Meet Dr. Balasanova, an addiction psychiatrist, who spent the evening with PsychSIGN members talking us through her journey into this sub-specialty as well as advising students on how to get an early start in addiction medicine.
Bio:
Dr. Alëna A. Bala-sa-nova is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). She is dually board-certified in psychiatry and addiction medicine with specialized expertise in integrated treatment for substance use disorders co-occurring with other psychiatric conditions. After obtaining her undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Bala-san-ova went on to earn her M.D. at Harvard Medical School and completed residency training at Boston University Medical Center. As the Director of Addiction Psychiatry Education for the Department of Psychiatry in the College of Medicine, Dr. Bala-san-ova has developed novel educational programs for medical students, residents, fellows, and allied health professionals. She is the founder and director of the Longitudinal Integrated Mental health/Substance use Outpatient Clinic (LIMSOC), an internationally recognized clinical experience for Creighton University Psychiatry Residents. Dr. Bala-san-ova was the founding director of the Outpatient Addiction Psychiatry Clinic and also developed and now co-directs the inpatient Addiction Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service, both at the Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Bala-san-ova’s professional interests lie at the intersection of medical education and stigma reduction. She has presented and published nationally and internationally on addiction psychiatry education and destigmatizing substance use disorders; in recognition of this work, Dr. Bala-san-ova was awarded the prestigious American Medical Association Foundation Award for Health Education in 2020 and the Nebraska Medical Association Young Physician of the Year Award in 2021.
7 дек 2021
