Dr Thomas Santo Jr
2019 – 2022: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia Fields of Research: Epidemiology, Mental health services & Causes and prevention of crime Title: Examining childhood trauma and comorbid mental disorders among people with opioid use disorder
2017 – 2018: Master of Public Health (MPH) School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2011 – 2015: Bachelor of Arts (Biological Sciences, Public Health) Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
Dr. Thomas Santo Jr., BA, MPH, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at UNSW Sydney, focused on the epidemiology and treatment of drug dependence in prison and community settings. His research aims to reduce health and social harm related to drug dependence, particularly those in the criminal justice system, by supporting evidence-based policy and improving treatment access.
Dr. Santo is currently leading the Global Reviews of Injecting Drug Use in Prisons as part of the Global Consortium to Advance Data on the Epidemiology and Health Impacts of Illicit Drug Use, in collaboration with the United Nations Office of Drugs & Crime, World Health Organization, and other international partners. This work aims to estimate the prevalence and treatment coverage of injecting-related harms, including blood-borne viruses, in carceral settings. Additionally, he plays a leading role in the Prison Outcomes Study (POST), which uses routinely collected data to examine health and recidivism outcomes for over 200,000 formerly incarcerated individuals in NSW, focusing on enhancing treatment options during and after incarceration. Dr. Santo also leads the NSW Opioid Dependence Survey, which gathered data from 400 participants in 2024 to assess and improve access to treatment and harm reduction services for people with opioid dependence. He has secured over $5.7 million in research funding as a co-investigator and has published in JAMA Psychiatry and The Lancet Psychiatry, with findings informing international policies and recommendations for expanded access to treatment and harm reduction.
Dr. Santo is committed to working with community stakeholders to support and advocate for policy reforms in drug treatment and harm reduction across both prison and community settings.
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
Grants recieved: Degenhardt, L., Hickman, M., Martin, N., Barocas, J., Stone, J., Jones, H., Vickerman, P., Santo Jr, T., Borquez, A., Macmadu, A., Bharat, C., McAuley, A., Westergaard, R., Marshall, B., Hutchinson, S., Wang, J. Reducing opioid overdose mortality. National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) R01. 2024–2029. AU$5,399,224. Degenhardt, L., Farrell, M., Byrne, M., Pearson, S., Dore, G., Grebely, J., Settumba, S., Clark, B., Bharat, C., Santo, T., Gisev, N., Brett, J., Jones, N. Procurement of research to investigate PBS opiate dependence treatment program medicines including issues of access and affordability. Pharmacy Branch, Australian Government Department of Health. 2022. AU$241,501. Santo Jr, T. Impact of trauma and mental disorders among people with opioid use disorder. NDARC HDR Scholarship. 2017–2020. AU$145,000. Gibbs, D., Siefried, K., Shakeshaft, A., Santo, T., Rodgers, C., Noghrehchi, F., Larney, S., Farnbach, S. Optimising retention in opioid agonist therapy: a retrospective evaluation. NDARC Seed Funding. 2017–2021. AU$40,000. Gisev, N., Degenhardt, L., Jones, N., Lappin, J., Larney, S., Santo Jr, T. The impact of severe mental illness on treatment outcomes for opioid dependence. NDARC Seed Funding. 2017–2021. AU$40,000.
Awards
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National Institute on Drug Abuse Travel Award – National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2024
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National Institute on Drug Abuse Travel Award – National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2023
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CPDD Early Career Research Travel Award – College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD), 2023
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Wayne Hall Publication Award – National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), 2022
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Highest Ranked Abstract for Epidemiology & Public Health Research – International Network on Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU), 2021
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NDARC Excellence in Higher Degree Research Award – National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), 2021