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Primary supervisor: Dr Sara Farnbach

Joint supervisor: Dr Peter Gates

Secondary supervisor/s: Dr Skye McPhie,ÌýProf Rebecca McKetin

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Project description:

Although community-led initiatives that minimise alcohol and other drug (AOD) harms are emphasised in national strategies, evaluation of these activities is rare, leaving communities with scant information to help them plan local evidence based activities. To address this gap, NDARC has partnered with the Alcohol and Drug Foundation-led Local Drug Action Team (LDAT) program, the largest network of community-led groups nationally.

This PhD will partner with LDATs to co-design evaluation approaches and then support them in implementing an evidence-based activity. This project includes mixed methods and co-design to deliver feasible, acceptable, and replicable community-led initiatives to minimise AOD harms.

Candidate requirements

• Masters or Honours in public health, health, psychology, epidemiology, biostatistics or a related field

• Strong skills in quantitative or qualitative analysis and co-design methods

• Track record of publication of peer-reviewed scientific articles

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Demonstrated experience working with communities, in health promotion or in community development.Ìý

For more information about this project, please contact Dr Sara Farnbach (s.farnbach @unsw.edu.au).

Primary Supervisor:ÌýDr Alys Havard
Joint Supervisor:ÌýDr Annelies Robijn

Project description:

Smoking is common and poses risks in adults with asthma, yet there is a paucity of literature regarding smoking cessation among these individuals, specifically pregnant people. This PhD will investigate the magnitude of smoking cessation pharmacotherapy use among adults with asthma in NSW, their effectiveness and safety for both adults and offspring. These research questions will be investigated using linked routinely collected administrative data, including hospital admission data, emergency department data, pharmaceutical dispensing data and death records.

Candidate requirements:

Masters or Honours in public health, epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology, biostatistics or a related field

• Strong skills in quantitative data analysis, with experience using linked administrative data highly regarded
• Track record of publication of peer-reviewed scientific articles
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

For more information about this project please contact Annelies Robijn (a.robijn@unsw.edu.au).

Primary supervisor:ÌýDr Amy Peacock
Co-supervisors: Anna Olsen (ANU), Raimondo Bruno (UTAS)

Project description:

There is increasing public support for provision of drug checking (‘pill-testing’) services, and some progress in the planning and establishment of such services in Australia. Despite a range of drug checking services operating globally, there is a need for further evidence of the feasibility and effectiveness of different drug checking models in the Australian context. The supervisory team are involved in the evaluation of the first fixed-site drug checking service in Australia. Through this PhD, the candidate will work with the team to gather new evidence and inform policy through a range of possible projects, including:

• systematic reviews of evidence around engagement in drug checking by people who use drugs
• analysing data from interviews and surveys with people accessing drug checking services
• analysing data from interviews and surveys with people who use drugs around their drug checking and broader harm reduction practicesÌý
• analysing other novel data sources (e.g., social and news media data) on drug checkingÌý

Candidate requirements:

• Masters or Honours in psychology, public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, or a related field.
• Strong skills in quantitative or qualitative data analysis.
• Track record of publication of peer-reviewed scientific articles.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

For more information about this project please contact Amy PeacockÌý(amy.peacock@unsw.edu.au).

Primary Supervisor:ÌýAssociate Scientia Professor Natasa Gisev
Joint Supervisor:ÌýDr Ria Hopkins

Secondary supervisors from The University of Wollongong and The University of Queensland, depending on the project selected

Project description:ÌýDeaths due to suicide, alcohol and other drugs, have risen over the last 15 years in Australia and internationally. These deaths are often underpinned by complex social and health factors, including mental and physical health co-morbidity. Importantly, these deaths are avoidable given timely and targeted intervention. The PhD candidate will work as part of larger project team undertaking a range of studies using data from national population-based sources and cohorts formed from linked administrative data to identify key health and social determinants of these deaths, as well as critical intervention points to guide prevention efforts.

