2025 NDARC Annual Research Symposium

Join us for the 2025 NDARC Annual Research Symposium, where leading experts, researchers, clinicians, and policymakers will gather to explore the latest innovations in alcohol and drug (AOD) research and public policy.

Join us in person or virtually for groundbreaking discussions, networking, and AOD research insights.

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Program

Time	Activity
8.30am - 9.00am	Registration
9.00am - 9.07am	Welcome to Country Aunty Joan Bell�� Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council��
9.07am - 9.10am	Director's Welcome Professor Michael Farrell Director, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), ��¼� Sydney
Session one 9.10am - 10.30am	*National Drug Strategy: 40 years of policy, practice and monitoring* Session chair: Dr Norman Swan Journalist and physician��
9.15am - 10.15am	National Drug Strategy panel discussion: 40 years of policy and practice�� Featuring panellists:�� Associate Professor Robert Ali AO, Public health physician and specialist in addiction medicine�� Professor Mel Miller, Chair, NDARC Advisory Board Dr Mary Harrod, Chief Executive, NUAA Associate Professor Michael Doyle, University of Sydney
10.15am - 10.30am	Emerging trends in drug use, harms, and markets: Findings from Drug Trends 2025 Dr Rachel Sutherland Senior Research Fellow, NDARC, ��¼� Sydney
10.30am - 10.50am	Morning tea
Session two 10.50am - 12.15pm	*Alcohol policy and NDARC spotlight presentations* Session chair: Professor Nadine Ezard Director, National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs (NCCRED)
10.55am - 11.25am	Keynote address: Importance of an evidence-based approach to eliminating HCV and implications for tackling wider drug-related harms in Scotland Professor Sharon Hutchinson Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health, Glasgow Caledonian University
11.25am - 11.40am	How can monitoring off-premise alcohol pricing inform best practice alcohol policy in Australia? Findings from a pricing surveillance program�� Associate Professor Amy Peacock Deputy Director and Drug Trends Program Lead, NDARC, ��¼� Sydney
11.40am - 11.55am	Evaluating the impacts of the repeal of the Northern Territory Minimum Unit Price policy on off-premise alcohol pricing Mia Miller NDARC, ��¼� Sydney
NDARC spotlight presentations 11.57am - 12.15pm	Stassi Kypri:��Insights from Australian drug alerts in 2024: High-dose MDMA and the challenge of alert thresholds Antonia Karlsson:��Associated risk factors when injecting alone, among national samples of people who regularly inject drugs, 2020-2025 �ٰ��Nicola Man:��Does the trend in methamphetamine load in wastewater predict methamphetamine-related hospitalisations and deaths? Dr Duong (Danielle) Tran:��Does the use of quit smoking medicines in early pregnancy increase the risk of adverse outcomes for the mother or baby? A multi-national cohort study
12.15pm - 1.15pm	Lunch
Breakout session one: Methamphetamine treatments 1.15pm - 2.30pm	Session chair: Professor Steven Shoptaw Professor of Family Medicine and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Professor Nadine Ezard: Lisdexamfetamine in the treatment of methamphetamine dependence Professor Jonathan Brett: PsiMA trial of Psilocybin assisted Psychotherapy for Methamphetamine use disorder Dr Krista Siefried: Oral naltrexone bupropion combination pharmacotherapy for methamphetamine use disorder – a pilot trial in the Australian context Professor Rebecca McKetin: The Tina Trial: A phase 3 randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of mirtazapine as a pharmacotherapy for methamphetamine use disorder Dr David Goodman:��Semaglutide for methamphetamine use disorder: A pilot randomized trial Dr Brendan Clifford: Ketamine assisted psychotherapy for methamphetamine use disorder: A pilot study Dr Liam Acheson: Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of lisdexamfetamine for the treatment of acute methamphetamine withdrawal
Breakout session two: Policy and policing 1.15pm - 2.30pm	Session chair: Mr Daniel Madeddu Executive Director, Centre for Alcohol and Other Drugs, NSW Ministry of Health Professor Don Weatherburn:��Does diverting minor drug offenders reduce recidivism? Cannabis cautioning in Australia Dr Michala Kowalski: Characterising same-day alcohol delivery sales in New South Wales Lucinda Flood: Evidence-Based Practice in the Australian Alcohol and Other Drug Workforce: A Cross-Sectional Survey�� Dr Tom Santo Jr:��Health, social and recidivism outcomes among people who have been incarcerated in New South Wales, Australia: The Prison Outcomes STudy (POST) Masako Araki:��Trends in prescription benzodiazepine and z-hypnotic use in Australia: A nationwide analysis (2014-2024)
Breakout session three:��NDARC and collaboration showcase 1.15pm - 2.30pm	Session chair: Carmel Tebbutt Chief Executive Officer, Odyssey House NSW Dr Emily Deans and David Kelly: Preventing and reducing harm for parents and children through a family-based residential rehabilitation service in NSW�� Lucy Tran: The association of mental disorders on OAT retention: A systematic review and meta-analysis Dr Peter Gates, Dr Emily Deans, Dr Skye McPhie, Craig Martin, Dr Sara Farnbach: Capacity for change: how is capacity considered when preventing substance use and harms in communities? Christel Macdonald: Are methamphetamine users at increased risk of physical violence? Results from a nationally representative sample Dr Catherine Foley,��Nirekha De Silva and Teguh Syahbahar:��Working with multicultural communities to advance equity in alcohol and other drug (AOD) service delivery: Practice-based insights from Western and Southwestern Sydney
2.30pm - 2.50pm	Afternoon tea
Session three 2.50pm - 4.15pm	Current treatments and NDARC Director's reflections Session chair: Professor Matthew Hickman Professor of Public Health and Epidemiology, Bristol Medical School
2.55pm - 3.25pm	Keynote address:��Toward evidence guided strategies for whole person treatment for methamphetamine use�� Professor Steven Shoptaw Professor of Family Medicine and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA
3.25pm - 3.45pm	Vaporized nicotine products for smoking cessation among people experiencing social disadvantage: A randomized clinical trial Associate Professor Ryan Courtney NDARC, ��¼� Sydney
3.45pm - 4.15pm	Director's reflections Professor Michael Farrell Director, NDARC, ��¼� Sydney
4.15pm - 5.30pm	Networking event

