Becoming Certified: Pathways, Insights and Preparation Strategies - 2025
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- Non-Member - $39
- Regular Member - $29
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- Early Career Physician - $29
- Resident - $19
- Student - $19
- Associate - $19
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Becoming Certified: Pathways, Insights and Preparation Strategies - 2025
Recorded: Wednesday, July 23, 2025 - Thursday, July 24, 2025
On-Demand Session
Overview
This 40-minute, on-demand session from the ASAM 2025 Review Course provides an overview of the different pathways to becoming board certified in addiction medicine and the resources available to support candidates in the certification process.
This session provides an overview of the different pathways to becoming board certified in addiction medicine and the resources available to support candidates in the certification process.
The target audience for this introductory and intermediate-level activity includes: Physicians preparing for the ABPM or AOA Board Certification Examination in addiction medicine, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, other clinicians, researchers, residents, fellows, students, and counselors.
This activity addresses the following ACGME Competencies: Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, and Practice-Based Learning.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion, learners will be able to:
- Demonstrate practical knowledge on the neurobiology of addiction and articulate its activity in terms useful in a clinical setting.
- Describe the effects of alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs in both tolerant and non-tolerant individuals.
- Describe the process for diagnosing addiction and differentiating the symptoms of addiction from those of other medical or psychiatric disorders.
- Explain the various pharmacologic and psychosocial treatments for addictive disorders and describe the factors that should be considered in selecting a treatment modality to match the needs of a specific patient.
- Describe the precipitants of relapse and current evidence-based practices to prevent and manage relapse.
Registration Rates
| Rate Description | Rate |
| ASAM Member | $29 |
| Non-Member | $39 |
| Associate Member | $19 |
| Resident Member* | $19 |
| Student Member* | $19 |
*Residents, Fellows-in-training, Interns, and Students must join ASAM to receive a discounted registration rate. Click here to become an ASAM member. National and Chapter membership dues apply. There is no charge for Students to become a Member, but verification of student status is required.
Membership Question? Call ASAM at 1.301.656.3920, email us, or view the ASAM website for more information.
Refunds & Cancellations
All ASAM eLearning Center refund requests must be made in writing to education@asam.org within 90 days of purchase. Those requesting refunds for courses that are in progress will receive partial refunds or e-Learning Center credit. Automatic full refunds will be made for any course with a live-course component that has been cancelled.
Registration Open: 07/28/2025 - 06/28/2028
User Access Closed: 07/28/2028
Session Instructions
- Click on the Contents tab to watch the on-demand recording.
- Click Complete Post Test to answer multiple choice questions. Participants will have 10 attempts to pass and must answer 3 out of 4 questions correctly.
- Click Complete Evaluation to provide valuable activity feedback. Scroll down on all questions as there may be answer options that expand past the size of the window.
- Click the button Claim Medical Credits in the box titled Claim Credits & Certificate. Choose the type of credit and click submit. Click the button View/Print Certificate to save or print your certificate. You can view/print your certificate at any time by visiting the ASAM eLearning Center, clicking Dashboard, and clicking Transcript/Achievements.
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Michael F. Weaver
MD, DFASAM
Michael Weaver, MD, DFASAM is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Medical Director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction (CNRA) at the McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). He received his M.D. degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University, and completed Residency in Internal Medicine and a Clinical Research Fellowship in Addiction Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health System, and he is Board-certified in Internal Medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine and certified in Addiction Medicine through the American Board of Preventive Medicine. Dr. Weaver is the Sub-Board Chair for Addiction Medicine on the American Board of Preventive Medicine, and also serves as the Chair of the Examination Committee for certification in Addiction Medicine. He has been a member of ASAM for over 20 years and has been a member of the Publications Council and the Annual Conference Program Planning Committee. He is currently involved in patient care, medical education, and research. Dr. Weaver sees patients in the Innovations Addiction Treatment Clinic at the Texas Medical Center in Houston.
He has extensive experience teaching about addiction to medical students, residents, and community professionals at all levels. He has been involved in multiple research projects, and currently is collaborating with other researchers in the CNRA on studies involving cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and electronic cigarettes. Dr. Weaver has multiple publications in the field of addiction medicine, including the book "Addiction Treatment" published by Carlat Publishing in 2017.
