Blog
Finding Her Direction through ASAM
Working with patients during her family medicine residency in 2009 at the University of Michigan, Emily Brunner, MD, DFASAM, saw firsthand the struggles of patients with addiction and the devastating impact addiction can have on a family.
Her experience led to a revelation.
“I realized there was a real gap in our curriculum and as I became aware of that, I could see more and more how this gap was affecting many of my patients,” said Dr. Brunner, who is board certified in family medicine. “While I had gone to a fantastic medical school and I felt good about most of my education, it was clear that there was a lack of training around addiction, and it fed a hunger in me to learn more about it.”
As Dr. Brunner sought to understand addiction, a previous mentor recommended that she attend one of ASAM’s Annual Conferences. In 2010, during her first year as a physician, she did just that, and it changed the trajectory of her career in medicine.
“I went, I loved it, and I decided to incorporate some of it into my practice,” she said, “and then I ended up deciding to get certified via the practice pathway.”
Going Regional
In 2014, Dr. Brunner moved to Minnesota to work for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. Soon, she started attending meetings for the Minnesota Society of Addiction Medicine (MNSAM) and ran for treasurer. In 2021, she joined ASAM’s Board of Directors as Region VI Regional Director.
“As I became more involved and experienced in the field, it became clear that there are many different approaches to treating addiction and a lot of politics surrounding treatment in different parts of the country — way more politics than in most other fields of medicine,” she said. “For that reason, and because the stigma around addiction leads to worse patient outcomes – because patients aren’t offered specialty treatment or funding for the level of treatment they need – I realized how crucial advocacy is in addressing these disparities.”
Dr. Brunner said she’s enjoyed being the Regional Director for Region VI, which includes Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
“Gaining insight into the decision-making process at the national level for ASAM and seeing all the different people who volunteer their time to make so much happen, I’ve been blown away,” she said. “I think ASAM really punches above its weight for a medical society, considering how much we're involved in both state and federal advocacy, despite having fewer doctors within our discipline than many other subspecialties.”
Dr. Brunner said the field of addiction medicine is unique in that it’s a relatively small, newer field where younger physicians could more easily find themselves in leadership roles. It’s also, she added, an exceptionally collaborative field.
“I've never approached anyone in this society who shut me down or wouldn't answer my questions,” she said. “I think the fact that everyone's so approachable, supportive, and collegial is a unique feature of being an addiction doctor that I really treasure.”
Dr. Brunner believes attending ASAM’s Annual Conference has helped her advance in her career. Conference sessions keep her up to date and provide her with ongoing medical education opportunities. The event also provides her with access to a growing network of addiction medicine specialists through which she can discuss everything from challenging patient cases to current policy issues.
“ASAM offers a lot of support and ongoing opportunities to improve my practice and my ability to care for patients through resources and educational courses,” she said.
On the Right Path
Today, Dr. Brunner is also the medical director of Gateway Recovery and Recovering Hope. She also provides training on behalf of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, largely aimed at increasing the acceptance of medications for opioid use disorder throughout the health care system.
“That work is really fascinating and has taken me to different parts of the country, working on interesting projects,” she said. “As for the role of medical director, that's always interesting and medically complicated, considering patients often have acute, ongoing, medical, and psychiatric comorbidities when they first seek treatment.”
As she carries on her addiction medicine work, Dr. Brunner will continue to lead Region VI through 2025.
“Right now, we’re planning a regional conference for 2025,” she said. “That will be really exciting, to be able to support our region with more formal CME; not all the states within our region have state chapter CME being offered.”
Looking back on her career in addiction medicine, Dr. Brunner said her favorite part about treating addiction is getting to witness the often-dramatic changes patients experience in their lives after overcoming addiction.
“The most amazing part about treating addiction is how much potential there is to see patients really improve the trajectory of their lives with dramatic lifestyle changes that we don't always get to see in other parts of medicine,” she said. “That’s just really inspiring to see, and I feel blessed to be able to help with and witness that.”