Robert Tanguay

Biography

Dr. Tanguay is a psychiatrist who completed two fellowships, one in Addiction Medicine and one in Pain Medicine. He is a clinical assistant professor with the departments of Psychiatry and Surgery at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.

Dr. Tanguay is the co-founder, developer, and Chief Medical Officer of The Newly Institute, a rehabilitation and return to work program dedicated to providing medical and psychological intervention for people living with mental health disorders such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, addiction, and chronic pain with evidence-based psychotherapy and trauma-focused therapy.

Dr. Tanguay is the co-chair of the internationally recognized Alberta Pain Strategy and helps lead the Alberta Virtual Pain Program implementation.  He is the founder of the Opioid Deprescribing Program with AHS, the Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) Community Clinic with AHS, and the Transitional Outpatient Pain Program for Spine (TOPPS) clinic with Caleo Health and the University of Calgary and is renowned for his innovation in creating clinical programs for complex chronic medical and psychiatric illnesses. He was also the Provincial Medical Lead for Addiction Education for Alberta Health Services (AHS) where he helped develop award winning CME programs for physicians and health care practitioners.

Dr. Tanguay has been recognized for his work and is the 2021 Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recipient of the Early Career Leadership Award, was inducted into the University of Lethbridge Alumni Honour Society, and is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.

Dr. Tanguay is member of the Calgary Police Commission, recently appointed for a 3-year term. He is the Co-Chair of the Western Canadian Addiction Forum and director of the Canadian Addiction Counsel. Dr. Tanguay has been heavily involved in health policy including helping to lead the Alberta Psychedelic Legislative Committee and the Alberta Safe Supply Legislative Committee.  He is a member of the Alberta Recovery Expert Advisory Panel leading the implementation of the Recovery Orientated System of Care. He is a member of the Public Health Emergencies Governance Review Panel for the Government of Alberta and was a member of the Supervised Consumption Review Committee. He also sits on the Policy Committee for the Canadian Society of Addiction medicine (CSAM).

Academically, he is involved in research in trauma, addiction, chronic pain, opioids, cannabis, and psychedelics and is a member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education at the University of Calgary.