To browse the biographies of our internationally recognised speakers and presenters, click on their names below. Each speaker will bring to the conference their unique perspective on the issues and research surrounding cannabis, and will ensure a stimulating and challenging conference for delegates.

Associate Professor Michael Lynskey — USA

Dr. Lynskey is an Associate Professor in the Dept of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine. He has published extensively in the field of longitudinal studies and developmental psychopathology, with a particular emphasis on the development of alcohol and other substance use and substance use disorders.

Dr Paul Morrison — UK

Paul Morrison studied medicine and pharmacology in Glasgow and Chicago, and psychiatry and neuroscience in London. He is currently studying the effects of purified cannabinoid molecules [THC,CBD and THCV] in humans. Methods include EEG and computer-generated virtual-reality.

Assistant Professor Ryan Vandrey — USA

Dr. Vandrey is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is an expert in the behavioral pharmacology of cannabis (marijuana) and tobacco (nicotine). His research has focused primarily on characterizing the withdrawal effects that frequently occur following heavy use of these substances in both outpatient and residential laboratory settings. More recently, he has engaged in research targeting medications that can be used to help reduce withdrawal and rates of relapse for people trying to quit problematic use of cannabis and tobacco. At the 2012 conference of the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC), Dr. Vandrey will deliver 2 presentations: “Cannabis Dependence, Withdrawal, and Treatment”, and “Recent Research on Pharmacotherapies for Managing Cannabis Withdrawal”.

Dr. Marcel O. Bonn-Miller — USA

Dr. Marcel O. Bonn-Miller received his B.A. in psychology and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Vermont. He completed a pre-doctoral clinical psychology internship at the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health Care System and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Health Care Evaluation at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System & Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is currently a Research Health Science Specialist at the National Center for PTSD and Center for Health Care Evaluation at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System & Center for Excellence in Substance Abuse Treatment and Education at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center, as well as Director of the Substance Abuse and Anxiety Program at VA Palo Alto. Since completing post-doctoral fellowship in 2009, Dr. Bonn-Miller has received continuous grant support for his work from agencies such as the Veterans Health Administration and California HIV/AIDS Research Program, including a VA CSR&D Career Development Award-2. Dr. Bonn-Miller’s research interests involve the examination of the interrelations between cannabis use disorders and anxiety disorders, including the identification of malleable factors that may drive these interrelations and thus serve as potential treatment targets. Using this knowledge, Dr. Bonn-Miller is particularly interested in the development and implementation of treatments for individuals with cannabis use disorders and co-occurring psychopathology.

Dr Tom Calma — Australia

Dr Calma is an Aboriginal elder from the Kungarakan tribal group and a member of the Iwaidja tribal group whose traditional lands are south west of Darwin and on the Coburg Peninsula in the Northern Territory, respectively. He has been involved in Indigenous affairs at a local, community, state, national and international level and worked in the public sector for over 35 years and is currently on a number of boards and committees focussing on rural and remote Australia, health and education. Dr Calma was appointed National Coordinator, Tackling Indigenous Smoking in March 2010 to lead the fight against tobacco use in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Professor Steven J. Allsop — Australia

Professor Steve Allsop has been involved in policy, prevention and treatment research and practice and professional development for health, police, education, and community organisations for almost 30 years. As Professor and Director of the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) at Curtin University of Technology he is Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Abuse and NDRI is a NCPIC consortium partner. His previous roles have included A/Executive Director Drug and Alcohol Office and Director National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction, Flinders University of South Australia.

Associate Professor Alan Clough — Australia

Associate Professor Clough leads a Community-based Health Promotion and Prevention Studies Group (CHPPS).He is principally recognised in Australia for his significant contribution to research and practice in the challenging and often neglected field of substance use problems in Indigenous communities. He brings to his work the unique perspective of having lived and worked in remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory’s ‘Top End’ for almost 20 years.

Professor Jan Copeland — Australia

Jan Copeland is the founding Professor and Director of the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC) at the University of NSW. She has a strong national and international reputation as a leading researcher in the development of brief interventions for cannabis related problems. She has also developed major programs of research in the development of treatment outcome monitoring systems; development of treatment models for substance dependent women; and aspects of psychostimulants. She works with a number of community based agencies on service evaluations and executive management. She is currently supervising a number of doctoral students at NCPIC. She is a member of the Australian Psychological Association, Australian Professional Society on Alcohol and Drugs, and the US College on Problems of Drug Dependence.

