Dr. Jessica Merlin, MD, PhD, MBA, has been elected to the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse (AMERSA) as a member-at-large of the organization's Board of Diretors. AMERSA is a "non-profit professional organization whose mission is to improve health and well-being through interdisciplinary leadership in substance use education, research, clinical care and policy."

"AMERSA is comprised of some of the foremost leaders in addiction medicine," said Dr. Merlin. "It's a very interdisciplinary group of physicians, nurses, social workers, and pharmacists working who are interested in clinical care and research in this field."

The focal point of AMERSA is its annual conference, which Dr. Merlin notes is fairly small, allowing for members to network and collaborate in more intimate settings. AMERSA is also noteworthy for its committment to new members and young investigators, offering mentoring resources and significant opportunities to present oral abstracts at its conference.

Dr. Merlin has been involved with AMERSA for many years, previously having served as co-chair of the abstract committee. She joins several other Pitt faculty members, including Dr. Kevin Kraemer and Dr. Jane Liebschutz, in working with the organization.

"I attribute a lot of my professional connections, viewpoints, and directions I've taken in my career in addiction medicine to this group of people," Merlin said. "I've met many colleagues, collaborates, and friends, including Jane [Liebschutz] through AMERSA."

Dr. Merlin will be installed officially as a member of the board at the 43rd Annual AMERSA Conference, which will take place in Boston, Mass. on November 7-9th, 2019. More information can be found on AMERSA's website.

Congratulations to Dr. Merlin on her exciting professional achievement!

March 18th, 2019