Core Faculty
Joseph Williams, MD, FASAM
Associate Professor, UNC Department of Psychiatry
Clinical Interests: inpatient addiction medicine, forensic behavioral health, academic addiction medicine, carceral psychiatry
Board Certifications: Addiction Medicine, Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry
Chief Responsibilities:
- Director, Addiction Medicine Program
- Program Director, Addiction Medicine Fellowship
- Physician, Addiction Medicine Consult Service, STAR Clinic, ATLAS Mobile Clinic
- Seminar Supervisor
Lucien Gonzalez, MD, MS, FAAP
Associate Professor, UNC Department of Psychiatry
Clinical Interests: Non-pharmacological approaches to youth substance use and co-occurring behavioral health concerns, community-based interventions for youth substance use
Board Certifications: Addiction Medicine, Pediatrics
Chief Responsibilities:
- Associate Program Director for Clinical Affairs, UNC Addiction Medicine Fellowship
- Medical Director, STAR Clinic
- Physician, Addiction Medicine Consult Service, STAR Clinic
- Seminar Supervisor
Shonali Saha, MD, FASAM
Assistant Professor, UNC Department of Psychiatry
Clinical Interests: Improving criminal legal system responses to substance use disorders, liberation psychology, mindfulness and other contemplative practices for the treatment of substance use disorders, harm reduction, psychedelic-assisted therapy
Board Certifications: Addiction Medicine, Internal Medicine
Chief Responsibilities:
- Associate Program Director for Educational Affairs, UNC Addiction Medicine Fellowship
- Supervisor, Psychiatry Residency Addiction Medicine Seminar Series
- Physician, Addiction Medicine Consult Service, STAR Clinic, ATLAS Mobile Clinic
- Seminar Supervisor

Roy Stein, MD
Professor Emeritus, UNC Department of Psychiatry
Clinical Interests: Motivational interviewing, treatment of co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders, integration of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy in addiction treatment
Board Certifications: Addiction Psychiatry, Psychiatry
Chief Responsibilities:
- Motivational Interviewing Didactics Supervisor
Jennifer Kemper, MD
Assistant Professor, UNC Department of Psychiatry
Clinical Interests: health care equity, psychosis and substance use disorders, first episode psychosis, physician learner education
Board Certifications: Addiction Medicine, Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry
Chief Responsibilities:
- Physician, STAR Clinic
- Medical Director, Wake Encompass
Irina Phillips, MD
Assistant Professor, UNC Department of Anesthesiology
Clinical Interests: intersection of pain and substance use disorder
Board Certifications: Addiction Medicine, Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine
Chief Responsibilities:
- Physician, Addiction Medicine Consult Service, STAR Clinic
- Rotation Supervisor, Pain Consult Service Rotation
Maria Gabriela (Gaby) Castro, MD
Associate Professor, UNC Department of Family Medicine
Clinical Interests: substance use disorder treatment, mental health, rural primary care, rural residency training
Board Certifications: Family Medicine
Chief Responsibilities:
- Physician, STAR Clinic
- Research Lead, NC STAR Network
- Seminar Supervisor
Michael Baca-Atlas, MD, FASAM
Associate Professor, UNC Department of Family Medicine
Clinical Interests: enhanced primary care for serious mental illness, MOUD with long-acting injectables, pregnant and parenting individuals with substance use disorder, trauma informed/person centered care, motivational interviewing in primary care
Board Certifications: Addiction Medicine, Family Medicine
Chief Responsibilities:
- Rotation Supervisor, Tobacco Consult Rotation
- Medical Director, REACH Enhanced Primary Care
- Associate Medical Director, Tobacco Treatment Program
Adjunct Professor Faculty
Stephen Wyatt, DO, FAOAAM, FASAM
Eric Morse, MD, DFAPA
Additional Supervising and Affiliated Faculty/Providers
Claire West, MD – NC STAR Network
Gabriela Reed, MD – NC STAR Network
Shuchin Shukla, MD, MPH – UNC Family Medicine
Caitlin Mahoney, MD – NC DAC MOUD Rotation
Sasha Deutsch-Link, MD – Hepatology Rotation
Hersh Shroff, MD, MPA – Hepatology Rotation
Andrea Knittel, MD, PhD, FACOG – Horizons Rotation
Elisabeth Johnson, PhD, FNP-BC, CARN-AP, LCAS – Horizons Rotation
Dominika James, MD – Pain Consult Rotation
Harold Hong, MD – New Waters Recovery Rotation
Letitia Hazel, MD – SouthLight Rotation
Ben Powell, PA – SouthLight Rotation
Julia Knerr, MD – UNC Psychiatry

