Passing of the torch: Goldstein retires from Adolescent Medicine, Hadland becomes new chief

When Mark Goldstein, MD, arrived at Mass General for Children (MGfC) as a resident in the 1970s, he noticed unique challenges that nearly all his adolescent patients faced when they transitioned from pediatric to adult care. After years as pediatric patients and having their care managed by family, young adults must now learn to book their own appointments, manage their medications and be more involved in decisions about their health and wellbeing.

What Goldstein observed, however, was that there wasn’t a lot of support to help adolescents learn those skills and settle into the greater sense of autonomy found in adult care. When he came back to MGfC in 2003, this time as an attending physician, he set out to establish a practice dedicated to caring for teens and young adults.

“I’d always wanted to establish an adolescent medicine practice,” said Goldstein, who retired from his role as chief of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at MGfC on September 1, 2021. “The brain doesn’t fully develop until age 25 and between the ages of 18-25, you miss a lot of changes when you transition from pediatric to adult care. In Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, we are transition agents who provide the safety net for adolescents.”

Since Goldstein started the division, all MGfC residents do a clinical rotation in Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine. Goldstein has also published two editions of The Mass General for Children Adolescent Medicine Handbook, a guide for providers on how to best care for adolescents.

“Mark Goldstein founded and built our division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, and we’re indebted to him for developing a superb and comprehensive clinical service that has flourished under his leadership,” said Ronald Kleinman, MD, Physician-in-Chief at MGfC. “He is a nationally recognized leader in this important field and his textbooks have had significant impact for all those who care for adolescents and young adults.”

Scott Hadland, MD, MPH, MSc, continues Goldstein’s legacy as the new division chief. As chief, Hadland plans to grow the division’s services so more young people have access to high-quality care and grow the team’s research efforts, especially in the fields of adolescent health, mental health and substance use.

“We’re very fortunate now to welcome Scott, who has joined us from Boston Medical Center to lead this division, to continue the work that Mark has so ably led and to further enhance the clinical, research and educational efforts of the division,” said Kleinman. “Scott brings an extraordinary record of accomplishment in research and treatment of substance use disorders during this age period, along with expertise in multiple other domains of adolescent and young adult health.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the need for mental health care. “That is of utmost importance, especially for young people, and our team has the opportunity to provide exceptional care in that area,” said Hadland. He also wants to incorporate adolescent care into pediatric primary care and pediatric sub-specialty care, especially in the fields of mental health, substance use, menstrual disorders and care for LGBTQ+ youth.

“Mark built an incredibly strong foundation and a world-class adolescent medicine division, and I plan to build on those successes,” said Hadland, who previously served as a pediatrician and addiction medicine specialist at Boston Medical Center. “MGfC and Massachusetts General Hospital are international leaders in health care and it’s exciting to lead a team at a trailblazing institution.”

Before stepping down, Goldstein also echoed the desire to incorporate more research into Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine. “In developing the academic division, we needed a superb clinical group, and I knew we had that, but we needed research built into the program,” said Goldstein. “Whoever became the new chief should have both a clinical and a research background and should be passionate about education and outreach. We’ve absolutely found that with Scott.”

Hadland earned his medical degree from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in St. Louis, Mo., a master’s in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Master of Science degree from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. He completed his residency and chief residency at the Boston Combined Residency Program at Boston Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital and a fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Hadland is an international leader in youth substance use treatment. He has received numerous national awards for his work, including the American Academy of Pediatrics 2020 Emerging Leader Award for Adolescent Health, the Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance Use and Addiction 2020 New Investigator/Educator Award and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine 2016 New Investigator Award.