Finnegan, Loretta interview conducted by Campbell/Spillane

Abstract

Loretta Finnegan, M.D., is a champion of medication-assisted treatment with methadone, developing her scoring system for newborns more than 40 years ago. The Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring System (FNASS) assigns a numerical score to 21 clinical signs, and babies are treated accordingly. Developing the test was an important step in making sure that these babies were treated with morphine, if necessary, to manage the symptoms of withdrawal. The work of Dr. Finnegan goes far beyond the Finnegan score. When Dr. Finnegan first started an opioid treatment program at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, 44 years ago, she opened a landmark program for pregnant women addicted to opioids. Since then, the program, called Maternal Addiction Treatment Education and Research (MATER), has included intensive outpatient treatment as well as residential treatment. Dr. Finnegan retired as Director of MATER. Sources: Addiction Treatment Forum. https://atforum.com/2018/12/mater-center-director-finnegans-work/ Accessed 07 June 2023. https://drexel.edu/~/media/Files/medicine/drexel-pdfs/alumni/Alumni_Magazine_Alumni_Loretta_Finnegan_SpringSummer_2013.ashx?la=enandhash=4C37FAB3654BA9EE92086F12786FEC51E66E929A Accessed 07 June 2023.