John Weekes, PhD
Director of Knowledge Mobilization, Community Partnerships and Collaborations
Expertise:
John is a leading expert in all aspects of contemporary substance use and integrated knowledge mobilization.
Biography:
John Weekes has served as an active Adjunct Research Professor of Forensic Psychology and Substance Use Health in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University for over 30 years. During that time, he supervised over 70 students. He continues to teach courses in psychology and substance use health and to mentor undergraduate and graduate students.
Following a rewarding career with the Correctional Service of Canada, John went on to lead research groups in both public hospital and not-for-profit research institutes where he prioritized knowledge mobilization.
During his career, he served as an expert advisor on substance use and drug strategy and policy issues for numerous organizations, including HM Prison and Probation Service, United Kingdom Ministry of Justice, Irish Prison Service, Royal Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police, and Volunteers of America. In 2018, John received the prestigious Maud Booth Correctional Services Award from Volunteers of America in recognition of his career contributions to the criminal justice system.
John is an affiliate of the Mental Health and Well-Being Research and Training Hub (MeWeRTH) at Carleton University. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science and Justice Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. John holds a doctorate in quantitative experimental psychology from Ohio University and master’s degrees in experimental psychology (Carleton) and clinical psychology (Ohio).
John continues a 40-year career of contributing to science through regular publications in leading scientific journals, co-authoring book chapters, and presenting at conferences. A priority for John is to mobilize evidence-based knowledge to have a positive impact on policy and practice. In all his work, he is guided and influenced heavily by the expertise, experiences and perspectives of individuals who have lived or living experience of substance use.