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Addiction sciences at York

The University of York has a longstanding commitment to, and rich heritage in, addiction research. Addiction issues present the sorts of major societal challenges that York does well at addressing. The key stimulus to the development of addiction sciences here in York was the foundation of an ESRC Addiction Research Centre in 1983 in the newly formed Centre for Health Economics in association with the University of Hull, led by Professors Alan Maynard and David Robinson respectively. From the outset the programme of work concentrated on issues of prevention and policy in relation to alcohol and tobacco, and established the social scientific basis of studies across disciplines (see www.researchcatalogue.esrc.ac.uk/grants/XG02280004/read/outputs/date/25/2).

This established an internationally leading health economics strand of activity, led for more than 2 decades by Professor Chris Godfrey, subsequently in the Department of Health Sciences, until her retirement in 2011. The health economics work had been extended to include other drugs and is continued today under the leadership of Steve Parrott, who developed whilst working with Chris. Health economics studies here are often undertaken within large randomised controlled trials, with York hosting or involved in many of the key UK trials.

Professor Jim McCambridge arrived in 2014 to take up the Chair in addiction research, and has developed programmes of study of the alcohol industry and brief interventions funded by the Wellcome Trust and NIHR respectively. Addiction is located within the Mental Health and Addiction Research Group led by Professor Simon Gilbody who along with colleagues is particularly interested in tobacco and mental health. Our research aims to reduce the public health and societal burdens caused by all addictive behaviours through supporting better responses.