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June 4, 2009
Dr. John Lehtinen certified by new addiction medicine board
Marquette General physician, Dr. John Lehtinen, is among the first physicians in the United States to be certified in addiction medicine by the American Board of Addiction Medicine, a new independent medical specialty board.
Dr. John Lehtinen
Although one in five Americans entering the health care system has a substance abuse problem, there has never been a medical specialty, drawn from all areas of medicine, dedicated to treating addiction. Now, patients have somewhere to turn for specialized medical care for substance use disorders related to alcohol, tobacco and other addicting drugs, including some prescription medications.
As a member of the Marquette General Behavioral Health team, Dr. Lehtinen provides an outpatient consultation service for addiction medicine, focusing on substance use disorders. In addition to addiction medicine, Dr. Lehtinen is board certified in sports medicine, occupational medicine, geriatrics and family medicine. He also sees patients at Marquette General Occupational Medicine and Marquette General Sports Medicine, and is program director emeritus of the Marquette Family Medicine Residency Program.
Dr. Lehtinen is also chief medical officer for the United States Olympic Education Center and is a team physician for Northern Michigan University. He served as one of the United States Olympic Team boxing physicians for the 1992 Games in Barcelona, was the head physician for the 1996 summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, and lent medical support for the World Youth Games staged in Moscow. He most recently was a team physician for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in China.
He completed his residency at St. John’s Hospital in Detroit and earned his medical degree at Wayne State University School of Medicine. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Michigan Technological University.
Created in 2007, with the assistance and encouragement of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the ABAM began certifying addiction medicine physicians from several specialties since there was previously only addiction-related board certification for psychiatrists. The ABAM offers a rigorous certifying examination that was developed by an expert panel and the National Board of Medical Examiners, as well as maintenance of certification examination to ensure that ABAM-certified physicians maintain life-long competence in Addiction Medicine.
To schedule an addiction medicine consult with Dr. Lehtinen, please call Marquette General Behavioral Health at (906) 225-3994.
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