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Joseph Williams
Joseph Williams, MD

Program Overview

The UNC addiction medicine fellowship is a unique 12-month program crossing several disciplines and specialties, with the goal of training the next generation of addiction medicine specialists. The program accepts fellows from any ACGME-accredited specialty, and the fellowship program is strongly committed to providing an integrated training experience, addressing addiction in a multitude of settings. The addiction medicine faculty at UNC actively promotes innovation in the field of addiction medicine, creating a supportive learning environment for fellows while at the same time expanding capacity for addiction treatment in North Carolina.

The fellows work in a variety of teams and settings, learning firsthand how addiction interfaces with other medical specialties and professions. The learning environment incorporates didactic training, case-based learning, and direct patient care.

The UNC addiction medicine fellowship was created in July 2018 and received ACGME accreditation in April 2019.  The training program, which is situated in the UNC Department of Psychiatry, provides full financial support for its addiction medicine fellows.  The program also funds the fellows attending the ASAM Annual Conference in the spring.

The UNC addiction medicine core faculty come from diverse specialty backgrounds, including psychiatry (general, addiction, child/adolescent, and forensic), pediatrics, family medicine, and anesthesiology/pain.

The training program’s fellows have come from the following backgrounds: family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, psychiatry, preventive medicine, anesthesiology, and obstetrics/gynecology.

The UNC addiction medicine fellows have no call responsibilities. They do not work on weekends and are off work on the following holidays: Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, and Memorial Day. Also, fellows are permitted to moonlight during the course of the fellowship year.

FY25 Fellows with Dr. Williams
2024-2025 fellows with the Program Director, Dr. Joseph Williams.
For more information about the program, follow this link: UNC Addiction Medicine Fellowship video

Joseph Williams, M.D.
Program Director, UNC Addiction Medicine Fellowship

Lucien Gonzalez, M.D.
Associate Program Director, UNC Addiction Medicine Fellowship

In the UNC Addiction Medicine Fellowship, I had the privilege to learn from some of the most experienced and talented addiction physicians in North Carolina. The diverse pathology and practice locations combined with the excellent adult education curriculum have prepared me to both treat all types of addictive disorders and teach the next generation of addiction physicians.”Kory Dawson, MD, Fellowship Class of 2024

I have seen that the UNC Addiction Medicine Fellowship really provides rigorous training in Addiction Medicine. We have an interdisciplinary group of experts in this field, from addiction psychiatrists to peer support specialists, who are dedicated to improving the lives of patients affected with addiction, and together, it has been inspiring to work with our patients and see them get better in their recovery. The faculty and staff are very supportive and invested in the success of the fellows, and I am so grateful to have been part of this dynamic and inclusive program at UNC! -Dr. Parth Saraiya, Class of 2022

 

UNC School of Medicine Diversity Statement

The University of North Carolina School of Medicine and the UNC Medical Center are committed to fostering a diverse and equitable workplace that enhances our learning environment, innovative research, and the quality of care available to all. We believe that a culture of diversity and equity leads to new ways of thinking, behaving and caring.

We embrace the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) definition of diversity, including the recognition that diversity is not limited to gender, race and ethnicity, but must also include age, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious commitment, physical ability and other varied backgrounds and life experiences.

Together, the UNC School of Medicine and the UNC Medical Center strive to recruit, retain, and develop a diverse group of individuals to ensure a vibrant community that promotes excellence in education, discovery, clinical care, and the elimination of health disparities locally, regionally and nationally.