40 ára afmælisráðstefna SÁÁ: Addiction Medicine. Full specialty for doctors in Norway
Thomas Clausen, Professor, Dr. Med. University of Oslo

Abstract
In Norway addiction medicine is provided as part of specialist level services accessible to all citizens, free of charge, as part of the universal health care access.

In 2012 the Norwegian government decided to prepare for and develop a novel full Addiction medicine specialty in Norway encompassing a 5 year training course including 60 months of internship, coursework and supervised training. By end of 2015 the curriculum and procedures had been developed and formally established, including interim regulations for the first candidates to be examined. The education includes internship in interdisciplinary treatment services including detoxification wards as well as inpatient and outpatient services.

By June 2017 more than 90 specialists in Addiction medicine are approved and another 35 applications are in process under the interim regulations, whereas another 100 candidates are currently training for the specialty according to standard regulations.

Currently 4 teaching hospitals are approved and provide the clinical training for specialist candidates, whereas another 4 institutions have filed applications to become teaching hospitals.

Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research (SERAF), University of Oslo, Norway

Thomas Clausen is a professor and head of research centre at the Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research, SERAF, University of Oslo, Norway.

Thomas Clausen is an MD, PhD, with research focused towards opioid addiction, overdose prevention and treatment outcomes in the field of addiction medicine. Also other addiction related topics are included in the publication list, including 12-step facilitation, compulsory treatment, physical activity as part of addiction treatment, alcohol epidemiology in low-and middle income countres etc. He is appointed as a National Expert to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) for Norway, and has an ongoing collaboration with the WHO to investigate alcohol use and health outcomes particularly in low-and middle income countries.

During the academic year of 2014-15 Professor Clausen is a visiting Fulbright Scholar at the Alcohol Research Group (ARG), in Emeryville, California.

Professor Clausen has published more than 100 scientific papers and regularly serves as a mentor for numerous PhD- and Master students. He is a teaching professor at the Medical Faculty at the University of Oslo and a visiting professor at the School of Medicine at University of Botswana.

http://www.med.uio.no/klinmed/english/people/aca/thclause/index.html