Alexander BALDACCHINO – St Andrews

Professor Alexander Baldacchino; PhD, MD, MPhil, FRCPsych, FRCP, FISAM is a Clinical Professor at the University of St Andrews School of Medicine and specialises in Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine. He is an Executive Board Member and Past Immediate President to the International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM). He is also Chair for the Addiction Psychiatry Section of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA). Additionally he has been working with United Nation agencies such as WHO and UNODC and with other intergovernmental agencies such as the European Drug Agency (formerly known as EMCDDA). Finally, on behalf of the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (CSO) Innovation, Chair to the Drug and Alcohol Consortium.

His main research interest lies in improving the lives of individuals with a history of substance use disorders. His research portfolio has a common thread of understanding the co-morbid conditions (physical and psychological) arising as a result of chronic abuse of pharmacological agents with dependence potential especially opioids, nicotine and alcohol. He is interested in utilising informatics systems, clinical outcome data, neuropsychological and neuroimaging processes and digital technology amongst many other possibilities in order to identify and minimise risks present in this population.

After 40 years as a practising clinician he has just retired from NHS Fife (Scotland) as a senior consultant psychiatrist. During that time he also worked as Director for Research, Development and Innovation (NHS Fife) and Clinical Lead in Addictions (NHS Fife) both for around 22 years.