Nicholas Athanasiou, MD, MBA, DFASAM
Candidate for Secretary
Nicholas Athanasiou, MD, MBA, DFASAM is the Chief Mental Health Psychiatrist for Co-occurring Disorders and Substance Use at the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and a Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA. Currently, he is the Chair of the ASAM Publications Council, the emeritus Editor in Chief of the ASAM Weekly, and a member of the ASAM Board of Directors. He was recognized as a Distinguished Fellow of ASAM in 2021 and received ASAM’s Presidential Award in 2026.
Candidate Questionnaire Responses
1. How would your election to the ASAM Board of Directors benefit ASAM and the field of addiction medicine?
Although I believe my diverse experiences in academia, community mental health, and within ASAM would benefit both the organization and the field of addiction medicine, it is likely the perspectives I gained over the years leading the ASAM Weekly that would be of most value. The experience taught me vision, growth, humility, community, leadership, camaraderie etc. and how these elements are necessary to work with and for others in a shared purpose. Over the ten years I was with the publication, I read many hundreds of publications and gained a broad understanding and insight into what is important to our field and our community.
2. Candidate Statement
Currently, I am the Chief Mental Health Psychiatrist for Co-occurring Disorders and Substance Use at the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health- the largest county-operated public mental health department in the country. A core responsibility of this position is to help lead the department to further integrate mental health and substance use disorder care. It’s an administrative role that leans heavily on my clinical experience as an addiction psychiatrist. Alongside my work in community mental health, I have always been closely involved with teaching and am currently an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA.
Within ASAM, I have held several leadership positions. Currently, I am the Chair of the Publications Council and help oversee publication of ASAM’s many prized textbooks and resources. As an ex-officio member of the board, I participate regularly in board meetings and am currently a member of the ASAM Presidential Task Force. My work within ASAM is most recognizable as the prior Editor in Chief for the ASAM Weekly (April 2021-July 2026). I am also honored to be a Distinguished Fellow of ASAM since 2021 and to have received the ASAM Presidential Award in 2026.
My diverse experiences working in community health and academia along with my leadership roles within ASAM will help provide unique perspective on some of the more important challenges and opportunities to face the field of addiction medicine and the organization.