News

We are delighted to introduce the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research (NCYSUR) to Connections. NCYSUR has joined this initiative and will contribute to the sharing of alcohol and other drug research and projects.

Affiliated with The University of Queensland in Brisbane, NCYSUR is one of the four National Addiction Centres, and is the only Australian research centre dedicated to studying young people and substance use. NCYSUR’s mission is to enhance the health and well-being of young persons by bolstering Australia's and other countries' capacity to effectively address the harms associated with alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use.

NCYSUR is recognised to be at the forefront of research and innovative approaches to prevent and treat substance use issues among young people, while also understanding the factors that lead young individuals to engage in substance use. NCYSUR’s research focuses on the following areas:

• Generating knowledge about the development, prevention, and treatment of problematic substance use among youth.
• Disseminating new findings to individuals, health services, government entities, and the community to effect positive change for young people and their communities.
• Advocating for improved access to evidence-based treatment and prevention programs for young people.
• Collaborating with young individuals with firsthand experience and youth health services to ensure that our research is responsive to community needs.

Led by the founding Director, Professor Jason Connor (interests: treatment, prevention), our research team comprises esteemed professionals in the field. Professor Leanne Hides (interests: treatment, prevention, digital health) is NCYSUR Deputy Director and is a highly experienced investigator who collaborates extensively with industry partners such as Lives Lived Well (LLW) and state health systems. Our senior research team includes Emeritus Professor Wayne Hall (interests: epidemiology, policy), NHMRC Early Leadership Fellow Associate Professor Gary Chan (interests: statistics, epidemiology, policy), NHMRC Early Leadership Fellow Dr. Janni Leung (interests: epidemiology, policy), Dr. Daniel Stjepanovic (interests: neuroscience, systematic reviews, policy), Dr. Juliane Pariz Teixeira (interests: parenting, epidemiology, policy) and LLW NCYSUR affiliates Dr Gabrielle Campbell (interests: treatment, data linkage, epidemiology) and Dr Nina Pocuca (interests: treatment, epidemiology). The Centre currently supervises twelve PhD students conducting research on substance use and coordinates addiction and public health courses at The University of Queensland.

In future editions of Connections, NCYSUR will share its projects and research findings. We look forward to collaborating and contributing to the collective knowledge about and well-being of young people.