Gabor Maté is currently the staff physician at the Portland Hotel, a residence and resource centre for the people of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Close Encounters With Addiction is a lecture he gave at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles on April 29, 2011. He talks about his experience as a physician and how many of his patients suffer from mental illness, drug addiction and HIV, or all three. Dr. Maté has had regular medical columns in The Vancouver Sun and the national Globe and Mail. Widely recognized for his unique perspective on Attention Deficit Disorder, and his firmly held belief in the connection between mind and body health, he is a sought-after speaker and seminar leader on these topics.