ASAM Applauds Senate Approval of Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz as First Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use
Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz as the first Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) applauds the Senate for approving Dr. McCance-Katz’s nomination and congratulates Dr. McCance-Katz on her new role.
“Dr. McCance-Katz brings exceptional clinical expertise and leadership experience to this important role, and ASAM looks forward to working with her and supporting her success as our nation’s first Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use,” said ASAM President Dr. Kelly Clark.
Dr. McCance-Katz boasts significant expertise in psychiatry and addiction medicine, gained over decades of practice as a clinician, teacher, and researcher. She has demonstrated her capability as an effective executive and civil servant as the head of a major state substance use disorder agency and the first Chief Medical Officer of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Additionally, Dr. Katz’s background in providing medication assisted treatment will be especially valuable to this Administration as it seeks to combat the current epidemic of opioid addiction and overdose deaths. She is uniquely qualified to help inform the Administration’s efforts to expand access to effective treatment for opioid addiction and ASAM looks forward to working with the Administration toward this mutual goal.