Our ChallengeThe nationwide impact of substance misuse and addiction is devastating. In the last 20 years, opioid overdose deaths have increased nationally by over 435 percent. In Maryland, the overdose death rate has more than doubled since 2015 – accounting for 5 percent of all deaths in the state. In Baltimore, 964 deaths were attributed to opioid overdose in 2020, nearly triple the number of deaths from homicide.
To combat this epidemic, the Kahlert Institute for Addiction Medicine is leveraging the most advanced research and clinical care with a single goal in mind – to overcome addiction.
The Institute brings together leading addiction experts to collaborate and create the synergy necessary for systemic change. University of Maryland School of Medicine faculty scientists serve as an integral part of the Institute. They include neuroscientists studying the brain mechanisms underlying addictions and physician educators working to train a new generation of medical students and residents. They also include clinicians providing a continuum of addiction care with evidence-based harm reduction measures that minimize the negative consequences of drug use on a patient’s overall health.
The Kahlert Institute for Addiction Medicine is dedicated to improving the lives of Marylanders living with and affected by addiction. To confront this generational challenge, the Kahlert Institute will seek to transform addiction research, prevention, treatment, and education across Maryland, successfully integrating groups across many disciplines to create the necessary synergy for systemic change. In doing so, the Institute will uniquely support the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s mission to improve the human condition and serve the public good in Maryland and in society at large through its services.
Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore
John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor
