FACULTY
Alicia Carrasco, MD
Dr. Carrasco is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine. She completed residency at UCSF and stayed in San Francisco doing primary care and hospital work in the safety net system before moving to Boise. She helped implement primary care-based MAT services in San Francisco, Nampa, and the Boise VA. She has run numerous X-Waiver trainings, including regional trainings through the Society for General Internal Medicine, American College of Physicians and Project ECHO.
She is the site director for a national VA project evaluating the effect of Opioid Reassessment Clinics on patient outcomes and core faculty for the UW-Boise Internal Medicine Residency where she has created and implemented a substance use disorder curriculum that includes X-waiver sessions for all trainees.
She chairs the Opioid Safety Initiative and Pain Committee at the VA, which seek to prevent, diagnose and treat opioid use disorder. Her clinical work focuses on pain and substance use disorder overlap syndromes.
Nari Hsiu, DO
Dr. Hsiu received her BA in International Studies from the University of Washington and then worked as an ophthalmic technician before matriculating at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine. During medical school, she found her passion for working with individuals struggling with mental illness and addiction. She completed psychiatry residency at the University of Washington, Boise Track. She recently completed fellowship training at the University of Washington Boise and plans to work at the Boise VA Medical Center as a staff psychiatrist with subspeciality in addiction medicine. Nari enjoys anything lemon-flavored, bicycle rides on the Boise greenbelt, and spending time with her friends and family.
Todd Palmer, MD
Dr. Palmer has been a family physician since 1989 and has been a faculty member at the Family Medicine Residency of Idaho (FMRI) since 1998. He achieved board certification in addiction medicine in 2015 and has been the faculty lead for development and implementation of the addiction medicine curriculum at FMRI and oversite of their controlled substances policies and protocols. He was the first Suboxone waivered provider at FMRI and championed the integration of a robust MAT program into clinical care at FMRI. All residents receive MAT training and are granted a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine prior to graduation. He is the medical director of the University of Idaho’s ECHO program on chronic pain and opioid abuse, recruited their expert panel, and has also used this forum to help train over 150 Idaho providers in MAT towards them getting their Buprenorphine waiver. He has been active in Idaho state policy related to controlled substances.
Dr. Palmer has developed an addiction medicine fellowship at FMRI and will serve as it’s program director.
Nina Abul-Husn, MD
Nina Abul-Husn is a dual Board-Certified Family Medicine Physician and Addiction Medicine Specialist. Her full-scope general medicine training provides her the ability to provide comprehensive medical care for people of all ages, though her passion and dedication lies in helping those with substance use and mental health conditions.
She has an extensive background in the life sciences, having graduated from Indiana University with a degree in biochemistry and microbiology, as well as a background in public health and tropical medicine, having graduated with a Master’s degree from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She completed her medical training and has been practicing in the Treasure Valley since 2012.
Dr. Nina is passionate about helping patients navigate the complexities of substance use and mental health with a warm and understanding approach. She strives to create a safe and nurturing environment where healing and growth can flourish and believes that every step forward, no matter how small, is a success worth celebrating. Dr. Nina is committed to providing compassionate care and support to individuals on their journey to recovery and is dedicated to supporting her patients every step of the way.
Outside of her clinical work, Dr. Nina is an avid backcountry pilot with a deep appreciation for exploration. When she is not caring for patients, she can be found flying her Cessna through the rugged mountains of Idaho and the remote wilderness of Alaska. Whether tracing winding river canyons, navigating among towering peaks, or landing in small volcanic lakes, she is drawn to the freedom, challenge, and sense of discovery that aviation provides. For Dr. Nina, flying is both an adventure and a reflection of the same curiosity and resilience that shape her approach to medicine.
Jacob Harris, MD
Dr. Harris is the Addiction Medicine Director at the Boise VA Medical Center and works with the 18 bed residential SUD Program. He works with addiction medicine fellows, psychiatry residents, internal medicine residents, and medical students and enjoys teaching all aspects of addiction medicine from acute treatment of delirium tremens to exploration of trauma and its influence on substance use. He is also the founding Program Director for the Boise Addiction Medicine Fellowship.