Marla D. Kushner, DO, FACOFP, DFAOAAM, FSAHM, DFASAM
Candidate for Vice-President
Marla D. Kushner, DO, FACOFP, DFAOAAM, FSAHM, DFASAM is an addiction medicine specialist and the Regional Vice President of Medical Services, East Region at Bicycle Health, focusing on virtual Opioid Use Disorder treatment. A Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine graduate, she completed her residency in Farmington Hills and a fellowship in Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine in Chicago. Board-certified in Addiction Medicine, she is a distinguished fellow of the AOAAM and ASAM. Dr. Kushner serves on the board of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ and is a past president of the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine.
Candidate Questionnaire Responses
1. How would your election to the ASAM Board of Directors benefit ASAM and the field of addiction medicine?
Having served on the ASAM Board for two terms, I possess the institutional memory and governance expertise to lead effectively from day one. As a DO board-certified in Family, Adolescent/Young Adult, and Addiction Medicine, I offer a multi-dimensional perspective on patient care, bridging primary care and specialty addiction settings.
My leadership with the AOAAM and ASAM demonstrates my long-term commitment to elevating our specialty’s standards. If elected Vice President, I am dedicated to fostering an inclusive, transparent Board. My priority is ensuring our policy initiatives and educational resources remain grounded in the real world experiences of clinicians across all practice models. I am a firm believer in the power of our collective voice and am ready to dedicate my energy and experience to serving both the Board and our broader addiction medicine community.
2. Candidate Statement
Having served on the ASAM Board of Directors for two terms, I am honored to seek the position of Vice President. My tenure began as a liaison between the AOAAM and ASAM, where I focused on strengthening our partnership through integrated advocacy and shared education. I am particularly proud of our collective progress in ensuring equitable board certification pathways for both MD and DO physicians and aligning our national policy initiatives.
We are currently in a pivotal 3 to 5 year window to firmly establish addiction medicine as a foundational pillar of modern healthcare. To succeed, our field must navigate increasingly complex regulatory landscapes, secure sustainable funding models, and thoughtfully integrate emerging technologies like AI to support, not replace, the clinician’s role. Central to all these efforts is our continued work to dismantle the persistent stigma surrounding substance use disorders.
My leadership philosophy is built on collaboration. I believe our greatest strength lies in unifying diverse perspectives to drive systemic change. As Vice President, I am committed to leading with transparency and leveraging my clinical background to ensure our strategic direction remains grounded in the realities of daily practice.
I am deeply honored to be considered for this role and am ready to dedicate my energy and experience to serving both the Board and our broader addiction medicine community.