Spaderna, Max
Education and Training
2006 B.A., University of Massachusetts Amherst, History
2010 M.D., Boston University School of Medicine, Medicine
2014 Adult Psychiatry Residency, Yale University School of Medicine
Biosketch
I am Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the Division of Addiction Research and Treatment. I am board certified in Adult Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and Addiction Medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. My clinical interests include severe and persistent mental illness, co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders, and suicide prevention. Since joining the University of Maryland in 2017, I have worked in several Community Psychiatry clinics as well as in the Psychiatric Emergency Department. In the Division of Addiction Research and Treatment, I am the psychiatrist for the Health and Recovery Practice (HARP), a clinic formed from a partnership with the University of Maryland’s Institute of Human Virology, Faculty Physicians, and Department of Psychiatry that collocates substance use, physical health, mental health, and infectious disease care for patients with substance use disorders. I provide opioid use disorder treatment by telemedicine to patients at the Detention Center in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. In addition, I provide consultation and psychiatric treatment for the RIIS clinic, a collaborative low-barrier treatment model providing psychiatric care to patients with substance use disorders. My research interests include suicide risk in opioid use disorder, intentional opioid overdose, engagement and retention in psychiatric treatment for patients with co-occurring opioid use disorder, the integration of services for unhoused patients receiving medications for opioid use disorder, and novel uses of medications to treat substance use disorders.
Research/Clinical Keywords
Suicide risk, opioid use disorder, substance use disorders, opioid overdose, severe and persistent mental illness, social determinants of health
Highlighted Publications
Spaderna M, Bergeria C. Detecting Suicidality in Opioid Use Disorder Requires an Understanding of Intentional Opioid Overdose. Journal of Addiction Medicine. 2026 Mar 17; doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000001681.
Spaderna M, Rosenthal E, Kang SJ, Eyasu R, Ebah E, Obgumbadiugha O, et all. Elevated rate of suicide risk in individuals with opioid use disorder. American Journal on Addictions. 2025 Jul; 34(4): 440-449.
Spaderna M*, Belcher A*, Smith H, Fitzsimons H, Coble K, Welsh C, et all. Telemedicine BuprenorphineAccess For Incarcerated People: Lessons Learned From Maryland’s Rural Jails. Health Affairs. 2025 Sep; 44(9): 1131-1137.
Spaderna M, Krebs J, Benford J, Greenblatt A, Callahan C, Little S. Social Work Assistance and Stipends for Housing (SASH): A Pilot Feasibility Study for Homeless Patients Receiving Methadone for Opioid Use Disorder. Journal of Social Work. 2025 Jun 30; Online ahead of print.
Spaderna M, Kattakuzhy S, Kang SJ, George N, Bijole P, Ebah E, e all. Hepatitis C cure and medications for opioid use disorder improve health-related quality of life in patients with opioid use disorder actively engaged in substance use. International Journal of Drug Policy. 2023 Jan; 111: 103906.
Spaderna M, Bennett M, Arnold R, Weintraub E. Case Series of Patients with Opioid Use Disorder and Suicidal Ideation Treated with Buprenorphine. Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine. 2021 Feb; 5(1): 6-10.
Spaderna M, Addy PH, D’Souza DC. Spicing things up: Synthetic cannabinoids. Psychopharmacology. 2013 Aug; 228(4): 525-40.
Additional Publications
Havasi A, Wang Z, Gall JM, Spaderna M, Suri V, Canlas E, et all. Hsp27 inhibits sublethal, Src-mediated renal epithelial cell injury. American Journal of Physiology. Renal Physiology. 2009 Sep; 297(3): F760-8.
Kelly DL, Spaderna M, Hodzic V, Nair S, Kitchen C, Werkheiser AE, et all. Blinded Clinical Ratings of Social Media Data are Correlated with In-Person Clinical Ratings in Participants Diagnosed with Either Depression, Schizophrenia, or Healthy Controls. Psychiatry Research. 2020 Dec; 294: 113496.
Kelly DL, Spaderna M, Hodzic V, Coppersmith G, Chen S, Resnik P. Can language use in social media help in the treatment of severe mental illness? Current Research in Psychiatry. 2021; 1(1): 1-4.
Israel B, Wiprovnik AE, Belcher AM, Kleinman MB, Ramprashad A, Spaderna M, et all. Practical Considerations for Treating Comorbid Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the Addictions Clinic: Approaches to Clinical Care, Leadership, and Alleviating Shame.
Kacmarek CN, Kreyenbuhl J, Hagedorn HJ, Brown C, Richardson EJ, Spaderna M, et all. Provider Perspectives on Medication for AUD in Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Clinics. Journal of Dual Diagnosis. 2025 Jun; 13: 1-13.
