2025 NDARC Annual Research Symposium
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Overview
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.
Registration
Stay informed
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Event resources
Missed the 2024 Symposium? Click the link below to watch the session recordings on-demand, anytime, anywhere.
Media enquiries
Interested in interviewing any of our speakers? Contact NDARC Media.
Program
| Time | Activity |
| 8.30am - 9.00am | Registration |
| 9.00am - 9.07am | Welcome to Country |
| 9.07am - 9.10am | Director's Welcome Professor Michael Farrell Director, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), 麻豆社madou Sydney |
| Session one 9.10am - 10.30am |
National Drug Strategy panel discussion: 40 years of policy and practice and monitoring Session chair: Dr Norman Swan |
| 9.15am - 10.15am | National Drug Strategy panel discussion Associate Professor Robert Ali AO Professor Mel Miller Dr Mary Harrod Associate Professor Michael Doyle |
| 10.15am - 10.30am | Emerging trends in drug use, harms, and markets: Findings from Drug Trends 2025 Dr Rachel Sutherland Senior Research Fellow, NDARC, 麻豆社madou Sydney |
| 10.30am - 10.50am | Morning tea |
| Session two 10.50am - 12.15pm |
Alcohol policy and NDARC spotlight presentations Session chair: TBC |
| 10.55am - 11.25am | Keynote address 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听 Associate Professor Amy Peacock Deputy Director and Drug Trends Program Lead, NDARC, 麻豆社madou 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, 麻豆社madou Sydney |
| NDARC spotlight presentations 11.57am - 12.15pm |
Stassi Kypri:听Insights from Australian drug alerts in 2024: High-dose MDMA and the challenge of alert thresholds Antonia Karlsson:听Associated risk factors when injecting alone, among national samples of people who regularly inject drugs, 2020-2025 Nicola Man:听Does the trend in methamphetamine load in wastewater predict methamphetamine-related hospitalisations and deaths? Dr Chrianna Bharat: Cannabinoids for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders, and symptoms: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis Dr Duong (Danielle) Tran:听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 Steve Shoptaw 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 鈥 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:听Semaglutide for methamphetamine use disorder: A pilot randomized trial Dr Brendan Clifford: Ketamine assisted psychotherapy for methamphetamine use disorder: A pilot study 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 Dr Michala Kowalski and Dr Nic Taylor: Characterising same-day alcohol delivery sales in New South Wales |
| Breakout session three:听NDARC and collaboration showcase 1.15pm - 2.30pm |
Session chair: Carmel Tebbutt Dr Catherine Foley, Dr Alison Seccull and Dr Amber Domberelli: Greater than the sum of its parts. Establishing a base for collaborative research in regional NSW to improve drug and alcohol outcomes in rural, regional, and remote communities Dr Emily Deans and David Kelly: Preventing and reducing harm for parents and children through a family-based residential rehabilitation service in NSW听 Lucy Tran: The association of mental disorders on OAT retention: A systematic review and meta-analysis Dr Sara Farnbach and Dr Peter Gates: 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 |
| 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:听Scientific and clinical developments for treating Methamphetamine Use Disorder Professor Steve Shoptaw Professor in the UCLA Departments of Family Medicine and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences |
| 3.25pm - 3.45pm | Vaporized nicotine products for smoking cessation among people experiencing social disadvantage: A randomized clinical trial Associate Professor Ryan Courtney NDARC, 麻豆社madou Sydney |
| 3.45pm - 4.15pm | Director's reflections Professor Michael Farrell Director, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), 麻豆社madou Sydney |
| 4.15pm - 5.15pm | Networking hour |
Speakers
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鈥檚 public health response to hepatitis C and HIV. With UK partners, she co-leads NIHR research projects听鈥淓valuating the Population Impact of hepatitis C direct-acting antiviral Treatment as prevention for People who inject drugs鈥听(EPIToPe)听and听鈥淓valuating the impact of the UK's first sanctioned safer drug consumption facility鈥 (ENACT). In 2023, she was awarded the honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for听Services to Public Health Research.
Further invited speakers and the full event program will be announced shortly.
Location
Wesley Conference Centre,听220 Pitt Street,听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.听Conveniently located in the heart of Sydney鈥檚 CBD, the Wesley Conference Centre is the perfect venue for our one-day, face-to-face event. Convenient transportation and accommodation options are nearby.
