Update Your ProfileAcademic Title:
Assistant Professor
Primary Appointment:
Psychiatry
Location:
University of Maryland Drug Treatment Center 1001 W. Pratt Street
Phone (Primary):
443-462-3400 X78525
Education and Training
- Loyola University New Orleans, BA, Psychology
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH-IRP/NIH), Laboratory of Neuropsychology (mentor: Mortimer Mishkin), Pre-Doctoral IRTA
- University of California, Irvine, PhD, Neurobiology & Behavior (mentor: John F. Marshall)
- University of California, Santa Barbara, MacArthur Foundation Law & Neuroscience Project Post-Doctoral Fellow (mentors: Michael Gazzaniga and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA-IRP/NIH), Neuroimaging Research Branch (mentors: Elliot A. Stein and Afonso C. Silva), Post-Doctoral IRTA
Biosketch
Dr. Belcher received her doctorate in Neurobiology and Behavior from the University of California, Irvine in 2007, and completed subsequent post-doctoral training at the University of CA, Santa Barbara and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Currently, Dr. Belcher is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Her research focuses on two main areas of interest (see also Research Interest Details section below):
1. Elucidating the clinical impact and implementation outcomes of telemedicine-delivered buprenorphine treatment to rural areas, particularly in jails and detention centers
2. The application of adjunct behavioral and pharmacological strategies to improve retention in evidence-based addiction treatment
Research/Clinical Keywords
Opioid Use Disorder, Incarcerated Patients, Substance Use Disorders, Methadone, Buprenorphine, Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) Treatment, Telemedicine for OUD, Addiction, Stigma
Highlighted Publications
Highlighted works (*corresponding author; **co-first author). Please email me for reprints. A complete list of all works can be found at MyNCBI.
Belcher AM*, O'Rourke A, Smith HC, Fitzsimons H, Ruelas-Vargas K, Welsh CJ, Saloner B, Weintraub E (2026). Telemedicine-Based Buprenorphine Initiation and Maintenance in Rural Jails: A Retrospective Observational Study. medRxiv 30 Jan 2026. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.29.26345153v1.
Belcher AM*, Smith HC, Welsh C, Fitzsimons H, Dalverny A, Lasher D, Coble C, Greenblatt AD, Blue T, Gordon M, Weintraub E (2025). Bridging the Gap: Post-Release Outcome Evaluation of the First Jail-Based Telemedicine Buprenorphine Program. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 277:112950. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2025.112950
Spaderna M, Belcher AM**, Welsh C, Smith HC, Fitzsimons H, Coble K, Spicyn N, Rosenthal E, Liu T, Weintraub E. Telemedicine Buprenorphine Access For Incarcerated People: Lessons Learned From Maryland's Rural Jails. Health Aff (Millwood). 2025 Sep;44(9):1131-1137. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2025.00339. PubMed PMID: 40893082.
Manza P, Belcher AM**, Fitzsimons H, Spaderna M, Greenblatt AD, Smith HC, Derenoncourt M, Gann D, Farooq U, Kvarta MD, DiPaula BA, Merritt S, Mitic I, Zarate CA, Gould TD, Weintraub E, Kattakuzhy SM. Ketamine to enhance methadone treatment retention in patients with opioid use disorder and co-morbid depression. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2025;51(5):649-657. doi: 10.1080/00952990.2025.2541212. Epub 2025 Aug 22. PubMed PMID: 40844815.
McLean KJ, Kruis NE, Weintraub E, Fitzsimons H, Welsh C, Spicyn N, Kearley B, Altekruse W, Rowland N, Belcher A. A mixed-method exploratory assessment of provider-based stigma of opioid use disorder (OUD) and support for medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in carceral settings. Harm Reduct J. 2025 Aug 18;22(1):141. doi: 10.1186/s12954-025-01291-z. PubMed PMID: 40826078; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12360001.
