The Stony Brook Medicine Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program, situated in Greenport, NY, has recently achieved Initial Accreditation from the ACGME, with an effective date of April 25, 2025 (Program ID: 4043540011). This is a one-year, full-time program offering two approved positions per academic year, with the inaugural fellow, Dr. Matthew E. Barnhart, starting on July 1, 2025. This specialized fellowship is designed for post-residency physicians and requires the successful completion of three years of prior ACGME-accredited residency training.
The foundational mission of the program is to transform lives by advancing the science and practice of addiction medicine, leveraging innovative education, compassionate care, and research to achieve this transformation. This mission is realized through five core aims. First, the program emphasizes patient-centered care through dedicated clinical time, including three months in the outpatient clinic and various inpatient rotations. This structured experience, supervised by practicing addiction specialists, ensures the delivery of effective, compassionate, and culturally sensitive care tailored to individual needs across all stages of treatment. Second, educational excellence is paramount, with comprehensive training delivered through formal lectures, patient rounds, case discussions, and journal clubs that reinforce the current standard of care and evidence-based treatments.
The program cultivates interdisciplinary collaboration, fostering a culture of teamwork where fellows work closely with psychiatry, social work, and primary care to promote an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to addiction care. Research engagement is mandatory throughout the year, with fellows having the option to dedicate an elective month to a cutting-edge research project focused on improving quality of care and contributing to the growing knowledge base. Finally, the fellowship is committed to community and population health, training fellows to advocate for equitable access to treatment and to independently recognize and treat common comorbidities, such as HIV and Hepatitis C, with the goal of improving overall patient outcomes.
The clinical experience is split across two primary sites. Eastern Long Island Hospital serves as the main training site, hosting the inpatient detox and rehabilitation units and outpatient SUD clinic. Fellows at this site, where Program Director Dr. Jarid Pachter is based, also provide consults for the medical floor, Emergency Department, and Psychiatry unit. The remaining months of rotation time are spent at Stony Brook Medicine in Stony Brook, NY, covering two months of Addiction Psychiatry, one month in the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP), and two elective months.
Program oversight is provided by Program Director Jarid Pachter, DO, and Program Coordinator Courtney Meringer. The nine physician faculty members, including core faculty like Dr. Richard N. Rosenthal and Dr. Eduardo Constantino (both certified in Addiction Psychiatry), along with non-physician faculty in Social Work, Psychology, and Research, ensure a rich educational and supervisory environment.
In terms of education and resources, the program places a high priority on fellow well-being and safety. Fellows receive comprehensive training in Pain and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) management, which covers non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic treatments, opioid prescribing, recognition and treatment of dependence, and explicitly addresses the identification and elimination of stigma in patient care. For patient safety, faculty members are available on-site or by phone 24/7 as back-up when clinical needs exceed the fellow's abilities. Fellows have continuous access to confidential, affordable mental health assessment and treatment, and faculty are rigorously educated through workshops and committee discussions to ensure fair and consistent assessment of fellow performance and progress.