Howard J Shaffer Editor & Author

Howard J. Shaffer, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Division on Addictions at the Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate.

Dr. Shaffer also is licensed as a clinical psychologist in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and certified by the National Register of Health Care Providers in Psychology. He has more than 35 years of treatment experience; during his career, he has studied and treated the full range of addiction expressions (e.g., gambling, opioid, cocaine, nicotine, shopping, computer, sexual dependence).

Dr. Shaffer's major interests include the social perception of addiction and disease, the philosophy of science, impulse control regulation and compulsive behaviours, addiction treatment outcome, and the natural history of addictive behaviours. He writes extensively about the treatment of addictive behaviours and the nature of addiction. His most recent book, Change Your Gambling, Change Your Life: Strategies for Managing Your Gambling and Improving Your Finances, Relationships, and Health, was released in February 2012.

Additionally, he is a Fellow of the APA and the former editor of the Journal of Gambling Studies and the Psychology of Addictive Behaviours. His clinical and research work has been an influential force in shaping how the field views and treats addiction.

In 2010, Dr. Shaffer received the APA Division 50 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Advancing the Understanding of Addictions.

In addition to maintaining an active private practice and being a member of many scientific editorial boards and review panels, Dr. Shaffer consults internationally to a variety of organisations in business, education, human services, and government. He also has served on the National Academy of Sciences, the National Research Council, and the Committee on the Social and Economic Impacts of Pathological Gambling.