The J.M. Foundation: mainstreaming alcohol and drug issues in American medicine

Alcohol Health & Research World, Wntr, 1989 by Joseph S. Dolan

THE J.M. FOUNDATION

Mainstreaming Alcohol and Drug Issues in American Medicine

Born to one of America's leading philanthropic families, Jeremiah Milbank (1887-1972) created the New York City-based J.M. Foundation in 1924 to enhance the Nation's health, rehabilitation, and educational programs. As an extension of its interest in rehabilitation medicine, the foundation began funding projects in alcohol and other drug abuse in 1983, after extensive research and site visits revealed the devastating impact and costs of alcohol and other drugs in American society.

THE JM FOUNDATION

Since that time, The J.M. Foundation has funded 88 projects totaling $2.75 million in the areas of medical education, national voluntary organizations, public policy, and children of alcoholics. The foundation also has initiated several conferences for grantmakers on alcohol and drug issues in cooperation with Grantmakers in Health and the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers. In addition, The J.M. Foundation joined the New York Community Trust and The Pew Charitable Trusts in January 1988 to create a new network of funders, Grantmakers Concerned About Alcohol and Drug Abuse. This educational forum, coordinated by The Pew Charitable Trusts, is designed to advance corporate and foundation funding in combating substance abuse and to foster the exchange of knowledge, resources, and new strategies.

MEDICAL EDUCATION GRANTS

J.M. Foundation directors also have selected projects in partnership with other private and government funders. These include the Faculty Development Program in Substance Abuse Education involving Judy Ann Bigby, M.D., and Thomas Delbanco, M.D. -- affiliated with the Society of General Internal Medicine. The program is an onsite, 3-day faculty development course in alcohol and other drug education designed for primary care physicians in general internal medicine. Another promising initiative involves Dean Richard S. Ross and Special Assistant Emma J. Stokes, Ph.D., of The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in the creation of the Blades Center for Clinical Practice and Research in Alcoholism.

Two-year startup support has been given to New York University's (NYU's) new Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse headed by Marc Galanter, M.D. Galanter is developing a National Center for Postgraduate Medical Fellowships in Alcoholism and Drug Abuse with support from the Scaife Family Foundation. The J.M. Foundation also funds the Pediatricians as Preventors project of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation; education initiatives of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) and the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse under the leadership of David Lewis, M.D., at Brown University; and activities with the New York Business Group on Health.

MEDICAL STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The foundation's most prominent alcohol-related project is The J.M. Foundation Medical Student Scholarship Program in Alcohol and Other Drug Dependencies, which began in 1985. More than 700 J.M. Scholars have now "graduated" from 1- to 3-week summer schools or institutes of alcohol and drug studies across the country. The program is designed to acquaint medical students with diagnostic, treatment, and other issues concerning patients with alcohol and other drug problems. One foundation objective is to help create a critical mass of knowledgeable medical students who can serve as catalysts to enhance alcohol and other drug education in their respective schools.

At each participating school or institute, a medical student track is developed and led by physician-instructors. Students observe and interact with patients in a clinical setting. Training sites have included some of the Nation's leading educational and treatment centers, including the Betty Ford Center, Hazelden, Rutgers' Center of Alcohol Studies, Vanderbilt Medical School, and the Weekend Intervention Program at Wright State University Medical School. In 1988, the Pittsburgh-based Scaife Family Foundation provided support for an additional 70 medical student scholarships for "Scaife Family Fellows."

Many of these medical tracks are situated within summer alcohol school settings that include some 200 to 800 lay and professional people from many disciplines and professions. Some are recovering alcohol or drug dependent people who are successful and productive. Open meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous and other self-help groups are usually attended by medical students participating in the scholarship program.

In 1986, Dr. Marc Galanter at NYU designed an evaluation instrument to be completed by medical students in the J.M. Scholars program. The 1987 evaluation of 216 medical students' responses revealed that the students' most compelling reason to participate was a recognition that alcohol and other drug abuse are important social and health problems. Twenty-nine percent of first- and second-year students and 50 percent of third- and fourth-year students indicated their decision to attend was "very much" or "extremely" influenced by a career interest in this field.