The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) has awarded the Program for Research, Outreach, Therapeutics, and Education in the Addictions (PROTEA) its 2026 Innovative Program Award. This award honors excellence in the development of an original educational program or activity for family medicine residents, students, or faculty and includes services and activities that have a significant positive impact on family medicine education. PROTEA was selected for its integration of addiction medicine education across undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education and its translation of research into practical, scalable education and clinical tools with regional and national impact.
PROTEA team members: Back row, L to R – Randy Brown, MD, PhD and David Leinweber, MD; Front row – Kelly Eagen, MD; Megan Houston, MS; Nada Rashid; and Kathleen Maher, BA.
PROTEA is a transdisciplinary program that focuses efforts on enhancing the investigation and dissemination of prompt access to compassionate care, maximized health and well-being for people who use alcohol and other drugs, and the elimination of stigmatizing practices and policies. The program serves family medicine learners and teachers through education, research, clinical care, and outreach. Some highlights of the program include a clinician consult line, an addiction medicine fellowship, substance use disorders management boot camps, a monthly Project ECHO forum, and research testing interventions that improve prevention, screening, diagnosis, and therapeutic interventions.
Randy Brown, MD, PhD, DFASAM, vice chair for research at the University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, is PROTEA’s founding director. Megan Houston, MS is the PROTEA research program manager and Kathleen Maher, BA is the PROTEA outreach program manager. PROTEA comprises a team encompassing faculty and staff with expertise in addiction medicine, health implementation projects, clinical trials research, qualitative methods, community engagement, and more with numerous collaborations across campus and beyond. Brown will attend the STFM Annual Spring Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana this May to accept the award on behalf of the program.
STFM is a national community of academic leaders committed to developing an accomplished family medicine workforce prepared to serve as the foundation of America’s health care system. Their mission is advancing family medicine to improve health through a community of teachers and scholars.
Published: January 2026