Use and safety of prescription drugs of dependence during pregnancy

Prescription 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.

Primary supervisor: Dr Alys Havard

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

How to Apply

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