On June 2, 2025 the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) hosted the annual Addiction Fellowships Research Day at UBC Robson Square. The event not only showcased research from across the interdisciplinary fellowship program, but also served as a culmination of the 2024/2025 fellowship cohort’s year of hard work, growth, and dedication amongst the fellows to improving their addiction expertise and practice.
“The beauty of this program is that each person walks away having had a tailored experience to meet their interests and goals,” said Jessica Mensinger, the Co-Director of the Social Work Fellowship program.
The day featured poster and oral presentations from fellows across BC and concluded with an awards ceremony recognizing the mentorship and professional growth demonstrated throughout the year. The event was an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of both fellows and mentors, while strengthening the network and community of practitioners who are passionate about supporting people who use substances.
“I have the immense pleasure of mentoring and supporting fellows as they grow in their clinical practice and research, resulting in social workers who are well positioned to become leaders in the field,” said Mensinger. She adds that the Fellowship program is uniquely positioned to support each fellow succeed in their own unique career paths.
Presentations focused on improving access and quality of care for groups of people often not addressed in systems of care, including youth, perinatal patients, people in rural and remote areas, older adults, and those using unregulated drugs. Other projects addressed experiences practitioners may have in care settings and how certain structures and challenges may shape the delivery of care. Fellows also explored novel or evolving approaches to treatment, such as high-dose methadone protocols, direct-to-injection buprenorphine, and safer supply initiatives.
About the Interdisciplinary Addiction Fellowship Program
Each year, the BCCSU welcomes dozens of fellows to the program and is the largest of its kind in North America.
Physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, pharmacists, and researchers from across the province are educated on the latest evidence-based knowledge and training in substance use care. Supported by mentorship and interdisciplinary training, the program prepares fellows to become experts in their field as leaders in clinical, academic and research settings. They also have the option to receive specialty training in inpatient and outpatient addiction management and concurrent disorders.
Fellows gain hands on experience in diverse settings, including detox, in-patient addiction care, residential treatment, complex pain, and the physical and mental health.
Fellows may have options for rotations across the Interior, Vancouver Island, Fraser Health, and Lower Mainland.
Awards celebrate and recognize excellence
Each year, the fellowship program recognizes excellence amongst that year’s cohort.
Debra Salverda was the recipient of “Richard Cunningham Award for Outstanding Addiction Nursing Fellow”. She joined the fellowship last year to build expertise while serving as Team Lead for the mental health and substance use program for the South Okanagan at Interior Health.
“This program was a chance to see what’s happening in other parts of the province, to get fresh ideas, and explore innovations, and ways to improve projects and services,” she said. “Being able to see first-hand what program delivery looks like was a great opportunity to learn how to better match clients to the right kind of treatment modalities.”
She adds that the fellowship also offered hope while in the midst of a toxic drug crisis. “It’s been inspiring that BC is leading the way with so much good work. I’ve learned so much from the initiatives we’ve explored and from the network of people we’ve built. I've learned a lot more about myself than I expected.
“It’s been a very humbling experience and has pushed me to think differently about my own practice and how I can improve.”
Awards
Excellence in Clinical Teaching Awards
- Addiction Medicine Fellowship: Dr. Julius Elefante
- Addiction Nurse Practitioner Fellowship: Fernando Polanco
- Addiction Nursing Fellowship: Dr. Genevieve Kerkerian
- Addiction Social Work Fellowship: Brendan Munden
Outstanding Fellows
- Vincent P. Dole Award for Outstanding Addiction Medicine Fellow: Dr. Marco Arimare
- Richard Cunningham Award for Outstanding Addiction Nursing Fellow: Debra Salverda
- Outstanding Addiction Social Work Fellow: Allison Heppell
Presentation Awards
- Best Poster Presentations: Julie Wade (Addiction Social Work), Kaiwen Song (Addiction Medicine)
- Best Oral Presentations: Allison Heppell (Addiction Social Work), Carlyn DeRapp (Addiction Nursing)
Deadlines for applications:
Applications for all streams will be open soon!
Addiction Medicine stream: BCCSU Applications will open on August 6 2025 and will close on October 3 2025
Addiction Nursing, Nurse Practitioner, Pharmacy and Social work streams: Applications will open on September 2 2025 and close on December 5 2025.
To learn more about the Addiction Medicine Fellowships, go to:
