Cam Wild
I study psychosocial aspects of addiction and mental health.
My research interests span etiology, prevention and treatment, and include: problem drinking, injection drug use, smoking, comorbid addictions and mental disorders, treatment systems, and the use of social policy.
Methodologically, I use a broad variety of approaches, including efficacy and effectiveness trials, population surveys, psychometrics, longitudinal designs and qualitative (phenomenological and ethnographic) methods.
Although these are diverse interests, a common thread uniting them is a core theoretical emphasis on the interplay between social influence and motivational processes. Almost all of my research interests include a strong community focus, which involves extensive collaboration with health policy makers, practitioners and other non-academic stakeholders to ensure the relevance and uptake of our findings, along with and dissemination of results using both traditional (academic publication) and non-traditional (internet, grey literature) approaches.
Degrees
Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Rochester, New York, USA, 1994
PhD, University of Alberta, 1993
MA, University of Alberta, 1987
BA (Honours), University of Alberta, 1980
Awards
Health Scholar, Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions, 2006 – 2013
Population Health Investigator, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, 2000 – 2006
New Investigator, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2000 – 2005
Selected Publications
Wild, T.C., Cunningham, J.A., & Roberts, A.B. (2007). Controlled study of brief personalized assessment- feedback for drinkers interested in self-help. Addiction, 102, 241-250.
Wozniak, L., Prakash, M., Taylor, M., & Wild, T.C. (2007). Everybody’s Got It, But…: Situational and strategic participation in normalized HCV discourse among injection drug users in Edmonton, Canada. International Journal of Drug Policy, 18, 388-396.
Wild, T.C., Cunningham, J.A., & Ryan, R.M. (2006). Social pressure, coercion, and client engagement at treatment entry: A self-determination theory perspective. Addictive Behaviors, 31, 1858-1872.
Wild, T.C. (2006). Social control and coercion in addiction treatment: Toward evidence-based policy and practice. Addiction, 101, 40-49.
Westmaas, J.L., Wild, T.C., & Ferrence, R. (2002). Effects of gender in social control of smoking cessation. Health Psychology, 21, 368-376.
Current Projects
Social control and coercion in addiction treatment
Principal Investigator
funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Measuring addictions and mental health problems in Alberta: Phase 1
Principal Investigator
funded by the Norlien Foundation
Risk and protective factors for problem gambling among urban aboriginals in Edmonton
Co-principal Investigator; Cheryl Currie, Co-principal Investigator
funded by the Alberta Gaming Research Institute
Ultra-brief intervention for problem drinkers
Co-investigator
funded by the NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism