Marlene Martin, MD
Marlene Martin, MD, is Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at UCSF, Director of Addiction Initiatives at the LCOE, and founding Director of SFGH's Addiction Care Team. Her interests include health systems innovation with a focus on addiction, community partnerships, and Latinx health. From 2020-2023, Dr. Martin led the implementation of a promotor/a based Latinx COVID-19 Enhanced Case Investigation and Contact Tracing program with wrap-around services.
Dr. Martin is building on her previous community-based work to improve care for Latinx individuals with unhealthy alcohol and drug use through partnerships with promotores/as. Based on needs assessments involving public health officials, community-based organizations, and clinician experts, she led the implementation of the Program for Education in Drugs and Alcohol for Latine (PEDAL). Through this effort and in partnership with participating community-based organizations (Mission Graduates, Good Samaritan Family Resource Center, Mission Economic Development Agency, and Mission Action), she co-developed, piloted, and evaluated an innovative Spanish-language curriculum with Dr. Triveni Defries, and with support from the LCOE. The program focuses on empowering participants to recognize unhealthy substance use, communicate effectively about it, connect community members to services, and educate the broader community. Building on PEDAL, she hopes to improve the outcomes associated with unhealthy alcohol and drug use and maintain, build, and grow community partnerships to co-design, implement, and evaluate innovative interventions that promote equitable addiction services and resources for our community.
Program for Education in Drugs and Alcohol for Latinx (PEDAL)
PEDAL trains promotores, trusted community health workers, to address the growing substance use disorder (SUD) crisis in San Francisco’s Latinx community. In response to a 45% increase in overdose deaths among Latinx in 2023, PEDAL equips promotores with skills to recognize addiction, reduce stigma, educate their community, and connect individuals to treatment and resources.
Developed by UCSF in partnership with local organizations and the National Harm Reduction Coalition, PEDAL trained 20 promotores affiliated with groups such as Dolores Street Community Services and Promotoras Activas SF. The curriculum emphasizes harm reduction, stigma reduction, and cultural competence, building on the promotores’ deep understanding of the barriers their community faces, including language, immigration status, and fear.
PEDAL also creates career opportunities by offering pathways to certification and professional growth, while empowering promotores to transform their communities by addressing substance use disorder with compassion, trust, and lived experience.
Community Addiction Initiatives Contact Information
- Lupita Ambriz: [email protected]
- Stephanie Gordan-Rivera: [email protected]