Dr. Richard A. Rawson is recognized around the globe as one of the leading experts in addiction research and treatment development. For over four decades, Dr. Rawson has led addiction research and training projects for the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the U.S. State Department, spreading science-based knowledge to many parts of the world. He oversees a portfolio of addiction research, ranging from brain imaging studies, to numerous clinical trials on pharmacological and psychosocial addiction treatments, to the study of how new treatments are applied in treatment systems and programs.

He has published three books, 35 book chapters, over 200 professional papers and set up addiction clinics all over the United States. He also conducts more than 100 workshops annually, as well as paper presentations and training sessions. He was also the Principal Investigator of the NIDA grants on aerobic exercise, screening and brief intervention in a mental health setting, the Fogarty training grant between UCLA and Cairo University, as well as the SAMHSA/PEPFAR contract to establish the Vietnam HIV-Addiction Technology Transfer Center in Vietnam.

Dr. Rawson holds Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of Vermont.