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The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), UNSW Sydney hosted 'The 2020 NDARC Annual Research Symposium' as a virtual event for the first time

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), UNSW Sydney, hosted webinars every Thursday in November that showcased, ‘Research, policy and practice: Resilience through times of change.’ These included:

Session One: Substance use in the COVID-19 era: Research findings and clinical implications

The session included presentations on projects and studies driven by researchers at NDARC including Drug Trends, the Australians’ Drug Use: Adapting to Pandemic Threats’ (ADAPT) Study, Australian Parental Supply of Alcohol Longitudinal Study (APSALS), and the COVID-19 Health Care Workers (HEROES) Study.

There was also a panel discussion with experts from wide ranging fields, including:

• Jude Byrne, National Project Coordinator at the Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL)
• Dr Fadil Pedic, Manager, Strategic Research and Evaluation, Alcohol and Other Drugs at NSW Health
• Julie Babineau, CEO of Odyssey House
• Adrian Dunlop, Director and Addiction Medicine Senior Staff Specialist with Hunter New England Local Health District, Drug & Alcohol

Session Two: Research partnerships: Engaging with families, communities and services

Held during NAIDOC week, presentations highlighted NDARC research that focuses on Indigenous communities. Speakers also included Indigenous alcohol and other drug leaders in research and service providers.

Session Three: E-cigarettes and tobacco: Policy, trends and interventions

This session included presentations on NDARC’s tobacco and e-cigarettes stream, including the e-cigarette surveillance project and smoking cessation trials. Speakers included leading experts in the area including Ann McNeill, Professor of Tobacco Addiction at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, and Professor Hayden McRobbie, Professor at NDARC and a Consultant in Lifestyle Medicine at Lakes District Health Board, New Zealand.

Session Four: Illicit drugs: Research and clinical responses

The fourth session focused on bringing researchers and clinicians together to discuss current treatment, clinical trials, and studies into illicit drug use.

The session included presentations on the latest trends in illicit drug use, including NDARC's clinical trials, with a particular focus on opioids and methamphetamine.

To watch any of the sessions, head to the NDARC website.