Eighteen months into his post as Chief Executive Officer, Dr Rob Calder reflects on how evidence, collaboration, and compassion are shaping a research culture that can better support people affected by addiction.
How do we build a research culture that makes a real difference to people affected by addiction? Over the past year and a half, I’ve returned to this question again and again. It’s central to everything we do at the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA). Our purpose is to improve lives by advancing the understanding of addictive products and behaviours. Every project we support, every researcher we fund, and every partnership we build should help us better understand addiction, improve how we help people, and reduce the harm it causes to people and communities.
Why evidence matters
I spent 10 years working in treatment services before moving into research. Part of this change was driven by a wish to contribute at a more systemic level. I wanted to help strengthen the evidence base for treatment and inform the policies that determine the support that is (or is not) available.
The SSA was founded over 140 years ago by a group of people who recognised addiction as a condition requiring treatment, rather than as a moral issue. They wanted to use the best available science of the day to help society do better for people who needed help. Since joining the staff team in 2019, I have seen how that principle still guides the SSA today.
As an independent charity that remains focused on addiction science, we are guided by evidence rather than ideology. In a climate where public debate can quickly become polarised, independence and evidence matter. Good evidence does not always tell us what we hope to hear. Part of our responsibility is to continually question our assumptions, improve the quality of the science, and to follow the evidence. That commitment is reflected across everything we do, including the research we fund, the academic journals we manage, and the events we host.
The people behind the science
One of the privileges of working at the SSA is seeing talented people at every stage of their careers. Whether it is Ben Scher evaluating harm reduction services in New Jersey or Vicky Carlisle working to improve access to life-saving medication in England, I continue to be blown away by what our students, fellows, and alumni achieve – and proud that the SSA has played even a small part in their success.
What makes this particularly special is that the support does not flow in only one direction. The people we invest in go on to create opportunities for others: sharing their knowledge, building networks, and helping to shape the future of addiction science. Our PhD Symposium and Early Career Research Network are both supported by organising committees made up of PhD students and fellows, who give their time to help their peers present their research, develop new skills, and build lasting connections. It creates a virtuous circle in which people supported by the SSA help others in the research community to thrive.
Behind everything we do is a dedicated team of staff, trustees, editors, reviewers, and volunteers who care deeply about advancing addiction science. Across the SSA, there is a real sense of shared endeavour. One of the things I’ve valued most in this role is how much people want to support each other: to share ideas, mentor, debate, and improve the work collectively. Our culture is rooted in curiosity and collegiality. People care deeply about getting things right, from the methodological detail that is essential to good science, to fostering a supportive and caring working culture.
Turning research into impact
During my years working in treatment services, I saw how hard people worked to support individuals and families affected by addiction, often in extremely challenging conditions. When resources are stretched and caseloads rise, the time available for reflection, training, and collaboration is often the first thing to go, yet these are the things that strengthen services over time.
Our commitment to evidence and collaboration only matters if it improves people’s lives. Better research helps to equip practitioners with the knowledge they need to provide the best possible support. But to be effective it requires a collaboration between research, policy, and practice.
That is why the current moment feels so important. Through the Addiction Healthcare Goals flagship research leadership programme, we have an opportunity to strengthen collaboration between research, policy, and practice, to build research capacity, and support the next generation of leaders who will help shape addiction science for years to come.
This is a moment of real ambition for the SSA’s future, and for the role we can play in global addiction science. Addiction research is entering an exciting new chapter, with growing opportunities to deepen understanding, improve lives, and reduce harm. We will continue to play our part by championing robust evidence, supporting outstanding people, and building the kind of research culture that allows both science – and the people behind it – to flourish.
That, ultimately, is how research becomes something that changes lives.
by Rob Calder
Dr Rob Calder became the SSA’s Chief Executive Officer in 2025 and has worked for the SSA since 2019. Rob initially worked in elderly care and mental health services before moving to addiction treatment and research settings where he has worked in several roles over the last 20 years. He is committed to supporting early career researchers to develop towards leadership and has a keen interest in research that improves the help that can be offered to people experiencing harms from addictive products and behaviours. Rob’s own research has focused on implementation challenges in the delivery of evidence-based treatment. He has also worked on research into vaping and on primary care interventions for homeless people. He is a trustee for The People’s Recovery Project, a charity that specialises in helping people who experience homelessness access rehabilitation services.
This article was written with editorial support from Holly Wood-Blake.
