• benedikt_fischer@sfu.ca

Areas of interest

Substance use; Public health; Policy

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).