Eric Garland, Ph.D., LCSW

Eric Garland, Ph.D., LCSW, is Distinguished Endowed Chair in Research, Distinguished Professor, and Associate Dean for Research in the University of Utah College of Social Work, Director of the Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development (C-MIIND), Associate Director of Integrative Medicine in Supportive Oncology and Survivorship at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and Research Health Scientist in Whole Health at the Salt Lake Veterans Administration Medical Center. Dr. Garland is the developer of an innovative mindfulness-based intervention founded on insights derived from cognitive, affective, and neurobiological science, called Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE). As Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator, he has received more than $80 million in research grants from a variety of prestigious entities including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to conduct bio-behavioral clinical trials to develop and test novel integrative health interventions, including trials of MORE as a treatment for addiction, emotion dysregulation, and chronic pain. In recognition of his expertise in mindfulness research, in 2012 Dr. Garland was named Fellow of the Mind and Life Institute, the world’s premier, multidisciplinary organization for the scientific study of contemplative practices, and in 2019 was inducted as a Fellow into the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. He served as Chair of the Research Working Group of the National Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health, and in 2019 was appointed by NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins to the NIH HEAL Multi-Disciplinary Working Group comprised of national experts on pain and addiction research to help guide the nation’s $2+ billion HEAL initiative to use science to halt the opioid crisis. Dr. Garland has briefed federal policymakers on MORE as a treatment to halt the opioid crisis: in 2023, Dr. Garland briefed the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and in 2024, he was invited to the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill to brief the Congressional Addiction Treatment and Recovery Caucus. Dr. Garland has had over 250 scientific articles and book chapters published in respected, peer-reviewed outlets. His work has been covered in multiple news outlets, including the New York Times, Time, National Public Radio (NPR), the LA Times, and U.S. News and World Report. In a recent bibliometric analysis of mindfulness research published over the past 55 years, Dr. Garland was found to be the most prolific author of mindfulness research in the world.

To complement his expertise in clinical research, Dr. Garland is a licensed psychotherapist (LCSW) with more than 20 years of clinical experience working with persons suffering from addictive behaviors, mood disorders, traumatic stress, chronic pain, and psychosomatic conditions. He has provided mindfulness-based therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and clinical hypnosis for these patients across a wide range of integrative medicine and mental health settings. In recognition of his expertise as a psychotherapist, in 2015 Dr. Garland was elected Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice.

“Dr. Garland is arguably the world’s leading expert on the use of mind-body therapies to address opioid misuse and addiction among people with chronic pain. In 2020, Dr. Garland completed the largest randomized controlled trial of MORE to date and found that this innovative treatment reduced opioid misuse by 45% nine months after the completion of the treatment—demonstrating the efficacy of the intervention. Few if any other interventions have shown such clinically significant decreases in opioid misuse among people with chronic pain. To meet this void, Dr. Garland has developed an effective treatment for two of the most prevalent and pernicious public health crises of the modern age. In view of these contributions, Dr. Garland’s impact on the field has been highly significant.” – University of Utah Distinguished Professor Award