The Grayken Center for Addiction at Boston Medical Center’s Behind the Evidence podcast is pleased to host "Behind the Masthead," a special series of episodes featuring conversations with addiction journal editors and other scholars on navigating current threats to addiction science and academic freedom.

In this second episode of the “Behind the Masthead” series, guest host Casy Calver, PhD speaks with Tom Babor, PhD, an Emeritus Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and the former Editor of Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Dr Babor has been an outspoken advocate for the preservation of scientific freedom through the Addiction Science Defense Network, and he is the lead author of the editorial, “A clarion call to the addiction science community: It's time to resist the anti-scientific policies of the US Trump administration,” which has been re-published in a number of addiction journals. He is also a co-author of the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines, and a past-president of the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors (ISAJE). This interview was recorded 25 September 2025.

Behind the Evidence is the addiction medicine podcast of the Grayken Center for Addiction at Boston Medical Center, and a project of the Center’s free bimonthly newsletter Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Health: Current Evidence (AODH). This series, “Behind the Masthead,” is guest-hosted by Casy Calver, PhD.

Behind the Evidence hosts: Honora L. Englander, MD and Marc R. Larochelle, MD

Production: Raquel Silveira, MBA

Editing: Casy Calver, PhD

Music and cover art: Mary Tomanovich, MA

Miriam Komaromy, MD is the Executive Director of the Grayken Center for Addiction, and co-Editor-in-Chief of AODH, together with David Fiellin, MD

Learn more about AODH and subscribe for free at www.aodhealth.org

“Behind the Evidence” is supported by the Grayken Center for Addiction at Boston Medical Center. It is intended for educational purposes only, and should not be considered medical advice. The views expressed here are our own, and do not necessarily reflect those of our employers or the authors of the articles we review. All patient information has been modified to protect their identities.

"Behind the Masthead" special series: a conversation with Tom Babor, PhD