MEDICAL SERVICES

Specialties

Departments

Programs

Languages

  • English

EDUCATION

Medical School

  • New York University School of Medicine , 1992 , New York , NY

Internship

  • New York University School of Medicine/Bellvue Hospital , 1993 , New York , NY

Residency

  • New York University School of Medicine , 1996 , New York , NY

Fellowship

  • Boston Children's Hospital , 1999 , Boston , MA

Philosophy of Care

I completed my Pediatric internship, residency training and a Chief Residency at New York University Medical Center/Bellevue Hospital in New York City’s lower east side.  At the time, in the early to middle 1990’s Bellevue Hospital cared for most of the homeless and indigent patients in New York City.  As a trainee, I saw children and families plagued by poverty and all of its associated medical problems, including substance abuse.  Medical staff members at Bellevue were trained to care for the conditions that resulted from substance use, but little training was devoted specifically to the treatment of substance-related disorders.

During this time period, I became interested in child and family advocacy, and after completing a year as a Chief Resident in Pediatrics, I accepted a Dyson Advocacy Training Fellowship in the Division of General Pediatrics at Children's Hospital Boston.  After completing my training in 2000 I became the Director of Pediatrics for a new Adolescent Substance Abuse Program (ASAP). Shortly thereafter I received a career award from NIH to develop scientific skills in adolescent substance use disorders.  In the ensuing years both clinical and research arms of ASAP have continued to grow and flourish.

ASAP is committed to delivering science based, family oriented, developmentally appropriate care for adolescents and young adults with substance use disorders.  We are a "full spectrum" program, offering evaluation and treatment services for adolescents with a range of substance use experience, from new onset problems to addiction.

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

Sharon Levy, MD, MPH is a board certified Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. She is the Director of the Adolescent Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) in the Division of Developmental Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital, which is comprised of clinical, research, training and policy arms. She has evaluated and treated thousands of adolescents with substance use disorders, and has taught national curricula and published extensively on the outpatient management of substance use disorders in adolescents, including screening and brief advice in primary care, the use of drug testing and the outpatient management of opioid dependent adolescents. She is currently the co-PI of a SAMHSA-funded adolescent SBIRT project, an NIAAA-funded study validating the youth alcohol screening tool in a population of youth with chronic medial illness, and a Conrad N. Hilton funded study that aims to validate adolescent SBIRT measures and test a brief intervention for medically vulnerable youth.

CERTIFICATIONS

  • American Board of Pediatrics, Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics

