Long-time Hazelden Chief Medical Officer to Retire

Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation has announced that Marvin Seppala, MD, the organization’s chief medical officer and a nationally known psychiatrist and leader in the field of addiction treatment, plans to retire in October.

Excluding two brief stints with other providers, Seppala has spent most of the past 25 years with Hazelden Betty Ford, and was instrumental in the organization implementing its COR-12 (Comprehensive Opioid Response with the 12 Steps) program that included the use of medication-assisted treatment, along with clinical therapies, 12-Step practices and peer support. By embracing MAT, COR-12 represented a significant shift from Hazelden Betty Ford’s approach that used group therapy, counseling and abstinence-based strategies to treat opioid use disorders for more than 70 years.

“I see it as a natural progression in our history going from things that worked in 1949 to things that work in 2019,” Seppala told BHE two years ago. “We have to continue to pursue the literature and research to continue to determine what’s new to do what’s best for our patients.”Top of Form

Hired in 1995, Seppala was Hazelden Betty Ford’s first full-time physician and has been credited by the organization’s leadership for helping to integrate medical and mental healthcare into addiction treatment. In addition to his role with Hazelden Betty Ford, Seppala is an adjunct professor at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies. His recent research has focused on six-month outcomes for patients in the COR-12 program, as well as a collaboration with the Mayo Clinic to identify genetic markers that predict a response to a medicine shown to help individuals with alcohol use disorder.

“As a highly trained doctor with the lived experience of recovery, Marv has brought unique value to Hazelden Betty Ford’s merging of science and spirit and has been instrumental in the evolution of our comprehensive care,” Hazelden Betty Ford president and CEO Joseph Lee, MD, said in a statement. “Marv’s service goes far beyond what he has done for our organization. He has made a positive mark on the entire field of addiction care and has done so with a serene, loving spirit that has made him cherished by patients, peers and colleagues alike.”