Audrey M. Kern, MD, DFASAM
Candidate for Vice-President
Audrey M. Kern, MD, DFASAM is board certified in Addiction Medicine by the American Board of Preventative Medicine and has been board certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine and American Board of Emergency Medicine.
She has been an active contributor to the field of Addiction Medicine for over twenty years. She is currently Associate Medical Director for the New Hampshire Professionals Health Program. Dr Kern also serves as a council member for the New Hampshire Medical Society, and as such she is active in policy and advocacy issues, representing the interests of the Addiction Medicine specialty and patients within her home state of New Hampshire.
Previous roles include Senior Global Medical Director at Pear Therapeutics, where she served as an expert in Substance Use Disorder and Opioid Use Disorder for the development of digital therapies. In addition to this work, she maintained a clinical practice as Medical Director at Sobriety Centers of New Hampshire, in Antrim New Hampshire, a residential treatment facility for women. She was a faculty member at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth from 2006-2014 as Director of the Addiction Research Clinic and a clinician at the Addiction Treatment Center.
Dr. Kern earned her Medical Degree from New York Medical College in Valhalla NY and completed her Emergency Medicine residency at Albany Medical Center in Albany NY. She was the recipient of the Air Force Health Professions Scholarship and served in the United States Air Force from 1985 through 1997.
She served on active duty as an Emergency Physician at Malcolm Grow Medical Center, Andrew Air Force Base, Washington, DC and later at Walter Reed Army Hospital, and was a Clinical Instructor at the Uniformed Service University of Health Services in Bethesda, MD.
She received the United States Air Force Medal for Meritorious Service.
Candidate Questionnaire Responses
1. What have been your greatest contributions to ASAM or to the field of addiction medicine over the last 10 years?
My DFASAM designation, of which I am immensely proud, is a reflection of the significant contributions I have made to the field of addiction medicine.
As Medical Director for the Addiction Research Center at Dartmouth, I was active in the design and coordination of multi-center trials with a focus on increasing treatment options for alcohol use disorder. During my tenure at the Addiction Treatment Program at Dartmouth, I was a collaborating physician in the Vermont Medication Assisted Treatment Learning Collaborative, helping to pioneer the Hub and Spoke model of addiction health care delivery. As a member of the Perinatal Treatment Program, I provided specialized treatment for pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorders.
I have served in multiple leadership roles representing the interests of patients with substance use disorders, including Medical Director for the State of Vermont Department of Corrections, providing oversight in healthcare services for all inmates in the State of Vermont. Other roles have included Medical Director for Health Care Resource Centers, methadone treatment programs in New Hampshire, and the Road to a Better Life outpatient-based opioid treatment programs.
As Global Medical Director of Pear Therapeutics, I had the great fortune of helping to pioneer innovative ways of providing addiction care through the development, FDA authorization and commercialization of digital therapeutics. It is a source of great satisfaction to have been a small part in the advancement of treatments for people with addiction.
2. How would your election to the ASAM Board of Directors benefit ASAM and the field of addiction medicine?
I joined ASAM early in my Addiction Medicine career, finding ASAM to be a home for professional fellowship, guidance and solidarity at a time when the Addiction Medicine specialty was still fledgling. Over the years I became an active leader within American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), first in my home state of New Hampshire and then within the national organization.
I became involved in my home chapter, the Northern New England Society of Addiction Medicine, eventually becoming President. In this role the focus was in three states, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Subsequently I was pleased to be elected by my New England peers to represent them as Region III Director, covering all of New England.
I became a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, a designation I hold with pride. I have found the experience of serving on the Board of Directors to be rewarding in many ways. As an active Board member, I serve on the Ethics committee, as well as acting as Chair of the Chapters Council, providing monthly meetings for networking and education to members of ASAM’s national leadership.
My role as a board member provides insights into the broader field of addiction medicine and to ASAMs vital role in promoting the interests of those working in the field as well as those benefitting from our work- our patients. I am able to act as a resource not only for my colleagues in New England but for our national leadership as well through the Chapters Council.
It is my long tenure at ASAM as well as a wide breadth of experience working in many roles in addiction medicine over the course of my career that I will bring to the role of Vice President. I believe my experience, dedication and orientation toward service would make me an excellent addition to the executive committee. I would be privileged to be entrusted with this duty if elected Vice President.