Candidate requirements:

• Masters or Honours in public health, epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology, biostatistics or a related field
• Strong skills in quantitative analysis, with experience using linked administrative data highly regarded
• Track record of publication of peer-reviewed scientific articles
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

For more information about this project, please contact Associate ProfessorÌýNatasa Gisev (n.gisev@unsw.edu.au).

Primary supervisor: Associate Professor Amy Peacock

Project description:Ìý

Due to the unregulated nature of the illicit drug market, people are often unaware of substance contents. Some public health agencies and other organisations disseminate ‘drug alerts’ (i.e., communication about significant unique or pervasive health risks of a specific substance; see exampleÌýÌýto increase awareness of risk of harm and promote harm reduction behaviour.ÌýHowever, there is a distinct lack of research regarding people who use drugs and their preferences for communication of these alerts, as well as the potential intended and unintended behavioural responses to alerts. Research undertaken as part of this PhD could include: reviewing existing evidence regarding responses to risk communication about harms of illicit drugs; assessing awareness of, and responses to, drug alerts disseminated by public health agencies; and gathering information from people who disseminate drug alerts and from people who use drugs to inform design of future alerts.

Candidate requirements:

• Masters or Honours in psychology, public health, epidemiology, or a related field
• Strong skills in quantitative analysis
• Track record of publication of peer-reviewed scientific articles
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

For more information about this project please contact: Amy Peacock (amy.peacock@unsw.edu.au). Note this PhD could commence from Term 2 (i.e., May) 2022 onwards. ÌýÌý

Primary supervisor: Associate Scientia Professor Natasa Gisev
Joint supervisor:ÌýProfessor Michael Farrell
Secondary supervisor:ÌýDr Amy Peacock

Project description:

There is global concern regarding escalating pharmaceutical misuse among older adults. Negative impacts on global health burden and healthcare utilisation may be exacerbated by the complex healthcare needs of the growing ageing population. Currently, the extent and drivers of pharmaceutical misuse among older adults and related harms, and their comorbidity with other drug and alcohol problems, are unknown. The candidate will undertake a range of studies using data from population-based sources and linked cohorts [e.g. Data-Linkage Alcohol Cohort Study (~200,00 people) and Opioid Agonist Treatment Safety Study (~50,000 people)] to generate robust evidence addressing these gaps to inform appropriate responses.

Candidate requirements:

• Masters or Honours in public health, epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology, biostatistics or a related field
• Strong skills in quantitative analysis, with experience using linked administrative data highly regarded
• Track record of publication of peer-reviewed scientific articles
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

For more information about this project, please contact Assoc Prof Natasa Gisev (n.gisev@unsw.edu.au).Ìý

Primary supervisor:ÌýProfessor Michael Farrell
Joint supervisor:ÌýDr Julia Lappin
Secondary supervisor:ÌýScientia Professor Louisa Degenhardt

Project description:

Substance dependence impacts not only people who are experiencing problems, but their families and communities. Effective treatments such as opioid agonist treatment are available for opioid dependence, but there are few effective options for methamphetamine, and little is known about client and families’ experiences of seeking help.ÌýThis PhD will explore the barriers and facilitators of substance use therapies from varied perspectives using a mixed method approach. It will explore how to optimise interventions through attaining insights from individuals who consume drugs, their family members, the community, health care workers and service providers.

