Member Profile: Merrill Herman, MD

From 1995 until 2009, the New York Society of Addiction Medicine (NYSAM) grew and flourished under the hand of Dr. Merrill Herman. In 1995, the membership was relatively inactive and only 15-20 members attended its Annual Meeting. Today, the attendance has grown to 200 and through all the NYSAM activities and initiatives the society has grown to 240 active members with 26 associate members. This fact is a testament to Dr. Herman’s leadership and unwavering dedication to the field of addiction medicine.

Dr. Herman became involved in addiction medicine when Dr. Anne Geller and his fellowship director Dr. Marc Galanter encouraged him to join the organization because they said “it would be a great opportunity to network and grow with the organization.”

Dr. Herman has stayed involved with ASAM because he enjoys the opportunity to work with addiction physicians from multiple specialties. Each field brings him a unique viewpoint, which is very good “for collegiality, networking, and career development,” says Dr. Herman.

In addition to being the President of the New York Chapter, Dr. Herman was a part of the ASAM Strategic Planning Committee that started the process of developing the Board Certification in Addiction Medicine, which is now coming to fruition.

Dr. Herman’s years of involvement with NYSAM paints how chapter involvement helps people become active in local affairs, keep up with the latest advances in addiction treatment and provides opportunities to influence events on a national level. Dr. Herman cites NYSAM’s influence on medical marijuana policy, the Good Samaritan 911 law and implementation of Narcan overdose kits as examples of what effects an active chapter can have on local policy. For more information about your local chapter, please visit the ASAM website.

When not working to help NYSAM grow, Dr. Herman is the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Director at Albert Einstein/Montefiore Medical Center, where doctors work with integrated medicine, which provides them with boundless training opportunities to learn from other medical disciplines. This is the sort of challenge that Dr. Herman sees as a golden opportunity for ASAM. When coupled with addiction medicine board certification and parity, there is an opportunity to increase the number of addiction medicine providers. This, in turn, will allow for improved access to care for patients and appropriate care for providers and will attract young physicians to the field.

If you are new to the field of addiction medicine, Dr. Herman says this is an exciting time to join with the growth in terms of science and the opportunity to implement evidence-based medicine. Take advantage of every opportunity to network with other doctors and reach out to your local chapter. Addiction medicine is a growing and stimulating field that attracts doctors who care about patients and are incredibly hopeful.