The following are some academic/professional contributions of Dr. A-M. Ghadirian:
- Research and publications in the field of mood disorders and their treatment. This has been his field of sub-specialty in psychiatry. He served as director of the Mood Disorders Clinic at the Royal Victoria Hospital’s Department of Psychiatry (Allan Memorial Institute), Montreal for 24 years. He was the first to introduce the new approach of light therapy to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder at the McGill Department of Psychiatry in 1987.
- Substance Abuse and its Prevention: contributed to prevention research, publication of articles, books, presentations at academic and professional conferences in different parts of the world, including Central and South America and China. His book In Search of Nirvana (and its new edition, Alcohol and Drug Abuse) has been published in different languages. For his work and contribution on prevention of substance abuse he received an Award of Excellence of Social Responsibility and Service in Xian, China in October 2008.
- As a former director of Medical Education for the Montreal WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health, organized a WHO course on Psychiatric Hospital Organization and Management held on March 10-12, 1982 at the Douglas Hospital Centre in Montreal. The proceedings of this course were printed and distributed for participants who came from various countries of the world (Publication of the Proceedings, 1983)
- His book Creative Dimensions of Suffering outlines extensive research about an emerging paradigm, the relationship between creativity and suffering.
- Biological and psychosocial aspects of psychiatric disorders was another area of study, research and publication in which he engaged.
- Another area of interest and research has been the psychological, social and moral impact of materialism and discontent in society. His book Materialism: Moral and Social Consequences was a prize-winning book in 2011. A new and much expanded edition of this book had been prepared and will soon be published.
- In 2002 he launched a new course in the undergraduate medical education program at McGill University Faculty of Medicine on Spirituality and Ethics in Medicine. This elective course has been popular among students and continues up to the present for 4th year medical students.
- He has written and spoken on the integration of spirituality and medicine and the development of of compassionate care through a better understanding of the spiritual dimension of human nature. With spirituality also come other factors such as personal values and cultural considerations in the treatment of patients.
- Coping with stress and developing resilience in overcoming life crises and challenges is another field of exploration and contribution about which he has spoken in academic and public conferences in many countries.
- After the 1979 Iranian revolution, Baha’i students were refused admission to institutions of higher learning in that country. To meet the educational needs of thousands of these students, the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) was established in 1987. This institute (which later became a university) offered online distance education. Among the hundreds of teachers living in many countries of the world who contributed their time and experience to this endeavor, Dr. Ghadirian taught in the Department of Psychology of BIHE on line from 2006 to 2012. Persian versions of his book and articles on the subject of substance abuse prevention helped hundreds of students who attended his online course to fulfill this part of their training which would otherwise have been impossible in a country which denied them the right to higher education.
- He has published 14 books and over 150 articles and book chapters, most of which were peer-reviewed. He has traveled extensively and conducted academic lectures, seminars and public presentations around the world on many topics including those mentioned above.
- He was a consultant to the Baha’i International Community (NGO of the United Nations) on the subject of prevention and eradication of substance abuse and alcoholism from 1977 to 2000.
- In 2009 he was named Professor Emeritus of McGill University, Faculty of Medicine.
- He continues to explore the relationship between science and spirituality and the concept of mind, body and soul.
