Lisbona, Dec. 30, 2025 (Lusa) - Psychiatrist Joana Teixeira Carvalho Guerra is the new president of the Institute for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (ICAD), replacing João Goulão, according to an order accessed by the Lusa news agency on Tuesday.
According to the order, signed by the Minister of Health, Joana Teixeira will take office on 1 January for a period of five years, renewable for an equal period.
The appointment is the result of a competitive selection process conducted by the Recruitment and Selection Committee for Public Administration (CReSAP), which was opened and subsequently repeated, in accordance with the law governing the recruitment of senior state officials.
After the competition was repeated, the jury concluded that there were not three candidates with sufficient merit to constitute the legally required appointment proposal.
In view of this situation, provided for in the Senior Staff Statute, CReSAP was consulted and issued a favourable opinion on the appointment, allowing the Government to proceed with the appointment by order.
In the order, the Minister of Health states that Joana Teixeira's academic and professional curriculum ‘demonstrates the technical competence, aptitude, professional experience and training appropriate to the performance of the respective duties’.
Born in 1984 in Lisbon, Joana Teixeira completed her PhD in Medicine in 2025, specialising in Psychiatry and Mental Health, at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon.
Since 2024, she has coordinated the Alcoholism and Dual Pathology Unit at the São José Local Health Unit and, between 2023 and 2025, chaired the Portuguese Society of Alcoholism, among other positions.
She is a guest lecturer at several medical teaching institutions, including the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon and the Católica Medical School, where she teaches psychiatry and addiction and supervises students and interns.
She is involved in scientific activity in the fields of psychiatry and alcoholism, coordinating the book ‘Álcool: teoria e clínica’ (Alcohol: theory and clinical practice) and authoring dozens of scientific articles, book chapters, and papers presented at national and international conferences.
The order also appoints Ana Sofia Albuquerque Franco, who holds a master's degree in Clinical Psychology, and Marco António Garcia da Silva, a hospital manager and administrator, as members of the ICAD Board of Directors in the areas of Science and Finance, respectively.
The position of president of ICAD was held by 71-year-old doctor João Goulão, who left for retirement reasons and had been acting as a substitute in this body for two years.
In a note sent to Lusa, the Ministry of Health expresses its recognition and appreciation for the work carried out by João Goulão over his almost 30-year career in the prevention, treatment and fight against drugs in Portugal.
‘His dedication and strategic vision have placed Portugal at the forefront of these policies, also making it a reference for several countries,’ the ministry emphasises.
Since 1997, João Goulão has led all national bodies created for the prevention and treatment of drug addiction and other addictions, and was also the first Portuguese to head the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction in 2010.
Along with João Goulão, Dr Manuel Cardoso, a member of the Board of Directors, is also retiring. Together, they held management positions at the former Institute on Drugs and Drug Addiction (IDT) and then at the Service for Intervention in Addictive Behaviours and Addictions (SICAD) Under the Ministry of Health, ICAD's mission is to prevent and reduce addictive behaviours and dependencies; ensure treatment, risk reduction, and harm minimisation; promote social reintegration; and support differentiated training and capacity building, research, and innovation in these areas.
HN/ADB / ADB,
Lusa
