Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse
World Health Organization
Since 2000, Vladimir Poznyak has coordinated the World Health Organization Management of Substance Abuse program, where he leads the organization's efforts to formulate standards, guidelines, and technical assistance tools to help the world implement ethical and evidence-based interventions and policies to reduce the demand for and consequences of substance use. Projects such as the WHO Guidelines for the Psychosocially Assisted Pharmacological Treatment of Opioid Dependence and the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) are both catalysts for changes in drug abuse treatment and invaluable training tools. Resources such as the ATLAS on Substance Use and the Global Information System on Resources for the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders monitor health system resources and assess health trends to identify countries where evidence-based programs are in place or need to be developed. Dr. Poznyak leads partnerships with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on treatment and care for drug dependence and has been collaborating with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS to develop policy briefs and activities to address drug-related infectious diseases. By contributing to the international research agenda, providing technical support, and disseminating knowledge, Dr. Poznyak's work at WHO provides nations with the tools to build sustainable capacity to improve public health by preventing and treating substance abuse and addiction.