Dr. Richard Arthur Lindblad is a retired health services administrator and drug abuse epidemiologist who devoted more than 30 years to the United States Public Health Service
WINCHESTER, VA, May 07, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Richard Arthur Lindblad, DrPH, with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. Lindblad celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Dr. Lindblad is a retired health services administrator and drug abuse epidemiologist who devoted more than 30 years to the United States Public Health Service, a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that is concerned with public health. Initially studying nursing in college, Dr. Lindblad realized after graduation that clinical nursing was not a field that he wished to follow however he did want to pursue a career in health promotion and science. Consequently, he applied for a commission in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, which also satisfied his military obligation, and he was awarded the rank of Ensign (01). He was first stationed at the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, one of the only two existing federal facilities that treated individuals addicted to narcotic drugs. During his professional career as a Public Health Commissioned Officer he applied for training outside the service and earned both a master's and a doctorate in public health from Johns Hopkins University.
Early in his career, his dedication and professional commitment were recognized and he was selected by the US Assistant Surgeon General, Dr. Sherman Kieffer as one of three officers to be brought to Washington DC and assigned to initiate and facilitate the implementation of the Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act of 1966. This law was the first federal legislation designed to provide treatment at the local level. Many of today's substance abuse treatment centers grew out of the community programs that Dr. Lindblad helped to establish.
As a Public Health Service Commissioned Officer, he held a number of senior level positions including that of the Associate Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, (NIDA) a position he held for ten years. As NIDA's Associate Director for Policy and Program Development he was able to design or supervise many national treatment, prevention and epidemiological initiatives including the first national drug abuse treatment outcome prospective study, (TOPS). He also directed NIDA's International Office and in that capacity and in cooperation with the State Department and the Fulbright Hubert H. Humphrey program of the National Institutes of Health, he designed and supervised the development of NIDA's Visiting Scientist program, an initiative that trains professionals from other countries in the science and research relating to substance abuse etiology, epidemiology, and treatment. Additionally, Dr. Lindblad has authored several books and published articles in various scholarly journals. One of his early research studies, The Self-Concept of White Middle Socioeconomic Status Addicts: Controlled Study (1974) represented one of the first efforts to identify antecedents of behavior as correlates with later substance abuse. This early study had a significant influence on the emphasis of some of the nation's substance prevention efforts.
During his career he was a frequent consultant to the United Nations and the World Health Organization in their efforts to address the world-wide epidemic of substance abuse. As a consultant he designed and supervised the creation of the United Nations, International Drug Abuse Assessment System, (IDAAS) a world-wide attempt to record the nature and extent of substance abuse among participating countries. Also, as a consultant to the Pan American Health Organization, (PAHO) he directed an epidemiological effort designed to measure the nature and extent of substance abuse among certain central and South American countries. Also, in cooperation with PAHO and with funding from the US State Department, he directed a epidemiological study of substance abuse among the citizens of the island-nation of Jamaica.
After retiring from the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, grade 06, he focused his efforts in providing assistance to substance abuse prevention and treatment among the Appalachian regions of Kentucky and West Virginia. Because of his knowledge of federal funding opportunities, he was able to help many Appalachian communities garner funds to establish treatment, prevention and epidemiology efforts for the very significant public health issue in this region.
Initially earning a Bachelor of Science from San Jose State College in California in 1961, Dr. Lindblad went on to earn a Master of Science from the University of Colorado in 1965. Following these accomplishments, he continued his studies at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he earned a Master of Public Health in 1971 and a Doctor of Public Health in 1974. In an effort to keep abreast of developments in his field, Dr. Lindblad maintains affiliation with the American Public Health Association, the Maryland Public Health Association, the Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service and the National Association of Uniformed Services.
Happily married to his wife, Lona, for many years, Dr. Lindblad is the proud father of three children and two step-children as well as grandfather nine grandchildren. In light of all his accomplishments, he has previously been selected for inclusion in the 44th through the 58th editions of Who's Who in America.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to his profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, Dr. Lindblad has been featured on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
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