News

Julie Kmiec, DO (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), has been selected as a 2021 UPMC ACES recipient for her outstanding work at UPMC. ACES recipients are recognized for embodying UPMC’s core values, exhibiting excellence in and dedication to their work, and going above and beyond to serve patients and communities. Dr. Kmiec’s colleagues have described her as a compassionate and informed leader, a key organizer in reaching out to community partners, and a clinician with a genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of often-marginalized patients.

Dr. Kmiec is an expert in the treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs), especially opioid use disorder. Her expertise has substantially enhanced UPMC’s capacity to respond to the opioid crisis in our region, particularly through the delivery of medication-assisted treatment. Dr. Kmiec is the medical director of the UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) Ambulatory Detoxification Program, as well as the buprenorphine Narcotic Addiction Treatment Program, UPMC’s first buprenorphine program.

In addition, Dr. Kmiec is the medical director of the WPH Bridge Clinic, which provides treatment to patients referred from medical emergency departments for opioid use disorder. Dr. Kmiec’s clinical achievements have been recognized by an emergency care innovation of the year award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, honoring her work helping patients in the emergency department to be referred to ambulatory detoxification programs. On a national level, in 2018 Dr. Kmiec was named a fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the nation’s leading addiction medicine society.

“I have known Dr. Kmiec since she was a resident at Western Psych. She has grown from an excellent resident to an astounding clinician, educator, and leader within the Addiction Service Line,” said Jody Glance, MD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry; Medical Director, Addiction Medicine Services), who nominated Dr. Kmiec for the award. “She is an incredible physician and leader. I often call her with clinical questions, and she never fails to show her passion and incredible knowledge base.” Other remarks from Dr. Kmiec’s colleagues include “Her knowledge base is unparalleled, and she keeps up on virtually everything published in the SUD field of medicine. I truly feel blessed to have the opportunity to not only learn from, but to be able to collaborate with such an outstanding and gifted healer in an often-overlooked aspect of client care.”

Congratulations, Dr. Kmiec!