With North America in the grips of an opioid crisis, the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at UNSW Sydney is delighted to welcome Professor Julie Bruneau, lead author of a recently published national Canadian guideline for treating opioid use disorders, to speak at the NDARC Annual Research Symposium on Monday, 8 October 2018.
In the US there were 72,000 opioid related deaths in 2017 – that is 200 a day. In Canada there were close to 4,000 opioid-related deaths, with large variability between regions. An NDARC report published last month found that 1,045 Australians died of an opioid overdose in 2016.
What: NDARC Annual Research Symposium 2018: Clinical, community and policy responses to emerging problems in drug and alcohol use
When: Monday, 8 October 2018
Where: John Niland Scientia Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington.
The full program and abstracts are available here. The full story on Professor Bruneau is available here.
Other international keynotes include Professor Louis Fiore and Professor Hayden McRobbie
“There is an urgent need for health systems to look at the historical gaps in care and invest in providing timely and evidence-based treatment,” said Professor Bruneau.
NDARC’s Director, Professor Michael Farrell said Professor Bruneau would offer a valuable perspective.
“We are closely monitoring the challenges of the North American opioid crisis and look forward to hearing about some of the Canadian responses in more depth,” said Professor Farrell.
“Thankfully, Australia has not yet reached the level of opioid use and harms that North America has experienced, however, we recognise the need for vigilance and readiness to respond.”
Professor Bruneau will present, Enhancing quality health care for people who use drugs at the 2018 NDARC Annual Symposium on Monday, 8 October 2018.
Media contact:
Marion Downey: (02) 9385 0333 | 0401 713 850