Professor Sharon Hutchinson, Glasgow Caledonian University

Sharon Hutchinson is a Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health at Glasgow Caledonian University and Honorary Consultant with Public Health Scotland. Her epidemiological research (involving population-based surveys, data-linkage studies, and statistical/economic models) focusses on the evaluation of interventions to prevent blood-borne viruses and related harms among people who inject drugs. Her work has guided Scotland’s public health response to hepatitis C and HIV. With UK partners, she co-leads NIHR research projects��“Evaluating the Population Impact of hepatitis C direct-acting antiviral Treatment as prevention for People who inject drugs”��(EPIToPe)��and��“Evaluating the impact of the UK's first sanctioned safer drug consumption facility” (ENACT). In 2023, she was awarded the honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for��Services to Public Health Research.

Professor��Steven Shoptaw, UCLA

Steven Shoptaw PhD is Professor Emeritus and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Family Medicine at UCLA. He Co-Directs the Big South/West Node of NIDA’s Clinical Trials Network where he leads randomized controlled trials on new medications for stimulant use disorder. Dr. Shoptaw leverages his academic and community networks to jointly lead research, clinical and policy efforts to bring novel and high impact strategies for persons affected by addictions and HIV. He works internationally with colleagues in Australia on medication development trials and promotes testing and scaling up of addiction treatments in Low and Middle Income Countries, including Vietnam, South Africa, and Cameroon.��

Location

Wesley Conference Centre,��220 Pitt Street,��Sydney NSW 2000

We are delighted to announce that this year's Symposium will take place at the . is an organisation renowned for helping people dealing with addiction, mental health, homelessness, financial difficulties, and domestic challenges.��Conveniently located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, the Wesley Conference Centre is the perfect venue for our one-day, face-to-face event. Convenient transportation and accommodation options are nearby.

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