Understanding heroin-involved deaths in Victoria
This study uses data to improve our understanding of how heroin market indicators – such as purity or availability – might influence overdose deaths. We aim to inform early warning and harm reduction responses.
Student opportunities
This project is open to students
In this project, you'll analyse data collected on heroin-involved deaths and police heroin seizure data in Victoria. Using this data, you'll assess whether temporal changes in heroin purity, variability, and indicators of market availability are associated with fluctuations in heroin-related deaths.
Trends in Victoria will be compared with trends seen in New South Wales to assess if trends in Victoria are unique. This will involve:
- quantitative analysis of the trends over time in heroin purity and other market indicators
- quantitative analysis of trends in heroin deaths.
The aim is to investigate whether these trends are similar.
Project contacts
Main contact
Student supervisor contacts
Associate Professor Jennifer Schumann
Head of Drug Intelligence Unit
Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine
Project team