Eric Garland, PhD, LCSW

Dr. Eric Garland is presidential scholar, associate dean for research, and professor at the University of Utah College of Social Work, director of the Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development (C-MIIND), and associate director of integrative medicine in Supportive Oncology and Survivorship at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Dr. Garland is the developer of an innovative, mindfulness-based therapy 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 nearly $50 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 translational research on biopsychosocial mechanisms implicated in addiction, stress, and chronic pain, including randomized controlled trials of MORE as a treatment for prescription opioid misuse.

In recognition of his expertise in mindfulness research, in 2012, Dr. Garland was named Fellow of the Mind & Life Institute, the world’s premier, multidisciplinary organization for the scientific study of contemplative practices. Dr. Garland currently serves as the chair of the Research Working Group of the national Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health. Dr. Garland has had over 140 scientific articles and book chapters published in respected, peer-reviewed outlets, and he currently serves as associate editor for the journal Mindfulness. To complement his expertise in clinical research, Dr. Garland is a licensed psychotherapist (LCSW) with more than a decade 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.