The Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse (AMERSA) is a multi-disciplinary organization committed to health professional faculty development in substance abuse. In 1976, members of the Career Teachers Training Program in Alcohol and Drug Abuse, a US federally funded multi-disciplinary faculty development program, formed AMERSA. The organization grew from 59 founding members, who were primarily medical school faculty, to over 300 health professionals from a spectrum of disciplines including physicians, nurses, social workers, dentists, allied health professionals, psychologists and other clinical educators who are responsible for advancing substance abuse education. AMERSA members promote substance abuse education among health professionals by developing curricula, promulgating relevant policy and training health professional faculty to become excellent teachers in this field. AMERSA influences public policy by offering standards for improving substance abuse education. The organization publishes a peer-reviewed, quarterly journal, Substance Abuse, which emphasizes research on the education and training of health professions and also includes original clinical and prevention research. Each year, the AMERSA National Conference brings together researchers and health professional educators to learn about scientific advances and exemplary teaching approaches. In the future, AMERSA will continue to pursue this mission of advancing and supporting health professional faculty who educate students and trainees to address substance abuse in patients and clients.