Biography
Dr Sarah Welch studied both medicine and social and political sciences at Cambridge University, UK, and then qualified in clinical medicine at Oxford University, where she subsequently carried out her Wellcome Trust funded doctoral research on risk factors for eating disorders. Since then, she has predominantly had a clinical career as an addiction psychiatrist. In this role, she has held jobs as a clinical academic, and then as a consultant in clinical services ranging from inner London to small town and rural areas; and ranging across inpatient services, community services and third sector provision.
Sarah has contributed to several addiction-related clinical guidelines including the British Association for Psychopharmacology evidence-based clinical guidelines; Better Care for People with Co-occurring Mental Health and Alcohol/Drug Use Conditions (Public Health England); Drug use and Dependence: UK Guidelines on Clinical Management (UK Department of Health and Social Care); and the more recent UK Department of Health and Social Care clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment.
As part of her role as Trustee for the Society for the Study of Addiction, Sarah chairs the SSA conference workstream. This role focuses on the SSA’s own annual conference held in November, and SSA co-production with other conferences, most notably with Lisbon Addictions. The most satisfying part of this role is seeing researchers and practitioners making new connections, strengthening and enriching the addiction field.
Declaration of interests
Sarah is a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
