDA approved NARCAN 4 mg nasal spray, as the first naloxone product approved for over-the-counter, nonprescription use. The Agency also approved an initial shelf-life extension for NARCAN 4 mg nasal spray in August 2020 which extended the original product’s shelf-life from 2-years to 3-years. 

This shelf-life extension applies only to NARCAN (4 mg) nasal spray products produced following today. The shelf-life of products that were produced and distributed prior to this announcement is not affected and remains unchanged. Prescribers, patients, and caregivers are advised to continue to abide by the expiration date printed on each product’s packaging and within the product’s labeling.

“Naloxone is an important tool in addressing opioid overdoses. Today’s shelf-life extension of newly manufactured lots of Narcan 4 mg nasal spray supports the FDA’s Overdose Prevention Framework and efforts to ensure more OTC naloxone products remain available to the public,” said Marta Sokolowska, Ph.D., deputy center director for Substance Use and Behavioral Health in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

FDA’s request for this shelf-life extension is a testament to the Agency’s continuing progress towards implementing the FDA Overdose Prevention Framework, which provides our vision to undertake impactful, creative actions to encourage harm reduction and innovation in reducing controlled substance-related overdoses and deaths. As we move forward in executing that vision, we remain focused on responding to all facets of substance use, misuse, overdose, and death through the four priorities of the framework, including: supporting primary prevention by eliminating unnecessary initial prescription drug exposure and inappropriate prolonged prescribing; encouraging harm reduction through innovation and education; advancing development of evidence-based treatments for substance use disorders; and protecting the public from unapproved, diverted, or counterfeit drugs presenting overdose risks.

Additional Resources: 

• Information about Naloxone and Nalmefene
• FDA Overdose Prevention Framework
• Timeline of Selected FDA Activities and Significant Events Addressing Substance Use and Overdose Prevention

Cannabis and Adolescent Brain Development

Bertha Madras, PhD (The Honorable)

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Cannabis (marijuana) use is increasing, with growing commercialization facilitating new trends in cannabis consumption - more daily use and use of higher potency forms of the drug (high % THC or 9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the key psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis). Acutely, cannabis produces euphoria, relaxation, reduces stress, but it can also impair cognitive function, coordination and engender anxiety and psychosis. With ongoing use, these adverse effects may be compounded by the development of cannabis use disorder (CUD) and other neuropsychiatric symptoms or disorders. The magnitude of adverse consequences and their persistence are associated with dose, use frequency, duration, and age of onset of use. Compared with adult onset, credible evidence has revealed that adolescent-onset and ongoing cannabis use confers a heightened risk of developing addiction, psychosis, cognitive impairment, depression, anxiety, suicidality, with some effects emerging during adulthood. Adolescent vulnerability during this critical phase of adolescent neurodevelopment is foreseeable, as the endogenous endocannabinoid signaling system continues to evolve and contribute to shaping brain architecture. In competing with endocannabinoid agonists at the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CBR1), THC interposes in these exquisitely controlled processes to dysregulate endocannabinoid signaling, triggering incompletely understood neuroadaptive changes. Recent trends of daily use and/or consumption of high potency cannabis products conceivably amplify the overall risks for adolescents, and also in the developing fetal brain. This presentation will describe:

Recent trends in cannabis use among youth, new and more potent forms of cannabis, and delivery systems, cannabis risks for the developing fetal and adolescent brain and how this information can be used.

1. Trends in THC Potency and Delivery Systems
2. Trends in THC Potency and Delivery
3. Marijuana Risks for Developing Fetal Brain Systems
4. Marijuana Risks for Developing Adolescent Brain
5. What you can do with this information...

BAD MEDICINE: Mental Health and What the Opioid Epidemic Can Teach Us About Cannabis

James H. Berry, DO

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Over the past two decades, the number of people using cannabis has skyrocketed, along with individual and public health harms such as addiction, psychosis, and suicide. Concerning parallels exist between today's industry driven cannabis market and the prescription opioid pain pill industry which fueled our nation's addiction epidemic. This talk will review the current evidence regarding potential harms, equip participants to consider what products should be labeled a "medicine" and to reasonably discuss risks with patients, peers, media and legislators.

At the conclusion of this seminar, attendees will be able to:

1. Review the impact of cannabis on mental health
2. Articulate what is meant by a ""medicine""
3. Recognize the similarities between the history of our opioid crisis and the current cannabis landscape

Public Health Implications of Expanded Marijuana Programs
Kenneth Finn, MD

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