Now Hiring: Pain Management Physicians with Addiction Medicine Expertise at West Los Angeles VAMC

Serve Veterans nationwide as a key on-site, telehealth physician on the Pain Management and Opioid Safety Center of Excellence (PMOS-COE) team at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System's West Los Angeles VAMC location, advancing care, education, and research in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment. We are seeking Pain Management Physicians with Addiction Expertise or Addiction Medicine Physicians with Strong Chronic Pain Experience – Tele-Pain Addiction Consult Service. This is an opportunity to provide innovative, evidence-based, interdisciplinary care to Veterans nationwide who experience complex chronic pain and co-occurring substance use disorders (SUD), including opioid use disorders (OUD).

Key Responsibilities:

Clinical Care and Consultation

• Provide specialized national telehealth consultations for veterans with complex chronic pain and co-occurring substance-use disorders.
• Evaluate/manage musculoskeletal, neuropathic, headache, cancer-related, post-surgical, and other complex chronic pain conditions.
• Conduct comprehensive diagnostic assessments, risk stratification, and individualized biopsychosocial treatment planning.
• Develop integrated treatment strategies incorporating pharmacologic therapies, rehabilitation, behavioral health interventions, complementary and integrative approaches, and interventional pain procedures when appropriate.
• Initiate and manage opioid and non-opioid analgesics, adjuvant medications, and multimodal pain therapies.
• Initiate and manage medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in collaboration with referring VA clinicians.
• Provide same-day access, treatment initiation, short-term follow-up, and care coordination through a telehealth bridge-clinic model.
• Deliver specialized consultation and clinical gap coverage to VA facilities without on-site pain specialists.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

• Work with Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners, behavioral health specialists, rehabilitation professionals, and referring VA providers.
• Apply evidence-based approaches, including screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment, and motivational interviewing.
• Support safe prescribing, opioid risk mitigation, and coordinated longitudinal care.

Education, Research, and Leadership

• Participate in clinical teaching, mentorship, and professional development of trainees and healthcare professionals.
• Contribute to national educational initiatives, including continuing medical education (CME), grand rounds, and webinars.
• Support clinical protocol development, quality improvement, and innovative models of integrated pain and addiction care.
• Engage in research and program development aligned with national VA pain management and opioid safety priorities.
• Participate in administrative and programmatic activities supporting TPAC operations.

Why VA & PMOS-COE?

• Nationwide Impact: Provide expert care to Veterans across the country through innovative telehealth platforms, improving access for underserved populations.
• Collaborative Culture: Work within a multidisciplinary team of dedicated pain and addiction specialists, pharmacists, educators, and researchers.
• Professional Development: Access ongoing teaching, research, and quality improvement opportunities, with mentorship and support for early-career faculty.
• Work-Life Balance: Enjoy the flexibility of a predominantly remote position, with federal holidays, comprehensive benefits, and stable employment.
• Mission-Driven Environment: Contribute to a nationally recognized center of excellence focused on advancing pain management, opioid safety, and compassionate Veteran care.

Work Schedule: Full-time / On-site (some flexibility)

Qualifications:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Doctor of Medicine or equivalent degree in allopathic or osteopathic medicine
• Current, full, and unrestricted license
• Completion of residency in an accredited core specialty
• Fellowship trained or post-residency clinical experience in Pain and/or Addiction Medicine
• Board Certified in Addiction Medicine, Pain Medicine, or related subspecialty

Preferred Qualifications:

• Fellowship training or post-residency clinical experience in Pain Medicine, Addiction Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Anesthesiology (pain), Neurology, Rheumatology, Palliative Care, or a related field with significant focus on pain management, addiction medicine, or both.

Benefits and Features:

• Salary Range: $350,000-$400,000
• PTO: 50–55 days of PTO annually (26/13 days of annual/sick leave, 11 holidays,)
• Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided.
• Dental, Medical, Life Insurance, Pension, TSP (401K) with 5% match, Survivor Benefits 
• Up to $1,000 or more annually and up to 5 days paid absence for CME
• Service without strings: No employment contracts or restrictive covenants
• Opportunity for UCLA Geffen School of Medicine Faculty appointment
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

This posting represents the major duties, responsibilities, and authorities of this job, and is not intended to be a complete list of all tasks and functions.