Sara Polley, MD, FAPA, FASAM
Candidate for Director-at-Large
Sara Polley, MD, FAPA, FASAM is a triple board-certified psychiatrist in adult, child and adolescent psychiatry, and addiction medicine. She provides care for youth and families at a Minnesota-based nonprofit clinic. Dr. Polley is a speaker and medical educator. She serves on Minnesota’s Cannabis Advisory Council and ASAM’s Criteria Steering and Conference Planning Committees and is Alternative Region VI Director. She contributed to the ASAM Criteria Adolescent Volume and is an editor for the upcoming Behavioral Addictions Volume. She advocates for integrated, family-centered care, informed by her clinical experience and personal experience as a child of parental addiction.
Candidate Questionnaire Responses
1. How would your election to the ASAM Board of Directors benefit ASAM and the field of addiction medicine?
I would bring a perspective that bridges areas of addiction medicine often addressed separately. My clinical work spans children, adolescents, and adults impacted by co-occurring psychiatric and substance use concerns. I work in prevention, early intervention, and treatment with experience across ASAM levels of care. My leadership experience includes community mental health, physician and mental health workforce education, program development, policy development, and national committee service. I believe these experiences allow me to connect clinical practice with systems-level thinking and translate evidence into practical solutions for clinicians. I’ve been described as approachable, collaborative, and a direct communicator, and I value transparency and authenticity. I also carry the lived experience of being the child of a parent who struggled with addiction. This combination of perspectives makes me a unique candidate for the ASAM Board of Directors.
2. Candidate Statement
I am a triple board-certified psychiatrist in Adult Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Addiction Medicine. I currently serve as Medical Director for Vantage Mental Health, a nonprofit community behavioral health organization serving Minnesota and Wisconsin. I maintain an active clinical practice working with children, families, adolescents, and adults across the spectrum of substance use treatment needs. I work with children of parents with substance use concerns, youth at risk of developing substance use disorders, and individuals needing early intervention or treatment for severe psychiatric and substance use disorders across the lifespan. I am passionate about modeling and advocating for an integrated outpatient model of care, a focus throughout my career in clinical care, education, leadership, and systems innovation.
Within ASAM, I serve on the Criteria Steering Committee, the Conference Planning Committee, and as an editor for the forthcoming Behavioral Addictions Volume of the ASAM Criteria. I am also involved with multiple Adolescent Volume initiatives. I enjoy physician education, policy development, advocacy, and systems creation that can expand access to evidence-based addiction treatment for youth and families.
If elected to the ASAM Board of Directors, I would bring the perspective of a practicing community psychiatrist, nonprofit physician leader, educator, and collaborative problem-solver. I am passionate about expanding the addiction medicine workforce, strengthening partnerships across specialties, advancing prevention and youth-focused care, and integrating addiction medicine into routine psychiatric and pediatric practice. I would be honored to help ASAM continue its leadership in improving access to compassionate, evidence-based care for individuals and families affected by addiction.