Rate My Professor Alex Blaszczynski

Alexander Blaszczynski is Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology in the School of Psychology at the University of Sydney. He earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of New South Wales (1968-1972), an M.A. from the University of Sydney, a Diploma in Psychology from the University of Sydney, and a Ph.D. from the University of New South Wales. A clinical psychologist and member of the Australian Psychological Society and College of Clinical Psychologists, he served as Co-Director of the University of Sydney’s Gambling Research Unit and Director of the Gambling Treatment Centre. Blaszczynski has conducted extensive research on impulse control disorders, with a primary focus on pathological gambling, behavioral addictions, and responsible gambling strategies.

His seminal contributions include developing the Pathways Model of problem and pathological gambling, outlined in the 2002 paper 'A pathways model of problem and pathological gambling' co-authored with Lia Nower in Addiction (over 2,500 citations). Other key publications encompass 'A science-based framework for responsible gambling: the Reno model' (2004, with Robert Ladouceur and Howard J. Shaffer, 540 citations), 'Impulsivity in pathological gambling: the antisocial impulsivist' (1999, with Z. Steel and N. McConaghy, 563 citations), 'How can we conceptualize behavioural addiction without pathologizing common behaviours' (2017, 699 citations), and the edited volume 'Responsible Gambling: Primary Stakeholder Perspectives' (2020). With 29,218 citations, an h-index of 83, and 317 publications, Blaszczynski's work has shaped policy guidelines for the Australian Gaming Council and advanced harm minimization approaches. He has held grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Criminology Research Council of the Australian Institute of Criminology, NSW Casino Community Benefit Fund, and Queensland Treasury. Notable roles include editor of International Gambling Studies, regional assistant editor of Addictions, chairman of the Australian Psychological Society’s Working Party on problem gambling, and committee member for the Australian Medical Association’s position papers. Awards include the 1995 American Council on Problem Gambling Directors Award (co-recipient) and the 2004 National Center for Responsible Gambling Senior Investigator Research Award. Retired from academia, he directs Rawdon Consulting, specializing in responsible gambling policies and procedures.