The Cork Institute
Mission and Overview
The Cork Institute on Alcohol and Other Addictive Disorders was established in Fall 1985 at Morehouse School of Medicine, with an endowment from the Joan B. Kroc Foundation. In line with the medical school's mission, the institute works to recruit and train minority and other students as physicians, biomedical scientists, and public health professionals committed to the health-care needs of the underserved.
Specifically, the institute has the mission of serving as a leader in the areas of professional education about substance abuse and addiction among African-American and underserved populations. The institute seeks to address mental health disparities and promote the prevention and treatment of substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. The institute is based in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
Addiction Psychiatry
This is a four-week elective offered to M4 students who have a strong interest in
the "Addiction Disorders" and mental illness. The elective consists of educational
training at some of the many inpatient and outpatient facilities in the Atlanta area.
This includes halfway houses and residential programs at various hospitals. Students
will also gain a rich outpatient experience at multiple clinical sites, including
Grady outpatient and MAOT (Medical Assisted Opioid Treatment) clinic and other local
substance Abuse prevention and treatment facilities. The importance of a team approach
will be stressed in multiple settings. Coordination of care will be an integral part
of this learning experience. Coordination of care may involve individuals who have
HIV or hepatitis and who are pregnant. The student will learn to manage substance
disorders and their interaction with co-morbid and coexisting mental and physical
disorders. On-site didactics will supplement and enhance the clinical experience.
The student will have the opportunity to explore and utilize both pharmacological
and non-pharmacological management of substance disorders.
Course Director: Farzana Bharmal, M.D., Course Co-Director: Aalok Chandora, M.D.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Third-Year Psychiatry Clerkship
Resources
SAMHSA: 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: African Americans