Chris G. Richardson
PROGRAM HEAD – PSYCHOSOCIAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, PHD, M.SC., BA
Dr. Chris Richardson completed a bachelor’s (Hons) degree in Biopsychology at the University of Guelph, a Master of Science in Community Health from the University of Northern British Columbia, and a Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia (UBC) School of Population and Public Health.
Research Interests
- Biological, psychological, and social determinants of the initiation and escalation of substance use in adolescents
- Exploring the intersection of substance use and emerging mental illness among at-risk youth
- Applications of psychometrics (e.g., fracture analysis, latent profile analysis) to the study of youth substance use and emerging mental illness
His doctoral program of research focused on the application of multi-group structural equation modelling to examine changes in sense of coherence over time and the extent to which it acts as a buffer of stressful life events.
He subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship focused on applying his knowledge of psychometrics to the development of the Adolescent Need for Smoking Scale and the study of adolescent substance use more generally.
Dr. Richardson is currently a Research Associate in the UBC School of Population and Public Health, where his research activities are focused on examining aspects of biopsychosocial development in adolescence (e.g., impulsivity, sensation seeking, resilience) and their relationships with patterns of tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and other drug use. At CHÉOS and St. Paul’s Hospital, he is the Research Lead for the Inner City Youth Program, where he works with a team of psychiatrists to examine the role of mental illness, substance use, and homelessness on the psychosocial functioning of at-risk youth.
Additional Affiliations
- Research Associate, School of Population and Public Health, UBC
- Research Lead, Inner City Youth Program, Providence Health Care
