About this webinar:

This webinar examines seasonal variation in drug-induced deaths in Australia using national mortality data spanning more than two decades. The findings reveal critical periods of increased risk and suggest opportunities for targeted prevention and harm-reduction initiatives to reduce unintentional fatalities. The webinar also emphasises that addressing intentional drug-induced deaths requires sustained prevention efforts throughout the year. 

About the speaker:

Scientia Associate Professor Natasa Gisev is a clinical pharmacist, pharmacoepidemiologist, and Head of the Medicine Use and Outcomes Research Program at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney. Her work focuses on leveraging large-scale linked data to generate evidence on the real-world safety and effectiveness of medicines and health services use among populations with complex health care needs, including older adults and those with mental health and substance use disorders. Her research has informed and shaped national and global policy and practice in mental health service delivery, the expansion of opioid dependence treatment, and opioid policy and regulation. 

About the panellist: 

Dr Rachel Sutherland (BSocSc (Crim) Hons, PhD) is a Research Fellow at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales and currently holds  a National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Fellowship (2021-2025). Her program of research is focused on monitoring systems for detecting trends in illicit drug use, including new psychoactive substances, and developing and evaluating novel responses to emerging drugs of concern. Rachel is currently Deputy Program Lead for Drug Trends, and Program lead of the Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) and Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System (EDRS).