Associate Professor Dan Lubman
A/Prof Dan Lubman heads a clinical research unit that investigates problematic substance use and co-occurring mental health issues in youth. This includes a number of pharmacological and psychological treatment trials in psychosis and depression, as well as neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies examining the neurobiology of addiction. A particular research interest is exploring the impact of substance use on adolescent brain development. Since 2003, he has partnered with a broad range of drug and alcohol services and research centres, both nationally and internationally, and has successfully obtained over $1,500,000 in treatment grants to develop comorbidity services for young people with co-occurring mental health and substance use issues. He is a chief investigator on a number of large research projects investigating substance use amongst young people, including studies within primary care, drug treatment and mental health settings. In recognition of his work, he was awarded the Organon Young Psychiatrist Award by the RANZCP in 2006.
A/Prof Lubman is Chair of the RANZCP Section of Addiction Psychiatry, which is responsible for overseeing drug and alcohol training and policy for the College. He is an advisory board member of Addiction Neuroscience Network Australia and the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre, and has recently been appointed as the National Representative on the Board of the National Drug Research Institute. He has lectured widely on the neurobiology of addiction, as well issues related to dual diagnosis and substance use in youth. He regularly serves as a reviewer for a range of journals and granting bodies, and is a member of the International Editorial Advisory Board for the peer-reviewed journals Early Intervention in Psychiatry and Current Drug Abuse Reviews.
He is a regular presenter at international conferences in the fields of addiction and comorbidity, and has published over 80 peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters, mostly relating to substance use topics, such as comorbidity, drug use in young people or the neurobiology of addiction.