Program Overview
The Addiction Treatment Forum educational program was developed in the early 1990s to address the concerns of patients and professionals working in the addiction treatment field during the heroin epidemic that faced our nation. The goal of the educational program is to report what has happened, what is happening today, and what might happen in the future to further the success of professionals and patients in providing medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction. Our program is funded by an educational grant from Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.
Today we have over a million yearly visits to our website (ATForum.com). Our website content includes almost 100 newsletters, currently published bi-monthly; 250 news updates; related resources and website listings; information on where to find substance abuse treatment; patient education brochures; and a listing of key events and conferences related to substance abuse treatment.
Editorial Process
It should be noted that the publisher and the contributing writers are not medical professionals (see background information below).
The publisher is responsible for selecting all content for the news updates, resources, and related websites on ATForum.com. The publisher and contributing writers discuss potential article and interview ideas before starting work on the bi-monthly newsletter. Our editorial goal is to provide a mix of news stories, interviews on key topics of interest to our diverse audience, research summaries that can further the education of our readers in the addiction treatment field, and other resources to help encourage patients in medication-assisted treatment to successfully stay on the road to recovery.
When interviews are conducted and published in our online newsletters, the professionals and or patients we interviewed receive the final article for approval before the newsletter is published online. Articles for our news updates include links to the original articles, the source, and the date they were published online.
When White Papers are written and published, they are footnoted and fully referenced.
Publisher/Contributing Writer Background/Qualifications
Sue Emerson (Publisher)
Sue Emerson is currently the Publisher/Owner of the Addiction Treatment Forum educational program that focuses on medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction. For over the past 20 years, she has served as an account manager on Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals and a variety of medical and dental accounts with full service advertising agencies.
She began her career in advertising working in media on a variety of package goods accounts for leading advertising agencies including BBDO and Needham Harper & Steers.
Sue received her Bachelor of Arts degree (Advertising), at Michigan State University.
Alison Knopf (Contributing Writer for Addiction Treatment Forum)
Alison Knopf is currently: Managing Editor, Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter (Publisher: Wiley); Managing Editor, Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update (Publisher: Wiley); Contributing Writer, Addiction Professional (Publisher: Vendome); Editor, Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly (Publisher: John Wiley & Sons); and Writer, Addiction Treatment Forum (Publisher: Clinco Communications).
In the past she has edited newsletters for Decision Health/United Communications Group on pediatrics, ophthalmology, and urology; and substance abuse news publications for Business Research Publications and Warren, Gorham, and Lamont.
Barbara Goodheart, ELS (Contributing Writer for Addiction Treatment Forum)
Barbara Goodheart is an award-winning medical writer and a certified editor in the life sciences (ELS).
She has worked as an independent contractor with more than 40 leading medical associations, medical education companies, and pharmaceutical companies. Her projects include monographs, film scripts, educational programs for general audiences, and accredited continuing medical educational programs (CMEs) for physicians and other health professionals. Additional publications include six books and dozens of freelance magazine articles on health, travel, and family topics.
Barbara received her Bachelor of Arts degree (Biology major, Psychology minor) from Northwestern University