Member Spotlight

What drew you to addiction medicine?

I grew up on the west side before it was the Upper West Side, in the ’70s, and there were people nodding out in my neighborhood. One of my neighbors’ sons got addicted. It helped me see that people who were using drugs were human beings. They weren’t some weird species somewhere out there. I did my residency in social medicine and family medicine at Montefiore. I wanted to do psychiatry, but I didn’t want to be restricted to it. Addiction medicine is a place where medicine comes in, but not paying attention to what’s going on in the person is just not where it’s at. I felt I could be more holistic there.

People who were using drugs were human beings. They weren’t some weird species somewhere out there.Sonia Lopez, MD, FASAM

How has the field changed over your 40-plus years?

I remember the first couple of NYSAM conferences. There were maybe 30 of us. It’s been very gratifying to see it become a field, to grow from “these are just terrible people who have bad character” to “it’s a medical issue and it’s a disease of the brain.” And the fact that it is now considered medicine is a real big step. I was the Director of the OTP at VIP around 15 years ago, and there were many judges in NYC that wanted people off of methadone before their mandates were completed. We fought against that, and I think it’s gotten much better. I wrote many letters stating basically that judges were practicing medicine. So it’s good to remember there are steps forward.

What does NYSAM mean to you?

If you’re treating people who have addictions, it can be very isolating. I would go to family medicine conferences, and nobody was really talking about treating addictions. NYSAM battles that isolation, and it honors the fact that this is real medicine and that it’s hard work. There is something about us addiction medicine doctors that is often a little bit different, out of the mold. With NYSAM we often work to get congressional changes and do lobbying. There’s no other way to get through these times without community.

There’s no other way to get through these times without community.Sonia Lopez, MD, FASAM

What are your biggest advocacy priorities for the field?

I’m worried about reimbursement for Medicaid. Right now the biggest advocacy in the field is for people who are undocumented, or who don’t have money to get good treatment. I’ve had problems with coverage for things like Vivitrol, and to me that’s disgraceful. The most important thing is to make good treatment accessible to all people, not just people who can afford a very fancy place. I’ve had many patients who went to those fancy places and didn’t get better. My other dreams are more medicines for cocaine and alcohol, and more accessible methadone. I have many patients who’ve stopped using opioids and are on buprenorphine, but now they’re using cocaine and can’t seem to stop. So it’s not just like diabetes; it’s not just one thing. Some patients need more support, including housing.

The most important thing is to make good treatment accessible to all people, not just people who can afford a very fancy place.Sonia Lopez, MD, FASAM

What have your patients taught you?

Most of the people I work with in the South Bronx and Harlem are tremendous survivors… some of my patients are still using drugs, but they’ll outlive us. One patient, who has been through homelessness and now has an apartment of his own, told me, “Even if I lose everything, I’ve already been there, so I know I can get through it.” How many people can say that?

“Even if I lose everything, I’ve already been there, so I know I can get through it.”A patient of Dr. Sonia Lopez

What would you tell early-career clinicians?

There are really bad days. I’ve had patients overdose, and it’s been really hard. And there are incredible days. One woman who lived in the subway tunnels for about 20 years, and overdosed several times in a shelter, has now had her own apartment for a year and a half. Even if it’s just one or two really good days, it’s worth it.

Even if it’s just one or two really good days, it’s worth it.Sonia Lopez, MD, FASAM