The 2025 Addiction Policy Forum Pillar of Excellence is awarded to Director Cam Ward Presented annually, this award is to honor those in the field who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in improving our response to individuals with substance use disorders and communities in need. Director Cam Ward has served as the Director of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles (ABPP) since 2020. In this role, he is responsible for all agency operations in support of the Alabama

The 2025 Addiction Policy Forum Pillar of Excellence Award is awarded to Deltrin Kimbro It is our honor to present Deltrin Kimbro with a Pillar of Excellence Award for his outstanding leadership in improving his community’s response to individuals with substance use disorders and communities in need. Deltrin Kimbro is a Certified Peer Recovery Supporter Supervisor and Emergency Projects Coordinator for Let’s Get Real, an Ohio-based organization dedicated to educating and supp

The 2025 Addiction Policy Forum Pillar of Excellence is awarded to Dr. Brian Fuehrlein Presented annually, this award is to honor those in the field who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in improving our response to individuals with substance use disorders and communities in need. Dr. Brian Fuehrlein, M.D., PH.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University and Director of Acute Care Psychiatry at the Veterans Administration (VA) Connecticut Healthcare System,

While medications for addiction treatment (MAT) and behavioral therapies are the primary treatment options for substance use disorders (SUDs), neuromodulation interventions have emerged as promising new treatments. These non-invasive therapies use electrical, magnetic, or soundwave stimulation to alter the activity of neural circuits in the brain involved in reward and motivation and implicated in addiction (Oesterle et al., 2025). The goal is to directly influence brain func

In 2024, 48.4 million people in the U.S. ages 12 and older – about 1 in 6 people– met the criteria for a substance use disorder, according to the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health  (NSDUH) released by SAMHSA. The annual report provides nationally representative data on substance use (e.g., tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs, misuse of prescription drugs), substance use disorders, treatment receipt, recovery, and related behavioral health indicators. Of the 48.4

Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) help stabilize brain chemistry, reduce or block the opioid’s euphoric effects, relieve cravings, and help patients engage in other aspects of treatment (NIDA, 2025). The three formulations approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat opioid use disorder include methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone.  Proven Effectiveness of MOUD Decades of research have shown that MOUDs are effective in reducing opioid use, overdose