Baldacchino

Alexander

Professor Alexander Baldacchino, PhD, MD, MPhil, FRCPsych, FRCP, FISAM. 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 Immediate Past President to the International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM). He is Chair of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) Addiction Faculty and Chair of the CSO Innovation Reducing Drug Deaths 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.

Additionally, he has been working with United Nation agencies such as UNODC and WHO, with the EMCDDA/EUDA, Pompidou Group and other international intergovernmental organisations to help establish practical guidelines to specific vulnerable drug using populations. 

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