Sivabalaji Kaliamurthy, MD, selected for national award to advance youth substance use research

For Dr. Kaliamurthy, the award will support a project focused on developing a brief inpatient intervention for adolescents using cannabis.

Sivabalaji Kaliamurthy, MD, director of the Addictions Program at Children’s National, has been named one of six recipients of the 2026-2031 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Physician Scientist Program in Substance Use K12 Career Development Award.

The five-year award, supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), provides federal grant funding, mentorship and research training to early-career child and adolescent psychiatrists pursuing independent research careers in youth substance use. Dr. Kaliamurthy will be mentored by Adelaide Robb, MD, chief of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Children’s National, and Richard Schottenfeld, MD, chair of Psychiatry at Howard University, AACAP created the program to help address a national shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists trained to conduct substance use research.

For Dr. Kaliamurthy, the award will support a project focused on developing a brief inpatient intervention for adolescents using cannabis. The work builds on his commitment to improving care for children and adolescents with substance use disorders and expanding practical, evidence-based treatment options for patients and families.

Addressing a growing need

At Children’s National, Dr. Kaliamurthy helped establish a specialized outpatient Addictions Program for children and adolescents with co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders. His clinical and research work has focused on urgent issues in pediatric addiction medicine, including opioid use disorder, buprenorphine treatment for adolescents, naloxone access and concerns surrounding high-potency cannabis use among teens.

Building the next generation of physician-scientists

Dr. Kaliamurthy’s selection underscores the growing leadership in pediatric addiction care and research at a time when families, clinicians and communities need more evidence-based tools to respond to youth substance use.

“This award is an opportunity to develop practical tools that can help clinicians better identify and support adolescents who are using cannabis, especially during moments when they and their families may be more open to care,” Dr. Kaliamurthy said. “By creating an intervention that can be used in the hospital setting, we hope to connect young people with the support they need earlier and more effectively.”