NDRI Symposium highlights research breadth, quality and impact
New NDRI Director Professor Paul Griffiths with Curtin University colleagues (L to R) Professor Carlo Marra – Pro Vice-Chancellor, Health Sciences, Professor Bronwyn Myers – Director, Curtin enAble Institute, and Professor Gavin Pereira – Dean of Research, Health Sciences
More than 100 people gathered in Fremantle/Walyalup earlier this month for the 2025 National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) research symposium, ‘Challenges and Opportunities – Reducing AOD-related Harm in 2025 and Beyond'.
Attracting in-person delegates from across the alcohol and other drug (AOD) sector, from health practitioners and police to treatment providers and policy makers, the symposium featured a range of research presentations from NDRI academics, with a strong focus on early career researchers.
Feedback was extremely positive with delegates particularly valuing the range of topics covered, including new and emerging issues in preventing AOD harm.
Program highlights included:
- An interactive panel with local and international AOD policy and subject experts on the coming challenges and opportunities for the sector and how we can work together to improve AOD policy and practice followed by a Q&A with audience questions from the floor.
- Keynote presentations from global experts University of Liverpool Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, on challenging the “dark web of culture and commercial interest” that shapes global alcohol policy, and new NDRI Director Professor Paul Griffiths discussing international trends in availability and use of synthetic substances including the recent appearance of highly potent synthetic opioids.
- Presentations covering topics ranging from nitrous oxide trends and responses, school-based vaping interventions, young people’s drinking and intimate partner violence to stigma and other barriers to care engagement, minimum unit pricing, and criminal justice outcomes.
The full program can be viewed here or click here to stay up to date with NDRI Events. To be added to the NDRI mailing list, email ndri@curtin.edu.au
Posted on: 11 Mar 2025
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