Betty Ford Institute director to visit, speak on substance use disorders

Joseph Skrajewski, M.A., MFT-I, Director of Medical Education of Programs and Initiatives at the Betty Ford Institute in Rancho Mirage, California, will visit the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 to present “Advancements in Medical Education on Substance Use Disorders”. The presentation will be from 12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m. in ACB 100 with pizza provided.

Skrajewski heads the Betty Ford Summer Institute program, which gives third-and fourth-year medical students a first-hand look at what happens to those suffering from addiction, the struggles addiction brings and how the disease is treated. Prior to assuming his role as Director of Medical Education Programs and Initiatives, he worked as a Chemical Dependency Counselor at the Betty Ford Center, conducting psychosocial assessments, facilitating primary groups, specialty groups and workshops. Skrajewski has presented and lectured all over the world on numerous topics related to addiction.

Once a year, TTUHSC medical students and faculty can apply to attend the Betty Ford Summer Institute program as part of the Addiction Medical Curriculum. Only two schools across the country offer this program as an elective — TTUHSC and the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. Skrajewski will also be speaking at the University of North Texas in Denton following his lecture here at TTUHSC.

To read about the experiences of those who attended this year’s program, visit here.