Welcome to the UCSF Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program! We are proud to offer a one-year, ACGME-accredited fellowship that provides state-of-the art addiction training, all in the San Francisco Bay area.
The Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship emphasizes evidence-based treatments – including psychosocial therapies, behavioral therapies, and psychopharmacology – for a range of substance use disorders. Prominent features include:
Sub-specialty clinics with UCSF faculty supervision (see “Sites and Rotations”)
Adolescent and family treatment experience
Training in motivational interviewing with nationally recognized experts
Psychotherapy training, including group psychotherapy supervision
Elective rotation in a private residential addiction treatment center
Consultation work at two major San Francisco hospitals
Clinical research, including cutting-edge buprenorphine and cannabis research
Mentorship within national organizations, including the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP), American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and California Society of Addiction Medicine (CSAM)
Opportunities to teach UCSF medical students, residents, and fellows
All sites located in the San Francisco area, near many local sites and amenities
The UCSF Addiction Psychiatry fellowship program remains committed to training physicians with a diverse range of backgrounds and life experiences to match the needs of our patients
Applying to the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship
We have filled our class for the 2026-2027 academic year and are now accepting applications for the 2027-2028 academic year.
Applicants must have completed an ACGME-accredited general adult residency in psychiatry and have a valid, completely unrestricted California medical license, DEA license to prescribe buprenorphine, and California ePDMP login (CURES) prior to the starting date (July 1).
How to apply
Our program uses the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) to process applications. Visit the ERAS website to learn more.
We encourage applicants to submit materials as early in the application period given the fact that interviews are offered on a rolling basis. Recruitment will be conducted virtually. Requests for onsite tours of the campus will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
The recruitment timeline for fellows starting July 1, 2027, is as follows:
July 1, 2026: ERAS applications open for submission
July 15, 2026: ERAS application released to the fellowship programs
August–November 2026 (~four months): Interview season
Nov. 12, 2026 (9 p.m. EST/6p.m. PST): Applicant and program NRMP Rank Order lists due
Dec. 2, 2026: Match Day
After Dec. TBA, 2026: Applicants can apply to programs directly
Submission process and deadline
Fellowship selection will occur via the NRMP Match and we will be recruiting up to four fellows. Please submit all application materials to the ERAS website once the application cycle opens and contact program coordinator Alejandra Infante, at [email protected] with any questions.
Director, Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program
Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
VA Site Director, UCSF Program in Psychiatry and the Law
Staff Psychiatrist, Addiction Recovery Treatment Services
Co-Director, Veterans Justice Outreach Psychopharmacology Clinic
San Francisco VA Medical Center
Associate Director, Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program
Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Medical Director, Opioid Treatment Program
San Francisco VA Medical Center
VA Site Director, Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program
Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Staff Psychiatrist, San Francisco VA Medical Center
Site Director, Addiction Medicine and Recovery Services
Volunteer Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco
Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Deputy Director, Addiction Consult and Opioid Safety
Deputy Psychiatry Lead
San Francisco VA Medical Center
Volunteer Associate Clinical Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Chief, Addiction Medicine and Recovery Services
Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco
Monika Koch, MD, FASAM
Volunteer Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Addiction Psychiatrist, Addiction Medicine and Recovery Services
Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco
Volunteer Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Chief, Addiction Services, Marin Country Department of Public Health and Human Services
Behavioral Health Clinical Director, Partnership HealthPlan of CA
Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Psychiatrist, Citywide Case Management, Cross Currents Team
Professor in Residence, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Psychologist Clinician Investigator
Deputy Chief, Addiction, Recovery, and Treatment Services (ARTS)
San Francisco VA Health Care System
Volunteer Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Substance Use/Mental Health Clinical Pharmacist Specialist
San Francisco VA Health Care System
Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Director, Intensive Outpatient and Transitions Programs
San Francisco VA Health Care System
Health Sciences Clinical Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Medical Director, Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
Chief, Addiction, Recovery, and Treatment Services (ARTS)
San Francisco VA Health Care System
Christopher Blazes, MD (Albert Einstein Medical Center)
Katherine Pier, MD (Mt. Sinai College of Medicine)
Bradley Zicherman, MD (Adult: Texas Tech Health Sciences Center • Child and Adolescent: Univ. of South Florida)
Nicholas Reeves, MD (UCLA)
Tauheed Zaman, MD (Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Health Alliance)
2013‑2014
Zachary Plaut, MD (San Mateo County)
Joan Striebel, MD (UCLA)
2012‑2013
John Nguyen, MD (Cornell Univ.)
