Biography
Joe Sakai is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Substance Dependence, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine.  He received his BA from Pomona College in Claremont, California and graduated from Tulane University School of Medicine in 1997 with honors (AOA).  Sakai completed a community medicine internship, psychiatric residency, clinical addictions fellowship and research fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center; he is a board certified psychiatrist with added qualifications in addictions.  Sakai is an active clinician and directs the psychiatric services for a set of treatment programs for adolescents with substance use and conduct disorders; Sakai’s research interests focus on this population.  He is recipient of a NIDA K-award and has authored/co-authored 20 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 4 book chapters.  Sakai is also active in medical education (with a special emphasis on addictions) providing about a dozen lectures annually to medical students, psychiatric interns/residents and addiction fellows.  Sakai is a key faculty teacher for a required medical student 12-step experience and also a fourth year medical student elective on substance use disorders.