The Matthew Perry Foundation has established an addiction medicine training fellowship, 15 months after the untimely passing of the former Friends actor due to a ketamine overdose.
In collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the Matthew Perry Foundation Fellowship in Addiction Medicine enables a physician to participate in MGH’s Addiction Medicine Fellowship during the academic year of 2025-26.
Dr. Sarah ‘SK’ Kler, a resident at MGH, will assume her responsibilities in June, focusing on addiction treatment and striving to enhance addiction care in her future endeavors, the foundation announced on Instagram this past Tuesday.
In an announcement, Doug Chapin, the chair of the foundation’s board, and executive director Lisa Kasteler Calio expressed that Perry “was profoundly committed to eradicating the stigma associated with addiction, and towards this goal, we are honored to support this significant initiative”.
The Canadian-born performer, who reportedly used ketamine six to eight times a day leading up to his death, was discovered deceased at his residence in Los Angeles in October 2023.
A medical examiner subsequently determined that ketamine was the primary factor in his death.
Dr. Sarah Wakeman, the program director of the fellowship, cautioned against isolating addiction care from the broader healthcare landscape.
Speaking on the hospital’s website, she stated that treating addiction as a separate social issue outside of medical care “will further entrench stigma and disparities, amplifying the tragic consequences of this epidemic”.
The Friends cast in 2022. Pic: Reuters
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‘Inevitability’ to Matthew Perry’s death
Dr. Wakeman urged the healthcare sector to implement “effective, holistic, comprehensive services across medical environments” to combat addiction.
MGH “will collaborate closely with the Matthew Perry Foundation to enhance awareness, diminish stigma, and, most significantly, extend hope to individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences who are battling substance use disorders,” she stated.
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In October 2024, Dr. Mark Chavez, who faced charges related to Perry’s death, entered a guilty plea for conspiring to distribute ketamine.
Chavez could face a maximum of ten years in prison when he is sentenced in April.
A total of five individuals, including Chavez, have been charged concerning Perry’s demise.
The remaining four are his live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, a known acquaintance named Eric Fleming, another physician Salvador Plasencia – referred to as “Dr. P”, and Jasveen Sangha, identified in documents as the “Ketamine Queen”.
