Rick Csiernik (they/them/their), is Professor Emeritus, School of Social Work at King's University College at Western University.  They are a White settler currently living on Dish With One Spoon Treaty Territory. Rick earned both B.Sc. (Psychology with a Biology minor) and B.S.W. degrees from McMaster University, a M.S.W. and Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Toronto, and a Graduate Diploma in Social Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Rick spent 28 years as a professor at King’s where they taught the first course offered by the institution in addiction, along with group work, individual and family counselling courses, and research. Rick along with Gwen Crossan began the Addiction Studies program at McMaster University in the 1980s and they continue to teach in the Addiction Studies program at Wilfrid Laurier University. Rick has worked at the McMaster University Medical Centre and the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton. Later, at the Addiction Research Foundation (now the Centre on Addiction and Mental Health), they provided crisis counselling, conducted school education, and assisted community groups and workplaces in developing health promotion and Employee Assistance Programs. Rick has served as a consultant to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, Canadian Department of National Defence, Canadian Revenue Agency, Ontario Ministry of Correctional Services, and Children’s Aid Society of London and Middlesex.