Deborah Dupnik, CAE, CCSM-A
Director American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians
American Osteopathic Association
Deborah Dupnik, CAE, CCSM-A has been the Director of the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians since 2022. She also manages the American Osteopathic Addiction Medicine Conjoint Committee and the Geriatric Medicine CAQ. Previously, she served as the Executive Director for the Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs (NOVA), the Board of Ambulatory Surgery Centers (BASC) and was responsible for managing the certification programs for both the Certified Administrator Surgery Center (CASC) and Certified Ambulatory Infection Preventionist (CAIP). Prior to NOVA and BASC, she served as the Executive Director for the National Center for Homeopathy, Assistant Executive Director for the Society For Biomaterials, the American Society For Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, and the American Society of Hand Therapists. Deborah also served as the Director of Certification and Customer Service for the Commission for Case Manager Certification.
Deborah obtained a Baccalaureate Degree in Microbiology from the University of New Hampshire. She is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) - American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) as well as a Certified Customer Service Manager – Advanced (CCSM-A) - Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA).
No relevant financial disclosures
Cara Poland, MD, MEd, FACP, DFASAM
Associate Professor
Michigan State University
Cara Anne Poland, MD, MEd, DFASAM, FACP
Dr. Cara Poland is a recognized expert in addiction medicine. She is a faculty member at Michigan State University. She earned her medical degree from Wayne State University. She was trained in internal medicine at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and in addiction medicine at Boston Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. She received her master’s degree in education from Boston University. She has an interest in educating healthcare providers and providers-in-training to improve care for patients with substance use disorders, particularly during pregnancy and early parenting.
In 2018, board-certified Addiction Medicine Doctor Cara Poland identified the need to strengthen our country’s Addiction Medicine workforce. Led by Dr. Poland, MI CARES trains physician-level addiction specialists in Michigan and across the country. Over 2,000 physicians in all 50 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico are currently on the pathway to becoming board-certified in Addiction Medicine. The program also teaches physicians-in-training, resident physicians, social work students, social work practitioners, APRNs, and PAs. Her didactic program involves purposeful education to train healthcare providers to treat persons with SUDs in a kind, compassionate, destigmatized way. Dr. Poland has a special interest in treating pregnant people and their families living with a substance use disorder.
A passionate and highly sought-after public speaker and educator, Dr. Poland regularly appears in the media and at community events. She has directly influenced policies and procedures around the treatment of people with SUDs. Her persistent advocacy has helped to advance evidence-based treatment, as evidenced by her role as the Public Policy Chair for the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Poland is the chair of the Michigan Opioid Advisory Commission, established as the designated state entity to advise the Michigan legislature on the use of opioid settlement funds.
Accreditation & Credit Designation Statements
Joint Accreditation Statement
In support of improving patient care, the American Society of Addiction Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Physicians
The American Society of Addiction Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Other Professions - Continuing Education Credits
Upon completion of the activity and online evaluation, all other participants may request a certificate of participation. Participants may submit this certificate of participation to their professional organization/institute as documentation for completing this accredited continuing activity.
Maintenance of Certification (MOC) or Continuing Certification Programs (CCP)
MOC Credit is reported for ABA, ABP, ABIM, and ABS. By completing the online credit application and evaluation, the learner permits ASAM to report credits to the appropriate Board. Learn more.
American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA)
This activity offers up to 0.75 CME credits, of which 0.75 credits contribute the patient safety CME component of the American Board of Anesthesiology’s redesigned Maintenance of Certification in AnesthesiologyTM (MOCA®) program, known as MOCA 2.0®. Please consult the ABA website, www.theABA.org, for a list of all MOCA 2.0 requirements.
American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 0.75 Medical Knowledge MOC points and patient safety MOC credit in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.
American Board of Pediatrics (ABP)
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn up to 0.75 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABP
MOC credit.
American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM)
This activity has been designed to satisfy the Lifelong Professional Development requirements of The American Board of Preventive Medicine’s Continuing Certification (CCP) requirements. These credits are not reported directly to ABPM. Please save your certificate for your records.
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN)
This activity has been designed to satisfy the CME requirements of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology’s Continuing Certification (CC) requirements. These credits are not reported directly to ABPN. Please save your certificate for your records.
American Board of Surgery (ABS)
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME and Self-Assessment requirement(s) of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada will recognize activities registered for CME for MOC as meeting the requirements for Royal College MOC Program Section 3 (Self-Assessment Programs) credits. Visit CME that Counts for Royal College MOC for more information.
Disclosure Information
In accordance with the disclosure policies of ASAM and Joint Accreditation, the effort is made to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all accredited continuing education activities. These policies include identifying and mitigating all relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies for those involved in the creation and dissemination of accredited continuing education. Click here to view the full disclosure listing.
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