To mark International Overdose Awareness Day 2018, the SSAC team hosted a discussion panel focusing on overdose: myths, assumptions and relevant concerns. Broadcast on 3CR and affiliated stations around the country, the panellists were Mr Sione Crawford, Executive Officer of Harm Reduction Victoria, Dr Nico Clark, Medical Director of Richmond’s new Medically Supervised Injecting Room,…
A series of conference and seminar presentations has the SSAC team getting ready for a very busy second half of 2018. Team members will be presenting findings from past and current research programs at a range of conferences and public events. AUGUST First, Dr Adrian Farrugia will be presenting his Curtin University PhD research…
This year the international Society for Social Studies of Science annual conference will be held for the first time in Sydney, Australia. Entitled ‘4S Sydney: TRANSnational STS’, the conference will foreground science and technology studies (STS). The event is a key one for a growing number of Australian alcohol and other drug researchers whose work…
In a new initiative aimed at developing a strong collaborative relationship, South West Sydney Local Health District Drug Health Services (DHS) has commissioned SSAC to conduct four research projects. The first project is a scoping study designed to identify and pursue large-scale opportunities for research collaboration, the second will examine the various kinds of stigma experienced…
SSAC’s ARC-funded research on performance and image enhancing drug use in Australia is well underway. After a successful recruitment period in Victoria, the SSAC team is interviewing in New South Wales and Queensland, and has recently begun recruiting in Western Australia as well. Lead investigator Professor Suzanne Fraser explained that ‘steroid use among men is…
In late May, SSAC team members Dr Adrian Farrugia and Professor Suzanne Fraser hosted and convened the first NDRI masterclass for 2018. Entitled ‘Designing research for competitive grant schemes’, the masterclass focussed on the skill of grant writing for competitive grants in Australia. As the prospect of applying for grants can be daunting for PhD…
In 2017 SSAC began work on a research project exploring the health information needs of men who inject performance and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDs). As part of the project, the team will produce a web portal. Currently in development, SSAC’s PIEDs portal has two aims: to offer a dedicated publicly accessible research resource presenting project findings, other…
Consumption of performance and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDs) is increasing in Australia and elsewhere, raising questions about health knowledge and needs for those involved. The SSAC team is currently conducting research on the meanings and practices associated with the injecting of PIEDs by men in Australia, and preferred ways of accessing information and advice is…
PhD Scholarship: Call for expressions of interest The National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) at Curtin University invites expressions of interest from suitably qualified candidates for a PhD scholarship. Based within the SSAC program, the scholarship will be awarded to support a qualitative project focusing on, but not limited to, the following issues: Drugs and…
Recruitment and interviewing for SSAC’s ARC-funded research on uptake and diffusion of take-home naloxone in Victoria and New South Wales are almost complete. After a successful recruitment period in Victoria, the SSAC team begun recruiting in NSW towards the end of 2017. The interviews with people who consume opioids and health professionals working in relevant…
