• benedikt_fischer@sfu.ca

Areas of interest

Psychoactive substance use, Interventions, Public Health

Biography

Benedikt Fischer, PhD (NPI) is Senior Scientist, Institute of Mental Health Policy Research (IMPHR), Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and Chair in Addiction Psychiatry & Professor in the Dept. of Psychiatry, with additional faculty appointments with the Institute of Medical Sciences and the Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, University of Toronto, and the Dept. of Psychiatry, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He is also the NPI of the CIHR-funded Ontario CRISM Node Team.

Previously, he held a CIHR/PHAC Applied Public Health Research Chair and directed the Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health & Addictions (CARMHA), Faculty of Health Sciences Simon Fraser University, Vancouver (2008 - 2015). Dr. Fischer's research interests primarily focus on the socio-behavioral epidemiology of illicit and psychotropic substance use and related health outcomes, including key comorbidities (e.g., mental health, pain, infectious diseases), as well as evidence-based interventions and policy in these areas. Much of his research focuses on marginalized/high-risk (e.g., youth, street-involved, correctional, indigenous) populations, with strong attention to knowledge translation and implementation. His research portfolio includes some 300 scientific publications, including as co-author of the international books: ‘Cannabis Policy: Moving Beyond Stalemate’ (2010) and 'Drug Policy and the Public Good' (2nd edition forthcoming). In 2016/17, he was Senior Science Advisor to Health Canada’s Cannabis Legalization & Regulation Office; previously he held science advisory positions with CIHR (Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addictions) and the Mental Health Commission of Canada (Science Advisory Board).