Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship

Since 1996, the MUSC Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship in historic Charleston, South Carolina, has provided psychiatrists with advanced training in the diagnosis and treatment of addictive disorders and co-occurring psychiatric disorders.

View Scope of Practice (PDF).

Program Overview

The Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program at MUSC provides psychiatrists with advanced training in the diagnosis and treatment of addictive disorders and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. Upon successful completion of the one year ACGME-accredited program, graduates will be eligible to test for the ABPN subspecialty board certification in addiction psychiatry. Fellows have access to internationally recognized experts in the field of addiction psychiatry, and the unique opportunity to engage in a variety of research activities that constitute the cutting edge of substance abuse research. The wide-ranging expertise of our core faculty offers fellows an opportunity to identify particular interest to them and to develop rotations permitting more in-depth knowledge of those areas of interest.

Additionally, the MUSC Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program offers fellows training in 3 distinctive clinical environments:

• The Charleston Center, a substance abuse prevention, intervention, education, and treatment center.
• The Ralph H. Johnson VAMC, which proudly serves more than 67,000 Veterans in 21 counties along the South Carolina, and Georgia coastline.
• The MUSC Medical Center, including inpatient, and outpatient experiences.

Program Director

Karen Hartwell, MD: Dr. Hartwell is a Professor in the Addiction Sciences Division in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Hartwell has extensive clinical experience as a general and addiction psychiatrist in the treatment of substance use disorders with/without comorbid psychiatric disorders. She was the Medical Director of the Substance Treatment and Recovery Program at the Ralph H Johnson VAMC until 2019 and treated veterans with multiple substance use disorders including opioids, alcohol, and stimulants, among others. She is now leading several initiatives to address the opioid epidemic including becoming the medical director of MUSC’s Project ECHO Opioid Use Disorder. Dr. Hartwell in unusual in that she made a mid-life career change and returned to academics to complete a fellowship in addiction psychiatry to better address the substance use disorders that commonly co-occur with psychiatric disorders. Her research career has focused on understanding the underlying neurobiology and improving treatment outcomes. She has collaborated on variety of research studies involving opioids, cocaine, cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco use disorders. She has been involved in multiple clinical trials including multisite trials, ranging from Phase 2 to Phase 4, investigating a variety of pharmacotherapeutic agents and TMS.

Program Administrator: Amanda Wagner, LPC

Core Faculty

Sarah Book, M.D., MSCR

Michael Capata, M.D.

E. Thomas Lewis, III, M.D.

Amelia Watson, M.D.

Faculty/Attendings

David Beckert, M.D.

Elizabeth Call, M.D.

Jack Emmel, M.D. (DAODAS)

Austin Hahn, Ph.D.

Temeia Martin, M.D.

Meron Selassie, M.D.

Allison Smith, M.D.

Clinical Rotations

Training sites for the fellowship include the MUSC Institute of Psychiatry, the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, and Charleston County's Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS), more commonly known as the Charleston Center. 

For a listing of current rotations, please click here (PDF).

Didactics

Listed below is a selection of topics covered as part of the Didactic series, with additional topics added if a fellow has a particular interest not already represented. Presenters often provide relevant publications to fellows for review in advance of this 1-hour weekly meeting. On alternate weeks, the group meets with the Program Director to review Addiction Specialty Board-style questions in conjunction with provided textbooks, with each fellow given an opportunity to lead the discussion on a rotating schedule. Additionally, fellows meet for an hour-long weekly Journal Club to review emerging literature in the field of addictions. Fellows are also encouraged to attend the Psychiatry Grand Rounds Series and ECHO Series weekly.

Neurobiology of Addiction

Neuroimaging

Motivational Interviewing

Adolescent Substance Use

Epidemiology

Research Literacy

Multiple Pathways of Recovery

CBD

Program Application

Similar to other psychiatry fellowships, MUSC utilizes the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), matching in the fall along with the Medicine and Pediatric Specialties Match. Applications for the 2026-27 academic year will be accepted in ERAS as of July 2, 2025. To obtain a token to apply via ERAS, you should contact the ERAS Fellowships Documents Office (EFDO) at 215-966-3940 or by clicking here.

The training period in addiction psychiatry is 12 months. Applicants must have completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited psychiatry residency prior to entering the program. Training in addiction psychiatry that occurred during the general residency training will not be credited toward the one year fellowship requirement.

The following items will be required in ERAS to complete your application:

• Completed universal application
• Personal Statement
• Curriculum Vitae
• Copies of USMLE Step 1, 2, & 3 scores
• Letter from your current Psychiatry Residency Training Director
• Two letters of reference from persons familiar with the nature and quality of your work
• International applicants should also include: Valid ECFMG Certificate and Proof of Visa status or US citizenship

What is the Addiction Psychiatry Subspecialty? Visit American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP) for more information.