Fouder and Chairman

ADial founder and President, Professor Bankole Johnson, is a Professor and Chairman of the department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia, and is considered to be one of the world’s leading authorities in the field of addictive disorder research. Professor Johnson accepted an appointment to serve as Alumni Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia beginning on September 1, 2004. He is also a Professor in the department of Neuroscience and a Professor in the department of Medicine.

Professor Johnson graduated in Medicine from Glasgow University in 1982, and trained in Psychiatry at the Royal London and Maudsley and Bethlem Royal Hospitals. In addition to his medical degree, he trained in research at the Institute of Psychiatry (University of London), and conducted studies in psychopharmacology for his doctoral thesis (degree from Glasgow University) on the Medical Research Council unit at Oxford University. Most recently, in 2004, Professor Johnson earned his Doctor of Science degree in Medicine for his work on the neuroscience and molecular genetics of medications to treat addictive disorders from the Glasgow University. Professor Johnson also is an inductee of the Texas Hall of Fame in 2003 for contributions to science, mathematics, and technology. Prof. Johnson has won numerous scientific awards for his innovative research and was recently selected to become a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

In his role as a researcher, professor and department head, Professor Johnson has managed and developed organizations with up to 400 people and an annual budget in excess of $15 million. He has attracted funding in excess of $25 million from government agencies, foundations and industry (GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen Pharmaceutical, Ortho-McNiel/J&J subsidiary and Alkermes) toward the further understanding of addiction. Professor Johnson has managed single and multi-site teams to conduct multi-million dollar research projects in the area of addiction ranging from running clinical III trials to studying the combination of pharmacological treatments for alcoholism to exploring new drugs to combat addiction to establishing clinics to treat addicts. He has also served as a consultant to several pharmaceutical companies and is often called upon to provide opinions on developments in this area.