DruGS team to present research in Sweden and Portugal

November sees members of the DruGS Program travel to Europe to present a range of conference and seminar papers. DruGS Program Lead Professor Suzanne Fraser will present at a seminar hosted by Professor Mats Ekendahl (a DruGS Program collaborator) at the Department of Social Work, Stockholm University (8 November), and at the European Conference on…

Launching Vital Voices website

In May, members of the DruGS team will attend the 13th annual Australasian Viral Hepatitis Conference (29 to 31 May). This conference is a key event for researchers, practitioners and policy makers working in viral hepatitis and related areas, and is an important opportunity to showcase key outcomes for our Australian Research Council-funded project, ‘Lived…

Telehealth for hepatitis C treatment during the pandemic: What works?

In 2021 the DruGS team conducted an Australian Government Department of Health-funded qualitative study on telehealth treatment for hepatitis C during the COVID-19 pandemic. The final report from the project has just been launched via webinar, and featured presentations on the findings and recommendations and a panel discussion spanning harm reduction and peer support, advocacy…

Telehealth for hepatitis C treatment during COVID-19

On World Hepatitis Day, the DruGS team reflects on preliminary findings from a research project exploring how telehealth has shaped hepatitis treatment during the COVID crisis. Funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health, this qualitative interview-based project aims to understand the benefits, limitations and effects of the use of telehealth for hepatitis C treatment during…

Presentation at the South Western Sydney Partnership event

Since 2019 members of the DruGS team have been very busy conducting a series of qualitative projects with South Western Sydney Local Health District Drug Health Services. These projects cover a range of important issues including: stigma in alcohol and other drug service delivery, improving youth outreach and heavy drinking and alcohol-related health issues. Recently,…

NGV: Kate Seear presents on Haring, Basquiat and the politics of death

On Friday March 13, DruGS program team members Associate Professor Kate Seear and Professor Suzanne Fraser took part in La Trobe University’s Bold Thinking Public Lecture Series at the the National Gallery of Victoria. The public lecture, delivered by Kate, responded to the NGV’s current exhibition Haring Basquiat, finding much to discuss of relevance to…

SSAC becomes DruGS

In July 2019 the Social Studies of Addiction Concepts (SSAC) program underwent a significant move, relocating from the National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, to the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) at La Trobe University. Led by Professor Suzanne Fraser, who has taken up the role of Director of ARCSHS, the…

ARCSHS Oration: Social problems and facts in a sceptical world

  A recent public event introduced the DruGS Program’s Suzanne Fraser as the new Director of the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS). Professor Fraser opened the event with a lecture, and this was followed by a panel discussion with four distinguished Australian social scientists, Associate Professor Helen Keane (ANU), Emeritus Professor…

Final report: Injecting performance and image-enhancing drugs

The SSAC team’s newly published report finds men who inject PIEDs have limited knowledge about hepatitis C transmission. Many nominate GPs as their preferred source of information about PIED use and related issues, and are keen to learn as much as they can to look after their health. You can find a copy of the…

Lived experiences of drinking

New in our program of research is a project exploring experiences of people who continue to drink heavily while living with significant alcohol-related health problems. This South Western Sydney Local Health District-funded project will investigate how people who experience health difficulties associated with alcohol consumption give meaning to their consumption, manage health conditions and view,…