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
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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 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), ʹڲƱ 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, ʹڲƱ 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 | 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, ʹڲƱ 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, ʹڲƱ 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 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: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 – 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 Dr Michala Kowalski: Characterising same-day alcohol delivery sales in New South Wales |
| Breakout session three:NDARC and collaboration showcase 1.15pm - 2.30pm |
Session chair: Carmel Tebbutt 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 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, ʹڲƱ Sydney |
| 3.45pm - 4.15pm | Director's reflections Professor Michael Farrell Director, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), ʹڲƱ Sydney |
| 4.15pm - 5.15pm | Networking hour |
Keynote 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’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) forServices to Public Health Research.
ProfessorSteven 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.
