James Blair er ph.d. i psykologi og har blandt andet forsket i neurobiologi, 'brain imaging', kognitiv neuropsykologi og psykofarmakologi. I den nye stilling skal han både forske og arbejde for at sikre, at endnu flere resultater af forskningen bliver anvendt i klinikken.
- Med ankomsten af James Blair kan vi forfølge nye projekter, der styrker koblingen mellem forskningen og klinikken blandt andet ved at kaste lys over udfordringen med ungdomspsykiatriske patienter, der samtidig har et misbrug af rusmidler. Vi glæder os meget til at byde professor James Blair velkommen, siger Kresten Dørup, der er chef for Børne- og Ungdomspsykiatrisk Center, København.
James Blair har blandt andet forsket i adfærdsforstyrrelser, angst og misbrug og bidraget til mere end 200 videnskabelige artikler.
- Det exceptionelle kliniske og akademiske miljø i Region Hovedstaden Psykiatri giver enestående muligheder, og jeg glæder mig til at blive en del af teamet, siger James Blair.
Kort om James BlairFødt den 29. juli 1966.
James Blair kommer fra Boys Town National Research Hospital, hvor han var direktør for Center for Neurobehavioral Research (2016-2021). Han har tidligere været direktør ved Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience ved the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland (2002-2016) og senior lecturer ved Department of Psychology ved University College London (2000-2002).
James Blair kommer fra en stilling som direktør ved Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital (Nebraska, USA).
- Professor Blair er en af verdens førende og mest indflydelsesrige forskere inden for kognitiv neuropsykiatri. Hans teorier og forskning inden for adfærdsforstyrrelser har bl.a. dannet grundlag for etableringen af diagnosen af adfærdsforstyrrelsen 'conduct disorder' i det amerikanske diagnosesystem, fortæller Ida Hageman, der er vicedirektør i Region Hovedstadens Psykiatri.
Når James Blair tiltræder, bliver han den fjerde professor på centeret, hvor også Søren Dalsgaard, Anne Thorup og Katrine Pagsberg er med til at tegne et stærkt forskningsmiljø:
- Området står forskningsmæssigt stærkere end nogensinde med fire professorer, hvis forskningsfelter supplerer hinanden på fornemste vis, siger Ida Hageman.
James Blair tiltræder som professor ved Børne- og Ungdomspsykiatrisk Center 1. januar.
More about James Blair and his research (in English)
James Blair is a ph.D. in developmental psychology and has conducted considerable research taking a cognitive neuroscience approach to the neurobiology of externalizing and internalizing psychiatric conditions – conduct disorder, substance use and anxiety. This work has primarily involved functional brain imaging but also neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. He takes a strong translational approach to science – attempting to design tasks and methodologies that might improve the assessment of adolescent psychiatric patients in the clinic.
Could you tell us a little bit about your field of research?
My recent work has focused on developing neuro-imaging and neuropsychological biomarkers related to externalizing and internalizing mental health conditions in adolescence and particularly the impacts of adolescent substance and alcohol use and maltreatment (abuse and neglect). The most recent work has been identifying the associations between the functional integrity of specific neuro-cognitive systems and specific symptoms of adolescent psychopathology. For example, recent work with collaborators has used machine learning to identify biomarkers associated with a significant risk for suicidal ideation in adolescents.
How does your research complement the current research at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre?
I am particularly interested in following up the implications of this work for intervention. As such, I am keen to determine the impact of specific interventions on the neuro-cognitive impairments associated with the specific psychiatric disorders. We need better information on what interventions would work best with which patients and clearer assessments of whether those interventions have worked. The exceptional clinical and academic environment available within the Capital Region and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, at the center for treatment for so many adolescent patients, provides unique opportunities for intervention research and I'm extremely excited to join the team.
CV: James Blair comes from Boys Town National Research Hospital where he was the Director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Research (2016-2021). Prior to that he was the Chief of the Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland (2002-2016). Prior to this he was a senior lecturer in Developmental Psychology within the Department of Psychology at University College London.