ASAM Applauds a Quarter Decade of Support

Next year the American Society of Addiction Medicine will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Ruth Fox Memorial Endowment Fund. For the past 25 years, donors have kept the spirit of our founder, Ruth Fox, MD, alive. As a living tribute to Dr. Fox, the memorial fund serves to ensure the organization’s mission is fulfilled.

"When this fund was established in 1990, we did not have nearly as many goals as we do now,” said Dr. Andrea Barthwell, Chair of the Ruth Fox Memorial Endowment Fund. “In order to keep up with the momentum of our growing society, we rely on our Donors for their contributions.”

Donations have supported initiatives that were fundamental to the vision of Ruth Fox and core to the ASAM mission including funding support for the creation of the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM) to certify physician competence in all aspects of addiction care.

ABAM is now actively pursuing recognition by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) while ASAM continues to establish addiction medicine as a specialty recognized by professional organizations, governments, physicians, purchasers and consumers of health care services, and the general public.

Ensuring a pipeline of qualified physicians to treat patients and assume leadership in the field of addiction medicine is essential to ASAM’s success. As such, the Ruth Fox Endowment fund has been used to support physicians-in-training by providing scholarships to attend the ASAM Annual Conference. To date, more than 70 scholarships have been awarded.

ASAM now has over 3,000 members and continues to grow strong. The need to advocate for the profession, provide clinical guidance, address emerging issues and ensure patient access to quality treatment is in demand. Your support is needed to continue the progression of success. The goal to fully fund the Ruth Fox Memorial Endowment Fund can be achieved through donations and pledges from ASAM members, and friends of the addiction field.

We proudly recognize and thank the Ruth Fox Memorial Endowment Medallion Recipients. These donors provided a variety of tax deductible gifts including cash, life insurance policies, bequests, trust funds and appreciated stocks or bonds.

Help ensure ASAM’s capacity to support the needs of the profession as it battles the chronic brain disease of addiction. Contact Kerin Miller at (301) 547-4125 or kmiller@asam.org to initiate your pledge or make a contribution. Be part of the Ruth Fox legacy.