Dr. Fred Rottnek
Hope Fund Sponsor
ARCHway believes in recovery from the disease of addiction.
I don’t love medicine, but I love what I can do with it.
And since joining ARCHway’s Board in March 2019, I have a brand new playground and a bunch of new playmates.
I want to use this Hope Fund as a way to engage health care professionals in understanding substance use disorders (SUDs) and co-occurring mental illness. By better understanding SUDs, and hearing ARCHway stakeholders’ stories of recovery and how they are flourishing, I’m confident that our medical professionals and communities can rise to the challenge of engaging more fully in this work. There is a way for everyone to support this work—through time and/or money. Send some money this way, and we’ll direct it towards supporting the education and professional development of peers and other health care professionals. We need to create a healthy, resilient workforce who can support our individuals, families, and communities toward flourishing.
My Story
Almost three years ago, after much turbulence in local government and the press, I took a deep dive into the freshly recognized field of addiction medicine. I would never have had the courage or the comfort level to take on a new focus—much less a new board exam—in my 50’s without my practices of the previous decades. And I am busier than ever as I try to formalize coursework, clinical practice in addiction, and a fellowship.
My patients and colleagues have made me a better person and a better physician by helping me search for the deeper stories of people with mental illness and substance use disorders.
The principle of charity calls us to expect the most rational and best intentions behind an individual’s actions or words. I am a far more charitable person today as a result of my depression and the lens it has provided me in my career. More about my personal and professional journey can be found in a conversation on the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance site.
Professional Background
- Professor and the Director of Community Medicine at Saint Louis University (SLU) School of Medicine and Medical Director of the Physician Assistant Program
- Graduate of the Saint Louis University School of Medicine and the Master of Arts in Health Care Mission Program at Aquinas Institute of Theology
- Clinical practices have included correctional healthcare, homeless healthcare, community clinics, and addiction medicine
- Faculty in the School of Medicine, the Physician Assistant Program, the Interprofessional Education Program, and the School of Law
- Medical Director for the Assisted Recovery Centers of American (ARCA).
- Boards: Saint Louis Regional Health Commission, Alive and Well Communities, and the ARCHway Institute.
Perhaps most importantly for readers of this page, I’m the Program Director of our new Saint Louis University Addiction Medicine Fellowship. Follow the link for a description and the goals of this medical specialty.
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