Paul Dillon — Australia

Paul Dillon is currently employed as the National Community Communications Manager for the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC). For many years he was employed as the Media Liaison/Information Manager at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre where his key role was to disseminate research findings to policy makers, drug and alcohol workers and the general public. He has been contracted by many agencies, including the NSW Police Service, the NSW Department of Education and the AMA, to give regular updates on current drug trends within the community. He has appeared on a wide range of television programs including Sunrise, TODAY and A Current Affair discussing topical issues. His areas of interest are drug education, cannabis, anabolic steroid users and the ecstasy/dance party culture.

Dr John Howard — Australia

John Howard is a Senior Lecturer at the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC), and has worked in schools, juvenile justice, adolescent psychiatry, substance use treatment, and universities. He consults to WHO, UNICEF, UNODC and UNESCAP with field-work in India, Philippines, South Africa, Egypt, Nepal, Lao PDR, Viet Nam, China and Thailand on capacity-building for community treatment of young drug users and increasing access to harm reduction services for young injecting drug users. John has been developing youth specific prevention and youth sector capacity building resources with NCPIC.

Professor Iain McGregor — Australia

Iain S. McGregor is ARC Professorial Fellow, Professor of Psychopharmacology and Director of the Psychopharmacology Laboratory at the University of Sydney. Iain completed his undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford and his PhD in Psychology at the University of Sydney. Iain is one of Australia’s foremost researchers in the fields of psychopharmacology and neuroscience with more than 120 peer reviewed publications to his name. His research is currently funded by the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council and focuses on the effects of drugs such as ecstasy, cannabis, methamphetamine and antidepressants on brain and behaviour. This research encompasses studies in both human subjects and laboratory animals and spans behavioural, genetic and neural levels of analysis. Iain is a much sought after speaker and has given numerous invited keynote addresses and presentations around the world. He also lectures extensively to psychology undergraduates and trainee clinical psychologists. Iain recently received a NHMRC Achievement Award from the Health Minister Nicola Roxon for his outstanding contributions to biomedical research.

Coralie Ober — Australia

Ms Ober is Islander by birth with Aboriginal kinships in the Deed of Grant in Trust (DOGIT) communities of Cherbourg and Palm Island, her Torres Strait Island kinships is with the Island of Saibai in the Torres Strait and her South Sea Islander kinships is with the Islands of Vanatau. Ms Ober is currently employed as a Research Fellow at the Queensland Alcohol and Drug Research and Education Centre (QADREC) UQ, where she is writing her PhD Thesis. Prior to joining QADREC, Ms Ober was Principal Advisor for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Programs at Queensland Health. Ms Ober has worked in the field of Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs both at a State and National level for some years including working internationally in WHO on the Global Project on Indigenous Peoples and Substance Use. Ms Ober is a Registered Nurse and a Registered Teacher.

Dr Nadia Solowij — Australia

Dr Nadia Solowij, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer and Researcher in the School of Psychology, University of Wollongong. Nadia spent 15 years at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, establishing her primary area of expertise on the long-term cognitive effects of cannabis. She has used psychophysiological, neuropsychological, and brain imaging techniques in her investigations and has over 70 scientific publications including her book Cannabis and Cognitive Functioning (Cambridge University Press). Her recent research has focused on memory, cognition and brain structure and function in adult and adolescent cannabis users and people with schizophrenia and comorbid cannabis use. Her current research examines the effects of cannabis use and different cannabinoids on genetic, brain and other vulnerability markers for psychosis.

Dr Wendy Swift — Australia

Dr Wendy Swift is employed as a Senior Lecturer at NDARC. She was awarded her doctorate in 1999 for her work on patterns and correlates of cannabis dependence. Since then she has examined cannabis dependence for the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, and she has been co-investigator on several clinical studies of interventions for adult and adolescent cannabis users. Her current work includes analyses of cannabis use in the Victorian Adolescent Cohort Study, cannabis potency and contamination, cannabis and driving, and the use of alcohol and medicines. Her research interests are cannabis use and dependence, the therapeutic potential of cannabis, comorbidity, the characteristics of the cannabis market, and substance use among older Australians.