At Boston Medical Center, the Center for Addiction Treatment for AdoLescent/Young adults who use SubsTances (CATALYST) program helps teens and young adults who use alcohol or drugs. Our team provides access to a wide range of services including primary care, harm reduction, assessment and treatment of substance use disorders, psychiatry, psychotherapy, and recovery support for patients through age 25 and their families.
Contact Us
6th Floor
Yawkey Center 617.414.6655
Conditions We Treat
Treatments & Services
- Assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs)
- Assessment, diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders
- Primary care including HIV screening, Pre-exposure Prophylaxis, Hepatitis C screening and treatment, screening for other sexually transmitted infections, and family planning
- Overdose education and naloxone kits
- Parent guidance for families
- Additional support with navigation and recovery coaching
Patients can either receive primary care Boston Medical Center OR get a referral from their existing primary care provider. The CATALYST Clinic team can help patients schedule and establish primary care at BMC in addition to their substance use care/services if desired.
Our Team
We are a multidisciplinary team consisting of physicians board certified addiction medicine and psychiatry, licensed clinical social workers, a nurse care manager with addiction certification, a patient navigator, recovery coaches, and a program manager. We offer evidence-based treatment and are adept at working with young patients who use substances. Our team based-care allows us to provide the best care for patients and their families creating a clear path to healthy lives.
Sarah Bagley, MD, Msc
Director/Physician
Ashley Dortch, LICSW, LADC I
Social Worker
Nicollette Johnson, MPH
Program Assistant
Elizabeth Paci, MD
Physician
Elizabeth Robinson, MSN, RN
Nurse
Juliana Scherer, LCSW, MPH
Social Worker
Deric Topp, MPH
Program Manager
Amy Yule, MD
Addiction Psychiatrist
Patient Resources
Additional Information
Research Overview
Selected Research:
Receipt of Addiction Treatment After Opioid Overdose Among Medicaid-Enrolled Adolescents and Young Adults - Alinsky RH, Zima BT, Rodean J, et al. s. JAMA Pediatr. 2020;174(3):e195183. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.5183
Opioid Prescribing Patterns and Subsequent Overdose - Hadland SE, Bagley SM. . JAMA Pediatr. 2020;174(2):124-125. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.4885
Alcohol Use Disorders in Adolescents - Bagley SM, Levy S, Schoenberger SF. . Pediatr Clin North Am. 2019;66(6):1063-1074. doi:10.1016/j.pcl.2019.08.003
Incidence and Characteristics of Nonfatal Opioid Overdose Among Youths Aged 11 to 24 Years by Sex - Bagley SM, Gai MJ, Earlywine JJ, Schoenberger SF, Hadland SE, Barocas JA.. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(12):e2030201. Published 2020 Dec 1. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.30201
Characteristics and Receipt of Medication Treatment Among Young Adults Who Experience a Nonfatal Opioid-Related Overdose - Bagley SM, Larochelle MR, Xuan Z, et al.. Ann Emerg Med. 2020;75(1):29-38. doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2019.07.030
Non-fatal opioid-related overdoses among adolescents in Massachusetts 2012-2014. - Chatterjee A, Larochelle MR, Xuan Z, et al. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2019;194:28-31. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.09.020
Evidence-Based Treatment of Young Adults With Substance Use Disorders - Hadland SE, Yule AM, Levy SJ, Hallett E, Silverstein M, Bagley SM. . Pediatrics. 2021;147(Suppl 2):S204-S214. doi:10.1542/peds.2020-023523D
A commentary on the impact of COVID-19 on engagement of youth with substance use and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. - Bagley SM, Hadland SE, Yule AM. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2021;121:108175. doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2020.108175
Age-based preferences for risk communication in the fentanyl era: 'A lot of people keep seeing other people die and that's not enough for them'. - Gunn CM, Maschke A, Harris M, et al. Addiction. 2021;116(6):1495-1504. doi:10.1111/add.15305
Opioid use disorder and overdose among youth following an initial opioid prescription. - Hadland SE, Bagley SM, Gai MJ, et al. Addiction. 2021;116(10):2790-2800. doi:10.1111/add.15487
Integrating Harm Reduction into Outpatient Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Settings : Harm Reduction in Outpatient Addiction Treatment - Taylor JL, Johnson S, Cruz R, Gray JR, Schiff D, Bagley SM. [published online ahead of print, 2021 Jun 22]. J Gen Intern Med. 2021;1-10. doi:10.1007/s11606-021-06904-4
Engaging the Family in the Care of Young Adults With Substance Use Disorders. - Bagley SM, Ventura AS, Lasser KE, Muench F. Pediatrics. 2021;147(Suppl 2):S215-S219. doi:10.1542/peds.2020-023523C
Residency and Fellowship Information
Addiction Medicine Fellowship
The mission of the Grayken Fellowship in Addiction Medicine is to train physician addiction medicine leaders in clinical care, research, education, public health, and advocacy to improve addiction care for people vulnerable to health inequities due to race, ethnicity, gender, poverty, age, disability or stigmatizing illness.
The Grayken Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program is a 1 or 2 year fellowship. There is also a 3-year combined Infectious Disease-Addiction Medicine Fellowship and a 2-year Fellowship in Maternal Health Addiction. Fellows are mentored by our multidisciplinary faculty from Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease, Emergency Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Addiction Psychiatry. The Grayken Fellowship in Addiction Medicine is accredited by the ACGME. Click here to learn more
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