REACH is not an independent fellowship program. REACH is a project funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP) to provide funding to support the cultivation and fostering of minorities as leaders and clinicians in addictions. The funding provides financial support to fellowship positions at participating Addiction Medicine and Addiction Psychiatry programs throughout the U.S..
REACH program has allocated up to a maximum of $104,000 per fellow to support their fellowship training and the goals outlined by the REACH leadership. These funds are dedicated to support the fellow’s position at their institution, their work within REACH and solely intended for use by and for the fellow.
In Year 1 of REACH (2019-2020) REACH accepted 7 Fellows and 12 Trainees (trainees are medical students, residents, and allied health professional trainees such as nursing students and physician assistant/associate trainees). In total REACH funded 19 Scholars (7 fellows and 12 trainees).
In Year 2 of REACH (2020-2021) we accepted 10 Fellows and 12 Trainees, for a total of 22 scholars.
In Year 3 of REACH (2021-2022) we accepted 8 fellows and 14 trainees, for a total of 22 scholars.
In Year 4 of REACH (2022-2023) we accepted 7 fellows and 10 trainees, for a total of 17 scholars.
In Year 5 of REACH (2023-2024) we accepted 7 fellows and 12 trainees, for a total of 19 scholars.
We anticipate accepting a minimum of 7 fellows and 10 trainees for Year 6 (2024-2025). Additional scholars may be accepted based on available funding.
Commitment can be demonstrated in a variety of ways including volunteer experience, meaningful lived experience, and a clearly articulated understanding of the experiences of minoritized patients with SUDs. Additionally, their letters of recommendation can speak to an applicant’s interest and commitment to serving minoritized populations and their skills providing SUD services. Lastly, academic scholarship in one or both of these domains is an effective way of demonstrating skills and commitment to this population and the field of addiction. For more advanced students, we would like to see active clinical involvement discussed in your essays, reflected in your CV, and mentioned in your letters of recommendation.
Yes. All application materials must be received no later than 11:59 pm (ET) on the application deadline.
Yes. All application materials must be received no later than 11:59 pm (ET) on the application deadline.
Yes. Letters of recommendation (LORs) and statement of participation (SOP) are required by ALL applicants.
LORs must be a person who could speak to the applicant's clinical skills, commitment to serving racial and ethnic minoritized populations, and/or experience providing substance use disorder (SUD) services.
SOP must be from your Program Director, Dead of Students, or Dean of Training. The SOP is to give permission for the applicant to participation fully in all aspects of the program (i.e., welcome workshop, check-in meetings, monthly wellness sessions, and monthly webinars and evaluations).
Letters must include a signature (wet or electronic) and saved as a PDF on Letterhead.
Each year the welcome workshop, formally known as the 1-week intensive, typically occurs in mid-July. The location is to be determined; however, information will be provided to selected scholars to plan for in-person attendance.
In Year 1 (2019-2020) the 1-Week Intensive took place July 7-13.
In Year 2, (2020-2021) because of the pandemic the intensive trainings were spread over the entire year in virtual sessions, and we hosted a 2-day Virtual Welcome Workshop July 17-18.
For Year 3 (2021-2022) we continued with our virtual curriculum and held a virtual Welcome Workshop in July 2022.
For Year 4 (2022-2023) we held a modified in-person 2-day Welcome Workshop Intensive Training July 2022 in Washington, D.C. and conducted a virtual curriculum of intensive training and webinars throughout the program year.
For Year 5 (2023-2024) we continued the modified in-person 2-day Welcome Workshop Intensive Training July 2023 in Atlanta, GA and conducted a virtual curriculum of intensive training and webinars throughout the program year.
A statement provided by the applicant’s current Dean of Students in medical school or nursing school, verifying that the applicant is currently enrolled and in the process of applying for residency. This placeholder statement is added to the applicant’s portfolio until March, when matching is revealed, then REACH Program Manager will follow up with the applicant to confirm that they have matched and where.
If the applicant has matched, then a letter from the applicant’s Residency Program Director or Chair will need to be provided, confirming that the applicant will be matriculated into the program and granting them permission to participate in all REACH activities over the course of the year (namely the in-person Welcome Workshop, monthly webinars, and the Scholarly Project).
If the applicant does not successfully match into residency, then they will have to re-apply to the REACH program the following year. All applicants must be enrolled in training programs in order to be eligible for REACH funding.
In the online application, there is a place for applicants to indicate if they have applied previously, and to demonstrate what they have accomplished since the last time they applied. There is no limit on how many times someone can apply to the program.
Upon successful submission of your application, letter writers will receive a separate email with instructions on how and where to upload letters. Applicants must be sure to enter letter writers correct email and contact information in the application.
Letters must include a signature (wet or electronic) and is saved as a PDF on Letterhead.
During the application process, a 1-page project proposal submission is only required by Fellow applicants. However, if accepted to REACH, ALL scholars (trainees and fellows) are required to complete a project over the program academic year.
Eligible applicants must be enrolled in an accredited addiction program. REACH funding cannot support unaccredited programs or programs in pending status. Accreditation must be affirmed prior to accepting the REACH award.
Yes. The application is considered complete when the application and submitted materials are successfully retrieved including required letters. Then and only then will applicants receive a confirmation email.