Dr Gabrielle Campbell

Aus Postdoc R/Fellow (NH&MRC) at NDARC
December 2017
Each issue we ask someone from the alcohol and other drugs sector to share a little about their work and life.

This weekend I will...play with the kids and set-up their new inflatable water slide.

I wish I'd never...nothing really, even mistakes I have made end up being a funny story to tell later.

I'd originally planned to work... as a mortuary assistant. I had a weird morbid curiosity when I was in my early teens.

The qualities I most value in my colleagues are...their determination, passion, integrity and of course their sense of humour

I'll never forget...to make sure I have closed the windows in my car, so spiders can’t get in (see point below).

If I had more time, I'd...spend time with the kids, go on weekend getaways and see friends and family more. Maybe also do the boring admin tasks I never get to, like getting my car serviced, cancelling that gym membership, reading the newsletters from daycare, actually reading the book for bookclub (I don’t think I have read the set book in over 3 years).

I'm most scared of... spiders, especially hunstman spiders. When I was little, my dad told me that they were called huntsmans because they would hunt and find me.

For my next holiday...go back with the family to New Zealand, where my husband is from, and maybe include another hike in Milford Sound.

I can't get enough of...Reddit. It’s amazing the weird and wonderful things you learn that you never even knew existed or needed in your life.

I'm really terrible at...cooking. My kids tell me they prefer the food the cook at their daycare makes them.

Career wise, I’m most proud of...having the opportunity to coordinate the Pain and Opioids in Treatment (POINT) study. Interviewing participants on the POINT study I gained an understanding of the difficulties people living with chronic pain face on a daily basis. It also became apparent there were high rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviours in this group, which led me to completing my PhD examining suicidality and prescription opioid use in people living with chronic non-cancer pain.

My big hope for the drug and alcohol sector is...that we work together to develop new and innovative ways of reducing the harms and stigma associated with drug and alcohol use.

The sector's biggest challenge going forward is...funding and supporting early to mid-career researchers who may have new and novel ideas. 

Dr Gabrielle Campbell

Gabrielle is an NHMRC Australian Public Health Early Career Fellowship recipient and has worked at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), Faculty of Medicine, UNSW, since 2006. Gabrielle's PhD, completed in 2016, focused on suicidal behaviours amongst people living with chronic non-cancer pain and has been crucial in identifying chronic non-cancer pain as a suicide risk-factor. Gabrielle's research interests include pharmaceutical opioids, opioid dependence and suicidal behaviours amongst people living with chronic non-cancer pain. She currently coordinates a large prospective study examining the benefits and outcomes of prescription opioids for chronic pain, the Pain and Opioids IN Treatment (POINT) study.