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LLUBMC administrator chosen president-elect of addiction medicine society
At the annual meeting of the California Society of Addiction Medicine (CSAM) held in October, Donald J. Kurth, MD, chief of addiction medicine, Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center (BMC), was chosen president-elect of CSAM. The California Society of Addiction Medicine is the oldest and largest chapter of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), a national medical specialty society dedicated to improving the treatment of alcoholism and other drug dependencies. Dr. Kurth serves on Loma Linda University's Addiction Medicine Fellowship Committee and the Research Advisory Committee in the department of psychiatry. He is also the director of the addiction medicine fellowship rotation at BMC, and teaches both the third-year addiction medicine clerkship for the School of Medicine and the addiction medicine rotation for the psychiatric residents. "Dr. Kurth has brought to Loma Linda an enthusiasm for addiction medicine and a heartfelt commitment to helping the suffering addict and alcoholic," says Art Earll, program director, chemical dependency unit, Behavioral Medicine Center. "At the BMC, we focus on Loma Linda's mission, ‘to make man whole,' through a blend of medical science and spirituality." Dr. Kurth graduated in 1975 from Columbia College, New York City, and from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in 1979. He trained at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, and the University of California, Los Angeles, before becoming board certified in emergency medicine. In 1975, Dr. Kurth also joined the Board of Governors of Daytop Village, a drug-free rehabilitation center in New York City, and he continues to serve in that capacity today. In 1997, Dr. Kurth became certified in addiction medicine and was recruited to Loma Linda to serve as medical director of the chemical dependency unit of the BMC. He is a clinical assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. In addition to his new post as president-elect of CSAM, Dr. Kurth serves as chair of the Public Policy Committee of CSAM. He was instrumental in the passage of Proposition 36, which supports the treatment of addictive disease instead of incarceration. "I am committed to the ‘medicalization' of addiction treatment," shares Dr. Kurth. "I am currently working on Senate Bill 599, the addiction treatment parity bill, that would provide medical insurance coverage for the treatment of addictive disorders." On a national level, Dr. Kurth represents the state of California on the American Society of Addiction Medicine Board of Directors. He also serves as chair of both the Therapeutic Communities Committee and the Membership Committee of ASAM. Dr. Kurth has been involved in many volunteer efforts including
working as a physician volunteer for the Jesus Maria Clinic in Baja
California, Mexico.
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