Manza P, Belcher AM, Fitzsimons F, Spaderna M, Greenblatt AD, Smith HC, et all. Ketamine to enhance methadone treatment retention in patients with opioid use disorder and co-morbid depression. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. 2025 Aug 22: 1-9
Research Interests
Opioid use disorder, suicide risk, intentional opioid overdose, co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders, social determinants of health, medications for substance use disorders
Clinical Specialties
Severe and persistent mental illness, substance use disorders, dual diagnosis, Emergency Psychiatry, suicide prevention
Awards and Affiliations
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Addiction Medicine, American Board of Preventive Medicine
Grants and Contracts
Active Grants or Contracts
07/01/2022-06/30/2027 Co-Inv, 10% (PI: E. Rosenthal)
“5-year Programmatic Contract DC Partnership for HIV/AIDS Progress”
Office of AIDS Research, HHSN272201300022I
Annual Direct Costs: 2,478,992.23
Total Direct Costs: $9,629,106
Role: Assessment and treatment of patients with co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders
09/25/2024-08/31/2027 Co-Inv, 5% (PI: M. Bennett)
“External Facilitation to Increase Prescribing of AUD Medications in the Psychiatric Setting”
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Project ID: 1R34AA032051-01
Annual Direct Costs: $193,750
Total Direct Costs: $450,000
Role: Expert on prescribing medications for alcohol use disorder
09/01/2024-8/31/2027 Co-Inv, 10% (PI: S. Kattakuzhy)
“Evaluation of Semaglutide Safety and Tolerability in Adults with Cocaine use Disorder with and without HIV”
Office of AIDS Research / NIH Clinical Center, Project ID Number: 75N90024C00036
Annual Direct Costs: $254,187.67
Total Direct Costs: $762,563
Role: Writing of grant and development of study protocol
01/02/25-present Co-Inv (PI: P. Manza)
“Low-dose ketamine for the treatment of opioid use disorder”
Kahlert Institute for Addiction Medicine Startup Funds
Total Direct Costs: $250,000
Role: Study physician
Pending Grants
07/01/2026-06/30/2028 PI, 10%
“Development of a Screening Tool for Intentional Opioid Overdose”
NIH R21, Application ID: 11442195
Application date: 10/16/25
Year 1 Annual Direct Costs: $125,000
Year 2 Annual Direct Costs: $150,000
Completed Grants or Contracts
2018 Co-Inv (PIs: D. Kelly, P. Resnik)
“Development of Computational Modeling to Identify Symptom Changes in Schizophrenia and Depression”
UMCP/UMB Innovation Seed Grant
Annual Direct Costs: $99,946
Total Direct Costs: $99,946
Role: Rating de-identified Facebook posts to determine if these could identify psychiatric illness
2020-2022 Co-Inv 10% (PI: E. Rosenthal)
“Long Term Outcomes of Opioid Using People: natural history study serving as a longitudinal cohort of persons with OUD”
Research NIH/CC, HHSN269201400012C
Annual Direct Costs: $846,311
Total Direct Costs: $1,692,622
Role: Assessment and treatment of patients with co-occurring opioid use disorder and psychiatric treatment, imputing of data for research
2021-2023 Co-Inv (PI: M. Moen)
“Improving Patient and Provider Engagement in Addiction Research Through A Longitudinal Research Collaborative and Promoting Understanding in social needs Research Projects by Listening and Engagement”
Center for Addiction Research, Education, and Service (CARES) Science to Systems Grant (SSG) program, University of Maryland Center for Addition Research, Education, and Treatment
Annual Direct Costs: $39,425.27
Total Direct Costs: $78,850.53
Role: Development and execution of study
2021-2024 Co-Inv (PI: A. Belcher)
“Increasing Retention in Methadone Maintenance Treatment: Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of Adjunct Ketamine for the Treatment of Patients with OUD and Comorbid Depression”
Center for Addiction Research, Education, and Service (CARES) Science to Systems Grant (SSG) program, University of Maryland Center for Addition Research, Education, and Treatment
Annual Direct Costs: $15,541
Total Direct Costs: $46,623
Role: Interviewing and completing psychiatric assessments of study participant
2022-2024 PI, 2.5%
“Social Work Assistance and Stipends for Housing (SASH): Improving Outcomes for Homeless Patients Receiving Methadone for Opioid Use Disorder”
Innovations in Recovery through Infrastructure Support (IRIS), University of Maryland, School of Social Work,
NIDA R24DA051975
Annual Direct Costs: $8,750
Total Direct Costs: $17,500
2022-2024 PI, 2.5%
“Social Work Assistance and Stipends for Housing (SASH): Improving Outcomes for Homeless Patients Receiving Methadone for Opioid Use Disorder”
Center for Addiction Research, Education, and Service (CARES) Science to Systems Grant (SSG) program, University of Maryland Center for Addition Research, Education, and Treatment
Annual Direct Costs: $23,000
Total Direct Costs: $46,000
2022-2025 Co-Inv, 10% (PI: J. Unick)
“Bringing Health Home”
NIMH, R01 MH128781-01
Annual Direct Costs: $750,000
Total Direct Costs: $2,250,000
Role: Developing parameters for when providers should be notified about abnormal medical findings from study participants
2023-2025 PI, 2.5%
“Improving the Linkage and Retention to Outpatient Psychiatric Care in Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder”
Center for Addiction Research, Education, and Service (CARES) Science to Systems Grant (SSG) program, University of Maryland Center for Addiction Research, Education, and Treatment
Annual Direct Costs: $25,000
Total Direct Costs: $50,000
2024-2025 PI, 2.5%
“Developing a Screening Tool for Intentional Opioid Overdose”
Community Engaged Research (CEnR) Grant,
University of Maryland ICTR, Project ID Number: 305
Annual Direct Costs: $22,568
Total Direct Costs: $33,852
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