Former University of New Mexico professor led national ECHO professional educational program for addiction treatment and psychiatry
BOSTON – After a national search, Boston Medical Center has named Miriam Komaromy, MD the new medical director of the Grayken Center for Addiction. Komaromy, one of the nation’s leading clinical educators for addiction medicine, will also have a faculty appointment at BU School of Medicine and in BMC’s department of general internal medicine.
In her new role as the medical director, Komaromy will participate in the development and execution of the Grayken Center’s short and long term strategic priorities, including continued expansion of BMC’s addiction services, development and implementation of high impact clinical initiatives and, in conjunction with other faculty and staff, advancing innovation and quality of care in the addiction field.
“Miriam is an invaluable addition to our already nationally recognized addiction leaders,” said Michael Botticelli, executive director of the Grayken Center. “She brings clinical, research, education, and policy leadership experience, in addition to her passion for expanding addiction and mental health care, as shown through her efforts over the last decade.”
Previous to her role at BMC, Komaromy led the Extension for Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) Institute’s programs for addiction and psychiatry. She also serves on the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s (ASAM’s) National Board of Directors and served as medical director for a state addiction treatment hospital and for a health center program serving homeless patients.
Komaromy recently partnered with BMC addiction faculty to launch an ECHO hub to educate health care professionals around the country on the treatment of opioid use disorder. She led the federally-funded program that developed and launched five national hubs focused on treatment of opioid use disorder, after developing the nation’s first addiction-and psychiatry-focused ECHO program.
Komaromy was previously a professor in the department of internal medicine at the University of New Mexico. She received her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco and completed her residency in internal medicine at UCSF/San Francisco General Hospital. She is certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine.
Komaromy’s research has focused primarily on health disparities and care for traditionally underserved populations. Most recently, Komaromy received a Fulbright Scholar award from the US State Department, teaching about substance use disorders and medical education in Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia and completing a study of treatment of opioid use disorder in Vietnam. She currently serves as chair of ASAM’s Fundamentals of Addiction Medicine committee and is the vice-chair of the ASAM National Medical Education Committee.
“I am excited to join such a talented team of leaders at the Grayken Center, and I look forward to helping build and expand high impact initiatives that will continue to make a difference in the community and the Nation,” added Komaromy.
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About Boston Medical Center
Boston Medical Center is a private, not-for-profit, 514-bed, academic medical center that is the primary teaching affiliate of Boston University School of Medicine. It is the largest and busiest provider of trauma and emergency services in New England. Committed to providing high-quality health care to all, the hospital offers a full spectrum of pediatric and adult care services including primary and family medicine and advanced specialty care with an emphasis on community-based care. Boston Medical Center offers specialized care for complex health problems and is a leading research institution, receiving more than $117 million in sponsored research funding in fiscal year 2016. It is the 13th largest recipient of funding in the U.S. from the National Institutes of Health among independent hospitals. In 1997, BMC founded Boston Medical Center Health Plan, Inc., now one of the top ranked Medicaid MCOs in the country, as a non-profit managed care organization. It does business in Massachusetts as BMC HealthNet Plan and as Well Sense Health Plan in New Hampshire, serving 290,000 people, collectively. Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine are partners in the Boston HealthNet – 14 community health centers focused on providing exceptional health care to residents of Boston. For more information, please visit http://www.bmc.org.