News

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) held another successful Annual Research Symposium on 15 September in Sydney. Entitled Emerging problems in drug and alcohol use: Current problems & future solutions, the Symposium showcased the breadth of research conducted at NDARC, presenting latest results from some of our landmark studies and translating the results for clinicians and policy makers.

The day was opened by keynote speaker, Associate Professor Angela Hawken from Pepperdine University in the United States, who spoke about opportunities for intervention for methamphetamine within the criminal justice system drawing on her research into a probation based intervention "Hawaii’s Opportunity Probation with Enforcement” (HOPE).

Other sessions included methamphetamine trends and early intervention and treatment in Australia as well as alcohol use from pregnancy to adolescence and evaluations of heroin treatments, before delegates had the chance to attend one of five highly engaging breakout sessions on topics including suicide risk assessment and prevention; cannabis use interventions; mental health and young people; and pharmaceutical opioids.

More than 30 posters also presented the latest findings from research conducted across all programs at NDARC and delegates had the chance to vote for the People’s Choice Poster Award for the first time this year.

The day was closed with a panel discussion on crystal methamphetamine with keynote speaker Angela Hawken, Her Honour Judge Elizabeth Corbett, a Judge of the Drug Court of New South Wales and Dr Nadine Ezard, Clinical Director of the Drug and Alcohol Service at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney.