Stephanie Weiss, MD, PhD, FASAM, joins us for this special episode recorded at ASAM’s 55th Annual Conference. Dr. Weiss shares her experiences attending ASAM’s conferences over the past few years, including the virtual conference in 2020 when she was a Ruth Fox Scholar. She talks about her extensive educational journey and the surprising path to her current job at NIDA. She also discusses her work regarding kratom, kratom use, and how that use differs in the US versus other countries. Dr. Weiss addresses the challenges of interpreting urine drug testing and the complexities of stigma related to addiction.   Dr. Weiss is the staff clinician serving the Translational Addiction Medicine Branch (TAMB) of the NIDA IRP. After earning a PhD in pharmaceutical chemistry from the University of South Florida, Dr. Weiss received her medical degree from Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine in 2011. She practiced as an emergency physician in Florida before completing fellowships in addiction medicine and medical toxicology, a subspecialty that cares for patients with poisonings, environmental exposures, and overdoses. She also participated in Boston University’s Research in Addiction Medicine Scholars Program, which fosters the development of addiction physician scientists. Dr. Weiss assumes responsibility for providing optimal, safe, and ethical care to study participants and clinical support toward the TAMB mission of conducting inpatient and outpatient proof-of-concept human laboratory studies. Her research interests include kratom toxicology, medication misuse, and improving interpretation of urine drug testing. Links: ASAM Annual Conference information Ruth Fox Scholarship Program NIDA – National Institute on Drug Abuse Research in Addiction Medicine Scholars Program American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)   If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, you are not alone. Treatment is available and recovery is possible. Visit ASAM’s Patient Resources page for more information. The information shared in this podcast episode is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. The views expressed in this podcast may not be those of the host or ASAM management.