PUBLICATIONS

Publications powered by Harvard Catalyst Profiles

  1. Levy S. The role of addiction-medicine specialists in the global fight against addiction. Nat Med. 2020 04; 26(4):456. View abstract
  2. Levy S. Youth and the Opioid Epidemic. Pediatrics. 2019 02; 143(2). View abstract
  3. Levy S, Campbell MD, Shea CL, DuPont R. Trends in Abstaining From Substance Use in Adolescents: 1975-2014. Pediatrics. 2018 08; 142(2). View abstract
  4. Levy SJ, Williams JF. Substance Use Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment. Pediatrics. 2016 Jul; 138(1). View abstract
  5. Nackers KA, Kokotailo P, Levy SJ. Substance Abuse, General Principles. Pediatr Rev. 2015 Dec; 36(12):535-44. View abstract
  6. Harris SK, Herr-Zaya K, Weinstein Z, Whelton K, Perfas F, Castro-Donlan C, Straus J, Schoneman K, Botticelli M, Levy S. Results of a statewide survey of adolescent substance use screening rates and practices in primary care. Subst Abus. 2012; 33(4):321-6. View abstract
  7. Levy SJ, Kokotailo PK. Substance use screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment for pediatricians. Pediatrics. 2011 Nov; 128(5):e1330-40. View abstract
  8. Levy S, Knight JR, Moore T, Weinstein Z, Sherritt L, Weiss RD. Acceptability of drug testing in an outpatient substance abuse program for adolescents. J Adolesc Health. 2011 Mar; 48(3):229-33. View abstract
  9. Levy S, Sherritt L, Gabrielli J, Shrier LA, Knight JR. Screening adolescents for substance use-related high-risk sexual behaviors. J Adolesc Health. 2009 Nov; 45(5):473-7. View abstract
  10. Levy S, Williams JF, Knight JR. Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment for adolescents: companion clinical case. J Addict Med. 2008; 2(4):222-6. View abstract
  11. Levy S, Knight JR. Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment for adolescents. J Addict Med. 2008; 2(4):215-21. View abstract
  12. Knight JR, Levy S. The national debate on drug testing in schools. J Adolesc Health. 2007 Nov; 41(5):419-20. View abstract
  13. Levy S, Sherritt L, Vaughan BL, Germak M, Knight JR. Results of random drug testing in an adolescent substance abuse program. Pediatrics. 2007 Apr; 119(4):e843-8. View abstract
  14. Levy S, Vaughan BL, Angulo M, Knight JR. Buprenorphine replacement therapy for adolescents with opioid dependence: early experience from a children's hospital-based outpatient treatment program. J Adolesc Health. 2007 May; 40(5):477-82. View abstract
  15. Jaffee WB, Trucco E, Levy S, Weiss RD. Is this urine really negative? A systematic review of tampering methods in urine drug screening and testing. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2007 Jul; 33(1):33-42. View abstract
  16. Levy S, Harris SK, Sherritt L, Angulo M, Knight JR. Drug testing of adolescents in general medical clinics, in school and at home: physician attitudes and practices. J Adolesc Health. 2006 Apr; 38(4):336-42. View abstract
  17. Levy S, Harris SK, Sherritt L, Angulo M, Knight JR. Drug testing of adolescents in ambulatory medicine: physician practices and knowledge. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006 Feb; 160(2):146-50. View abstract
  18. Levy S, Knight JR. Office based management of adolescent substance use. Neinstein. Adolescent Health Care: A Practical Guide. 2006; chapter 73. View abstract
  19. Levy S, Woolf A. Psychoactive substances of abuse used by adolescents. Neinstein. Adolescent Health Care, A Practical Guide. 2006. View abstract
  20. Levy S, Harris SK, Sherritt LE, Angulo M, Knight JR. Drug testing in generla medical clinics, in school adn at home: Self reported physician practices, agreement with use of testing and testing recommendations. J Adolesc Health. 2006. View abstract
  21. Levy S, Harris SK, Sherritt L, Angulo M, Knight JR. Drug testin of adolescents in ambularoty medicine: Physician practice and knowledge. Arch Pediatr Adolesce Med. 2006. View abstract
  22. Levy S, Knight JR. Laboratory testing of substances of abuse. Neintstein. Adolescent Health Care: A Practical Guide. 2006; chapter 71. View abstract
  23. Knight JR, Sherritt L, Van Hook S, Gates EC, Levy S, Chang G. Motivational interviewing for adolescent substance use: a pilot study. J Adolesc Health. 2005 Aug; 37(2):167-9. View abstract
  24. Bridgemohan CF, Levy S, Veluz AK, Knight JR. Teaching paediatric residents about learning disorders: use of standardised case discussion versus multimedia computer tutorial. Med Educ. 2005 Aug; 39(8):797-806. View abstract
  25. Levy S, Sherritt L, Harris SK, Gates EC, Holder DW, Kulig JW, Knight JR. Test-retest reliability of adolescents' self-report of substance use. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2004 Aug; 28(8):1236-41. View abstract
  26. Levy S, Van Hook S, Knight J. A review of Internet-based home drug-testing products for parents. Pediatrics. 2004 Apr; 113(4):720-6. View abstract
  27. Levy S, Knight JR. Office management of substance abuse. Adolescent Health Update. 2003; 15(3). View abstract
  28. Vaughan BL, Levy S, Knight JR. Adolescent substance use: prevention and management by primary care clinicians. J Clin Outcomes Manage. 2003; 10(3):166-74. View abstract
  29. Levy S, Vaughan BL, Knight JR. Office-based intervention for adolescent substance abuse. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2002 Apr; 49(2):329-43. View abstract
  30. Levy S, Knight JR. Save time. 2002. View abstract
  31. Cox J, Samuels R, Vohra D, Fong J, Karales S, Moon C, Naidus E, Becket R, Levy S. Advocating Success for Kids: An Advocacy and assessment program for children with school and behavioral problems. Pediatric Ambulatory Society Meeting, poster presentation. 2001. View abstract
  32. Vaughan B, Levy S. More than just an accident. 2001. View abstract
  33. Levy S, Vaughan BL. Motivational Interviewing. 2001. View abstract
  34. Levy S, Frazer C, Emans SJ, Dennis S, Craigle V, Knight JR. The Tale of Tommy's Testing: Weaving New Knowledge into an Old Shell. Slice of Life/Computers in Health Educations Symposium, platform presentation. 2000. View abstract
  35. Knight JR, Levy S. The tale of Tommy's testing. 2000. View abstract
  36. Levy S, Knight JR. A Right to Learn. 1999. View abstract
  37. Knight JR, Augustyn M, Frazer CH, Levy S, Hubbard C, Parker S. Developmental Pediatrics. 1999. View abstract
  38. LevyS. Intern advocacy teaching training manual. 1998. View abstract
  39. Levy S, Tewksbury L. Pediatric physical exam. 1997. View abstract
  40. Levy S, Lawrence R. NYU Medical Center Teaching Retreat Manual. 1997. View abstract
  41. Levy SJ, Pierce JP. Drug use among Sydney teenagers in 1985 and 1986. Community Health Stud. 1989; 13(2):161-9. View abstract