Welcome from Program Director

Welcome to the Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program at Ozark Center!

Deciding what you would like to specialize in is just as important as deciding where you would like to receive your training from. When contemplating which fellowship program best suits you, you may consider the benefits of having varied clinical experience when rotating through Ozark Center’s many services – all while receiving guidance from our supportive faculty.

During your time here, you will be able to grow your knowledge base while working with a collaborative team to provide care to patients of varied socioeconomic backgrounds in a rural healthcare setting in Joplin, Missouri. Joplin is located near Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas, so our patient population may commute from any of these locations.

CONTRIBUTE TO THE WELLBEING OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

Ozark Center fellows become sensitive to the multifaceted needs of our patient population’s mental health, physical health and social concerns. Fellows here begin to understand the role that a particular setting can have in mental health. (For example, the devastating 2011 Joplin tornado created traumatic experiences for some of our patients.)

YOUR WELLBEING

To promote wellness to our fellows, we have incorporated an innovative wellness program to help fellows with their own mental wellbeing. This idea stemmed from research conducted at our residency program. Another research project within our residency program considered the impact of a patient’s suicide on the residents and how to provide effective support to the residents.

OPPORTUNITY TO TRAIN IN MULTIPLE SETTINGS

• At New Directions, patients with substance use disorders, including opioid dependency, can receive counseling services and medication-assisted treatment to help them manage their symptoms for a well-balanced approach.
• At Freeman Pain Management Clinic, fellows learn how to manage patients with comorbid pain and substance use disorders.
• In Consultation and Liaison Psychiatry Service, fellows will manage patients with co-morbid substance use and medical issues, while providing consult on OB/GYN, surgery, medical, and ICU floors. 
• In Dual Diagnosis Units, fellows will work on the inpatient psychiatry units and see dual-diagnosis patients to gain skills and knowledge in caring for this population. 

These clinical experiences help stimulate areas of research.

OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN AT EVERY STAGE OF TRAINING

Fellows participate in book club, journal club and contribute to a research project. During protected didactic sessions, they may learn about the latest advances in psychopharmacology or the typical structure of a psychiatric interview. If there is a wellness session, they may participate in yoga or mindfulness exercises.

We are eager to help our fellows obtain their personal career goals, whether that means gaining an academic position or being a well-rounded physician. We are honored that accomplished physicians, such as yourself, have expressed interest in our fellowship program. By choosing us, you will gain experience treating complex patients and provide continuity of care in both inpatient and outpatient settings. I hope that over the course of your experience getting to know us, you come away as excited as I am about our program.

Nauman Ashraf, MD
Psychiatry Residency Program Director
Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program Director