Magidson JF, Bradley VD, Anane JS, Kleinman MB, Felton JW, Hines AC, Baskar R, Greenblatt AD, Dean D, Anvari MS, Fitzsimons H, Bennett ME, Belcher AM. "HEAL together": a randomized, hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation trial protocol of a peer-delivered behavioral activation intervention to improve methadone treatment retention. Front Public Health. 2025;13:1637846. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1637846. eCollection 2025. PubMed PMID: 40756389; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12313623.
Belcher AM*, Kearley B, Kruis N, Rowland N, Spicyn N, Cole TO, Welsh C, Fitzsimons H, McLean K, Weintraub E. Correlates of Staff Acceptability of a Novel Telemedicine-Delivered Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Program in a Rural Detention Center. J Correct Health Care. 2024 Jun 26. doi: 10.1089/jchc.23.11.0097. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38923936.
Belcher AM*, Cole TO, Massey E, Billing AS, Wagner M, Wooten W, Epstein DH, Hoag SW, Wickwire EM, Greenblatt AD, Colloca L, Rotrosen J, Magder L, Weintraub E, Wish ED, Kaptchuk TJ. Effectiveness of conditioned open-label placebo with methadone in treatment of opioid use disorder: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Apr 3;6(4):e237099. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.7099. PubMed PMID: 37043203; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10099063.
Abidogun TM, Cole TO, Massey E, Kleinman M, Greenblatt AD, Seitz-Brown CJ, Magidson JF, Belcher AM*. Patient experiences of COVID-19-induced changes to methadone treatment in a large community-based opioid treatment program in Baltimore. J Subst Use Addict Treat. 2023 Feb;145:208946. doi: 10.1016/j.josat.2022.208946. Epub 2023 Jan 7. PubMed PMID: 36880915; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9822549.
Weintraub E, Greenblatt AD, Chang J, Welsh CJ, Berthiaume AP, Goodwin SR, Arnold R, Himelhoch SS, Bennett ME, Belcher AM*. Outcomes for patients receiving telemedicine-delivered medication-based treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: A retrospective chart review. Heroin Addict Relat Clin Probl. 2021;23(2):5-12. PubMed PMID: 33551692; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7861202
Weintraub E, Seneviratne C, Anane J, Coble K, Magidson J, Kattakuzhy S, Greenblatt A, Welsh C, Pappas A, Ross TL, Belcher AM. Mobile Telemedicine for Buprenorphine Treatment in Rural Populations With Opioid Use Disorder. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Aug 2;4(8):e2118487. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.18487. PubMed PMID: 34448869; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8397932.
Cole TO, Robinson D, Kelley-Freeman A, Gandhi D, Greenblatt AD, Weintraub E, Belcher AM*. Patient Satisfaction With Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment via Telemedicine: Brief Literature Review and Development of a New Assessment. Front Public Health. 2020;8:557275. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.557275. eCollection 2020. Review. PubMed PMID: 33553083; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7859509.
Belcher AM, Volkow ND, Moeller FG, Ferré S. Personality traits and vulnerability or resilience to substance use disorders. Trends Cogn Sci. 2014 Apr;18(4):211-7. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2014.01.010. Epub 2014 Mar 5. Review. PubMed PMID: 24612993
Belcher AM, Volkow ND, Moeller F, Ferre S. The Cognitive Neurosciences V (fifth edition). Gazzaniga MS, Mangun GR, editors. Cambridge: MIT; 2014. Chapter 88, Society and addiction: Bringing understanding toward appreciation of a mental health disorder. p.1035-1042.
