Addictions Clinic Medical Director, Medical University of Vienna
Vienna, Austria
Biography
Gabriele Fischer studied human medicine at the Medical University of Vienna and received her Doctorate in 1984, specialising in psychiatry and neurology. In addition, she also holds a degree in intensive care medicine.
In 1986-1989, Gabriele Fischer completed a research fellowship and psychiatric residency training at Washington University Medical School (USA). She became the Medical Director of the Addiction Clinic in 1994 and in 2000 went on to be Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at the Medical University of Vienna.
Professor Fischer has been involved in many epidemiological, clinical, psychopharmacological and public health studies in the field of substance use disorder and non-substance related addictions, including the topic of co-morbidities and special populations. Her special research focus includes the aspect of gender differences in psychiatry, focusing on prevention, treatment accessibility and provision.
Gabriele Fischer has also been involved in human rights activities. She has provided many international training sessions on UN Human Rights Treaties, mostly related to OP-CAT, CRPD, CRC, CESCR with a special focus on gender issues, Istanbul Convention and Istanbul Protocol. She has globally monitored several prison sites, detention centres, psychiatric hospitals and elderly homes, and has recently implemented programmes. in Afghanistan.
Professor Fischer has been a consultant for several societies including, the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime, the World Health Organisation and the European Parliament. She is a member of the scientific board for quality control and quality management in medicine and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). She is also a member of General Medical Council in Austria, and a founding board member of women for women: health policy in focus. In July 2015 she became the Commission Director of the Austrian ombudsman board dedicated to improving human rights in vulnerable populations.
To date, Gabriele Fischer has given over 400 scientific presentations, has over 150 peer-reviewed publications and is involved in editing/reviewing work in many international journals.