Dr. Sam Hickcox is the Physician Consultant for the Office of Addictions and Mental Health, embedded within Nova Scotia’s Department of Health and Wellness. As a currently practicing family physician and a certified specialist in addiction medicine, his clinical background is varied. Prior to his medical training he worked as a registered massage therapist and taught massage therapy at the community college level. As a physician, he has worked in general family practice, emergency medicine, hospital-based care of the elderly, and rheumatology. Throughout his medical career he has provided mental health clinical care in a variety of settings, with a particular focus on addiction care provision and working with survivors of military trauma, including co-founding Nova Scotia’s first Pain Self Management Program for Military Veterans/RCMP living with Operational Stress Injuries. Prior to joining the DHW he was the Physician Lead for Addictions Medicine for Nova Scotia Health’s Mental Health and Addictions Program. He continues to maintain a psychotherapy practice and care for patients living with addiction and chronic pain, in a variety of settings, with Nova Scotia Health’s Mental Health and Addictions Program, and Department of Anesthesia. Additionally, he is the Medical Director of the Atlantic Mentorship Network for Pain and Addiction.