Research Interests
1. TELEMEDICINE FOR MEDICATIONS FOR OPIOID USE DISORDER TREATMENT IN RURAL JAILS Incarcerated individuals face profound health disparities, characterized by a high prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD). Traditionally, medications for OUD (MOUD) access requires off-site transport; logistically complex and expensive, especially for small rural jails. These barriers often lead to poor health outcomes, as individuals leaving jail are at highest risk of opioid overdose. While telemedicine is a potential solution, its implementation within the unique regulatory and infrastructural constraints of correctional facilities remained understudied and underutilized. My research has spearheaded the implementation and evaluation of large-scale telemedicine-based MOUD programs within rural jails in Maryland. Leading a multidisciplinary research program, I demonstrated that synchronous specialty telemedicine-based MOUD provision is not only feasible (Belcher et al., Frontiers in Public Health, 2021; Spaderna & Belcher et al., Health Affairs, 2025; Belcher et al, under review, Health & Justice), but it is also effective at staving opioid overdose upon release (Belcher et al., Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2025). By reporting on novel evidence-based clinical workflows and training protocols for on-site telemedicine, my research has created a roadmap for future telemedicine platforms as a standard of care in carceral settings, ensuring that incarcerated populations in rural areas receive high-quality specialty addiction care. This model of care also supports reentry by fostering early (pre-release) connections with community-based specialists, potentially improving long-term continuity of care post-release.
2. CHARACTERIZING AND ADDRESSING BARRIERS TO METHADONE TREATMENT RETENTION AND ADHERENCE Methadone is the most effective medication for OUD, yet treatment retention and adherence remain persistently poor. My research focuses on identifying patient-centered barriers to methadone treatment retention and adherence and testing scalable, evidence-based interventions to improve outcomes. My early work examined patient experiences of COVID-19–related regulatory changes in opioid treatment programs (OTPs). While these shifts improved convenience and employment stability for many, they also highlighted new challenges in medication management and therapeutic connection (Abidogun et al., J Subst Use Addict Treat, 2023). This work informed calls for more flexible, patient-centered methadone policies beyond the pandemic (Greenblatt et al., Mayo Clin Proc, 2020). Building on these observational findings, I led and contributed to clinical trials testing adjunctive interventions to improve methadone outcomes. I am lead author of a randomized clinical trial demonstrating that a conditioned open-label placebo significantly improved 90-day methadone treatment retention, providing evidence for a low-risk behavioral adjunct to enhance engagement (Belcher et al., JAMA Netw Open, 2023). Complementary work in collaboration with Jessica Magidson at UMCP evaluated a peer recovery specialist–delivered intervention, demonstrating substantially improved retention relative to usual care (Magidson et al., Front Pub Health, 2025). Most recently, I co-led early phase translational research evaluating ketamine as an adjunctive treatment for patients with OUD and co-morbid depression, demonstrating feasibility, acceptability, and promising retention outcomes warranting larger trials (Manza*, Belcher* et al., Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse, 2025). Collectively, this work advances a patient-centered, implementation-informed approach to improving methadone retention through policy, behavioral, and pharmacologic strategies.
Awards and Affiliations
2023 - present: Faculty Working Group Member, UMSOM Kahlert Institute Clinical Research Working Group
2020 - present: Faculty Affiliate, Center for Substance Use, Addiction & Health Research (CESAR)
2018 - present: Scholarly Project Research Supervisor and Mentor, University of Maryland Addiction Medicine / Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship
2025 - 2028: Certified Course Instructor, Responding to Addiction, Addiction Policy Forum
2024 - 2024: Master Presenter, Maryland Department of Health Center for Harm Reduction: Re-grounding Our Response, Maryland Department of Health
2022 - 2022: Randomized Behavioral Clinical Trials Summer Institute, National Institutes of Health Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (NIH/OBSSR)
2021 - 2021: ASAM Annual Meeting Honorable Mention: Underserved Populations , American Society of Addiction Medicine
2013 - 2013: NIDA FARE Award for Research Excellence , National Institute on Drug Abuse
2011 - 2011 NIDA Director's Award of Merit, National Institute on Drug Abuse
2007 - 2007: Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) Program Awardee, University of California, Irvine
1997 - 2000: Psi Chi National Psychology Honors Society, American Psychological Association