Biography

Dr. Neeraj Gandotra serves as the Chief Medical Officer for SAMHSA. Dr. Gandotra began his addiction career in public health by training within an underserved community in Washington D.C., where he developed his perspective of how a nationwide approach to local addiction treatment is greatly needed. Later, as medical director of Addiction Treatment Services at Johns Hopkins, he directed and delivered care through implementation of department initiatives and medical center resources. Dr. Gandotra was tasked with both administrative and supervisory roles for all providers and clinics within Addiction Treatment Services.

At Johns Hopkins, he was responsible for developing program policy and procedure based on new research findings with the goal of improving outcomes and reducing risk for patients with substance use disorder. In addition, he had managed the administration and clinical treatment within an OTP multidisciplinary team setting. He provided physician support for research conducted at the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, related to various conditions co-occurring with substance use disorders.

Dr. Gandotra has also worked as a Medical Director for federally qualified health centers, where it was necessary to develop policies sensitive of the specific catchment area cultural and ethnic needs. Immediately prior to joining SAMHSA, Dr. Gandotra served as the Chief Medical Officer for a large nationwide addiction treatment network, where he has developed national strategies specifically aimed at reducing risk, improving outcomes, and provider development. He is familiar with the development and utilization of medical services budgets, nuances of regulations and code across various states, and most importantly provider perspectives as he delivered direct patient care.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Gandotra is a member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. Dr. Gandotra has worked with the Maryland State Attorney General on cases of physician misconduct, specifically those involving prescriptions of controlled substances. Dr. Gandotra also has been a consultant for the NFL player’s assistance program for substance use disorders and for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Dr. Gandotra received his Bachelor of Science in Biology at University of Maryland, his Doctor of Medicine from the Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) School of Medicine and completed his Psychiatric residency at Howard University. He completed an Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Gandotra had served on the faculty at Johns Hopkins University and Howard University Hospital for a decade.