Episode 11: Dr. Michael Fingerhood talks about why words matter
Dr. Michael Fingerhood is a professor of medicine and public health at Johns Hopkins University and chief of the Division of Addiction Medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. In this episode, he shares his early experiences in medical school in the Bronx and how stigma within the medical community influenced his decision to pursue a career in addiction medicine. Dr. Fingerhood continues to combat stigma related to addiction, including through the Words Matter Pledge initiative. Dr. Fingerhood discusses the importance of raising awareness about stigma related to addiction, including through the practice of integrated care rather than siloing care.
Dr. Fingerhood also talks about patients’ self-assigned stigma, undoing shame and blame, and the importance of coping skills and strategies. He shares that, for him, helping patients in this way within the primary care setting is powerful. Dr. Fingerhood discusses the importance of teaching and training others – including students, residents, and fellows – to treat addiction and how the net of impact is widened through this process.
Dr. Fingerhood is very active in his community, treating addiction and addressing associated stigma in various ways, and he shares how and why these activities are so important to him. He recalls the first patient for whom he prescribed buprenorphine – she is still his patient decades later! – and he offers advice for others interested in or joining the field of addiction medicine.
Dr. Fingerhood grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and his Brooklyn accent still comes out at times. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from The Johns Hopkins University and his Medical Degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. His experiences in the Bronx helped shape his interest in addiction medicine. He completed internal medicine training and a chief resident year at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
The mission of Dr. Fingerhood’s career has been to promote and improve the provision of medical care to patients with substance use disorder, including the treatment of HIV and hepatitis C, with the development, maintenance, and evaluation of innovative programs related to the care of these individuals. Dr. Fingerhood created the Comprehensive Care Practice in 1994, a Ryan White-funded primary care practice largely devoted to providing care to individuals with substance use disorder. The practice has been innovative in integrating buprenorphine treatment into the primary care setting for over 700 individuals.
He has also co-created novel buprenorphine treatment programs at a community center, at a church, and in a mobile van outside the Baltimore detention center. He has received the Health Equity Leadership Award from the Baltimore City Health Department.
Dr. Fingerhood is co-author of the ASAM Handbook of Addiction Medicine and currently chairs the ASAM State of the Art Course in Addiction Medicine Program Planning Committee and the ASAM Medical Education Council. He was the chair of the ASAM Annual Conference Program Planning Committee for 6 years.
Dr. Fingerhood has co-authored over 70 research papers and has received NIH research funding continuously over the past 30 years.
Despite leaving New York, he remains an avid Yankees, Knicks, and Rangers fan, and he enjoys seeing three or four Broadway plays each year.
Links:
Division of Addiction Medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
ASAM Handbook of Addiction Medicine
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, you are not alone. Treatment is available and recovery is possible. Visit ASAM’s Patient Resources page for more information.