We’re thrilled that Dr. Ray Baker has generously agreed to join the Compris team as medical education and industry consultant.
A leader in addiction medicine, Dr. Baker's achievements span 40+ years of clinical practice and education, culminating in the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 from the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine (CSAM). In 2003, he received the American Association for Treatment of Opioid Dependence Dole-Nyswander award and served on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM).
As an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of British Columbia Dr. Baker developed and taught the undergraduate Addiction Medicine curriculum. He authored the chapter on Alcoholism in Conn’s Current Therapy, a medical education textbook, and remains a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Addictive Diseases. On behalf of the Railway Association of Canada, Dr. Baker developed the rules for medical fitness for Canadian safety-critical railway workers with substance use disorders.
Since 2016 Dr. Baker has assisted organizations in their transition towards more integrated recovery-oriented care. It is his goal to facilitate creation of people-centred community resources that maximize the conditions essential for sustainable recovery and wellbeing for people affected by substance use and mental health problems. As a member of Canada's CCSA National Recovery Research Expert Advisory committee, Dr. Baker helped design and interpret Canada's 2017 Life in Recovery Survey. In 2018 Dr. Baker trained as a recovery coach, and then as a recovery coach trainer with the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR). He served as an expert consultant to Alberta's Mental Health and Addiction Advisory Committee, assisting the province's transition to a Recovery Oriented System of Care.
Dr. Baker has provided treatment recommendations for several thousand individuals with addictive disorders, many suffering from concurrent medical, psychiatric and pain conditions. His 2022 training manual, “Recovery Coaching Knowledge and Skills”, set a new standard in recovery coaching, and is currently in use by several organizations in training over 200 recovery coaches. A lifelong advocate for mental health and addictions, Dr. Baker continues to assist companies in their management of workplace mental health and addictions.
Upon learning about Compris’ efforts to bring chronic illness parity to addiction medicine and the recovery journey, Dr. Baker said, “...Compris [is] a practical, efficient and sensitive instrument that measures multiple domains and determinants of the continuum from active addiction to sustained and healthy recovery. Compris integrates numerous theoretically sound and evidence-based components into algorithms, providing good addiction diagnostics, risk stratification, resilience factors, substance use disorder severity, level of motivation, recovery capital and health behaviors. Because it is easy and fast to administer, it provides immediate feedback in the form of an instructive report. Compris is useful for therapists, healthcare providers, researchers and people at various stages of recovery. I congratulate Calvin McGinn, and the Compris team for creating a useful tool in our work with people suffering from this common group of disorders.” (Ray Baker MD, FCFP, FASAM, ABAM)
Dr. Baker brings a wealth of experience to Compris. We look forward to his seasoned insights as we continue to grow.
Learn more about Compris or schedule a demo.
Stay safe and healthy.
Thank you.
Joyce and Calvin
Compris' co-founders