CREIDU’s Research Focus

Featuring academic partners from the Burnet Institute, the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, the Kirby Institute, Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre, the National Drug Research Institute and the School of Population Health at the University of Queensland, the Centre unites Australia’s leading researchers with community organisations, Anex, Harm Reduction Victoria, Hepatitis C Victoria and government, including the ACT Corrections Health Program.

Burnet’s Associate Professor Margaret Hellard, a Lead Investigator with CREIDU, says the strengthened links forged between researchers also benefits the communities they serve.

“The Centre’s focus is to increase our knowledge about IDU and its health and social effects, so ultimately we can identify ways to prevent or reduce the severity of health and social outcomes through policy and practice.“ she said.

“What also makes this NHMRC-funded project unique is that we also bring together experts from IDU-related areas such as blood-borne virus, epidemiology and treatment (particularly hepatitis C), overdose prevention, justice health and psychiatric health.

“Australia’s research capacity in illicit drug epidemiology will also be enhanced by CREIDU supporting three postdoctoral-fellows and six PhD students.”

The benefits will be vastly improved knowledge about IDU and its health and social effects, much better information about how to prevent or reduce the severity of those outcomes through policy and practice, improved health and social functioning for injecting drug users and ultimately a healthier Australian community.

Chief Investigators (CIs):

• Professor Margaret Hellard – Burnet Institute
• Professor Paul Dietze – Burnet Institute
• Associate Professor Alison Ritter – UNSW (University of NSW)
• Professor Daniel Lubman – Turning Point/Monash University
• Associate Professor Stuart Kinner – University of Melbourne
• Professor Gail Williams – UQ (University of QLD)
• Professor Gregory Dore – Kirby Institute
• Professor Lisa Maher – Kirby Institute
• Professor David Moore – Curtin University
• Professor Robert Power – Burnet Institute

**Policy Briefs

A range of resources and policy briefs are now available on the CREIDU website.