The PhD will:Ìý

1. Examine client access to different treatment modalities, and factors influencing exploration of improved delivery systems (including novel depot opioid treatments, which have recently been registered in Australia), through the CoLAB studyÌý
2. Explore families’ experiences of the onset of problematic use of drugs and their access to models of support for families and carers of people with dependent use
3. Explore, using routine data collections on drug treatment, the extent of treatment utilisation and retention in treatment
4. Using data from the Family Drug Support program, examine families’ access to this service and their patterns of engagement

Candidate requirements:

• Masters or Honours in public health, epidemiology, social sciences or a related field
• Strong skills in quantitative analysis
• Track record of publication of peer-reviewed scientific articles
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

For more information about this project, please contact Professor Michael Farrell (Michael.farrell@unsw.edu.au).Ìý

Primary supervisor:ÌýAssociate Professor Ryan Courtney

Project description:

Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide and is forecasted to cause over 8 million deaths per year by 2030, if smoking habits remain unchanged. The recent plateau in the rate of decline in Australian smoking rates, combined with a continuing social gradient in smoking cessation, outlines the unprecedented need for innovative and targeted smoking cessation strategies tailored to the most disadvantaged. This project will address this need by evaluating the cost-effectiveness of a tailored and widely scalable text messaging program in achieving smoking abstinence for low-socioeconomic status smokers in Australia, compared to standard Quitline care.

Candidate requirements:Ìý

• Masters or Honours in public health, psychology, epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology, biostatistics or a related field
• Strong skills in quantitative analysis
• Track record of publication of peer-reviewed scientific articles
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated capacity to work independently, as well as collaboratively, to meet team and project deadlines and milestones
• Strong organisational skills

For more information about this project please contact Assoc Prof Ryan Courtney (r.courtney@unsw.edu.au).Ìý

Primary supervisor:ÌýAssociate Professor Alys Havard

Project description:ÌýPrescription drugs of dependence, which include psychostimulants, opioids and benzodiazepines, are prescription medicines that have therapeutic value but a high potential for misuse, abuse and dependence. Limited evidence exists to guide decisions regarding the potential use of these medicines during pregnancy. This PhD project will investigate the magnitude and patterns of use of prescription drugs of dependence among pregnant women in NSW, and the risk of harm to the mother and baby. These research questions will be investigated linked routinely collected data including birth records, pharmaceutical dispensing data, hospital admissions data, congenital malformation notifications, NAPLAN data and death records.

Candidate requirements:

• Masters or Honours in clinical medicine, public health, epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology, biostatistics or a related field
• Strong skills in data management and statistical analysis, with experience using large-scale linked data highly regarded
• Track record of publication of peer-reviewed scientific articles
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

For more information about this project please contact Dr Alys Havard (alys.havard@unsw.edu.au).Ìý

Primary supervisor: Associate ProfessorÌýAmy Peacock
Joint Supervisor:ÌýWinifred Asare-Doku
Secondary Supervisor:ÌýStella Settumba Stolk

Australia has a large, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) population. There is limited evidence of alcohol and other drugs (AoD) use, harms and access to culturally sensitive and inclusive treatment options. Potential work for the PhD program, undertaken in collaboration with community partners, could include:Ìý

1.ÌýÌý ÌýSystematic review of strategies to increase cultural responsiveness of AOD treatment services;
2.ÌýÌý ÌýSecondary analysis of existing AOD survey and administrative data that captures information on CALD communities;
3.ÌýÌý ÌýQuantitative survey of CALD communities assessing substance use, harms, treatment and help-seeking;
4.ÌýÌý ÌýQualitative study of barriers and enablers to prevention and treatment uptake among CALD communities; and
5.ÌýÌý ÌýCo-design work on recommendations for the inclusion of CALD specific approaches in AoD treatment, and any cost implications.
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Candidate requirements:

•ÌýÌý ÌýMasters or Honours in public health, psychology, epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology, biostatistics or a related field
•ÌýÌý ÌýStrong skills in qualitative and quantitative analysis, with experience using linked administrative data highly regarded
•ÌýÌý ÌýTrack record of publication of peer-reviewed scientific articles
•ÌýÌý ÌýExcellent written and verbal communication skills
•ÌýÌý ÌýPeople who identify as CALD or have experience working with CALD communities are highly encouraged to apply.Ìý

For more information about this project, please contact Winifred Asare-Doku (w.asaredoku@@unsw.edu.au)