Sites and rotations
The San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) and Kaiser Permanente Addiction Medicine & Recovery Services (AMRS) are teaching sites for UCSF, and training is considered a core mission.
Substance Use Disorder Outpatient Clinic: treating a range of non-opioid addictions
Opiate Treatment Program (OTP): buprenorphine, methadone, injectable MOUD treatment
Addiction Consultation (AddCon): consulting on addiction patients, including prescription opioid safety issues
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP): higher-level three days/week treatment program
Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO): working alongside UCSF forensic psychiatry fellows in treating justice-involved veterans
Downtown clinic (DTC): working with urban underserved populations in downtown San Francisco
Longitudinal Clinic (LCE): Managing addiction and comorbid psychiatric issues in a year-long clinic
Several programs also include contingency management, injection adherence contingency management, psychotherapy groups with opportunities for facilitation training, motivational interviewing, hospital consultations, etc.
Kaiser AMRS
Kaiser AMRS
Kaiser AMRS provides a spectrum of services, which include outpatient longitudinal substance use disorder clinics, medical stabilization and detoxification, day treatment, intensive outpatient treatment, therapy groups, and psychiatric treatment of co-morbid conditions. AMRS also provides comprehensive treatment for adolescents and families.
As part of a larger medical system, AMRS provides integrated consultative services for patients with obstetrical (pregnancy), chronic pain, HIV or Hepatitis C conditions or those requiring emergency or hospital consultation.
Elective rotation sites
Half-day/week opportunities for fellows to engage with additional educational and training opportunities within the VA and Kaiser systems as well as through the greater UCSF network. Past fellow experiences have included participating in research, the John Muir Adolescent Substance Use Treatment Program, San Francisco Syringe Access Program, San Francisco County Jail Buprenorphine Program, San Francisco Street Medicine Outreach Team to Homeless Encampments, San Francisco VA Ketamine Clinic, and various electives available through Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.
Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center
Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG) and San Francisco Department of Public Health Clinics
The San Francisco Health Network is comprised of the city's safety net hospital and associated community clinics serving the most marginalized people in San Francisco. Elective experiences in addiction medicine include the Addiction Care Team, a hospital-based consult service at ZSFG, and the Tom Waddell Urban Health Clinic.
Didactics
Addiction psychiatry fellows have a half day of protected time each Wednesday afternoon for didactics and supervision. These sessions are often led by local and national experts in the field of addiction. Didactics include:
Zweben Addiction Seminar: a weekly, 60-minute seminar covering a range of fundamental topics, aimed at a multidisciplinary audience of physicians, psychologists, social workers and trainees
Addiction board review: a monthly, 60-minute interactive teaching session focused on high-yield topics on the Addiction Psychiatry board exam
Addiction Psychiatry advanced psychotherapy curriculum developed by the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP) in collaboration with Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and NYU School of Medicine
CBT-SUD & MI: a monthly, 120-minute course on cognitive behavioral therapy for substance use disorders and contingency management led by national expert Dr. Borsari
Faculty teaching: several faculty members provide rotation-specific didactics relevant to their area of expertise throughout the year
Community faculty supervision hour: a monthly, supervision hour focused on career development, advanced addiction psychopharmacology, addiction psychotherapy, addiction private practice, and addiction and forensic psychiatry overlap
UCSF Grand Rounds & Drug Use Research Group: research presentations on innovative harm reduction strategies, public health interventions, and drug policy
Fellow teaching opportunities in collaboration with the School of Medicine, Psychiatry Residency, VA Education Office, and other departments throughout the VA and Kaiser Permanente