National Drugs Conference 2010 - Dublin Ireland

At the Irish Needle Exchange Forum (INEF) conference in November 2009, members from throughout the spectrum of drug services in Ireland were in attendance (e.g. Abstinence Based and Harm Reduction services). Feedback from the conference delegates was good and it was clear that the conference benefited from the range of disciplines within the delegate group.

Building on this experience, and under the guidance of the INEF Advisory Group (made up of members of the Voluntary and Statutory sectors), the INEF has come together with the Irish Association of Alcohol and Addiction Counsellor's (IAAAC ), Ana Liffey Drug Project and Coolmine Therapeutic Community to hold a National Drugs Conference in November 2010.

This conference will include national and international speakers from across the spectrum of service provision and policy arena available within the response to the drugs issue i.e. this is not a Harm Reduction Conference or an Abstinence Based Conference; this is an all inclusive Drugs Conference.

Call For Abstract Submissions Deadline wednesday 30th June 2010

For more information email conference2010@inef.ie

Sponsors and Exhibitors email tim@inef.ie

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

ROWDY YATES
Senior Research Fellow and facilitator of the Scottish Addiction Studies group in the Department of Applied Social Science, University of Stirling.

STEPHEN BAMBER
Stephen Bamber is an academic based at Liverpool Hope University and co-founder of the Recovery Academy. His research interests lie at the intersection of addiction, spirituality, and recovery and extend into policy, practice and critical theory. Stephen's eclectic past informs his present. With a personal history of chronic substance use, homelessness, and experiencing (on both sides of the fence) the best and the worst of the UK's drug treatment services, Stephen is an enthusiastic advocate of “recovery” and “community” as central organising and motivating principles for addressing the social immobility associated with substance misuse.

DR DAVID BEST
Dr David Best is Reader in Criminal Justice at the University of Western Scotland. He was a senior lecturer in addictions in the department of psychiatry at Birmingham University, and worked for Birmingham DAT.

DR .SCOTT KELLOGG
Scott Kellogg, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist and a Gestalt-trained Schema Therapist who works as a psychotherapist and supervisor at the Schema Therapy Institute in New York City. Currently a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at New York University, Dr. Kellogg is the past President of the Division on Addictions of the New York State Psychological Association, a board member for the Institute for Professional Development in the Addictions, and a co-director of the Harm Reduction and Mental Health Project at New York University

MAT SOUTHWELL
Mat Southwell is a drugs specialist with both professional and experiential expertise who has a particular expertise in management, organisational development and network building. Mat has run local, national and global networks of people who use drugs and is a recognised expert in drug user organising. He has also worked in the health and NGO sector within professional drug services and a senior manager and professional head of service.

DR BRION SWEENEY
Dr Brion Sweeney practices as a psychiatrist in Dublin in the National Health System and is clinical director for Drug Addiction Services for Greater North Dublin. Brion has a keen interest in psychotherapy and holds master degree from University College Dublin (1986). He has been a supervisor and psychotherapy trainer since 1992

DR JOE BARRY
Dr. Joe Barry is Clinical Professor in Public Health Medicine and Head of the Department of Public Health and Primary Care in Trinity College.

SANDRA DELAMERE
Sandra Delamere, SRN, SCM, BNS, Msc Nursing, has been working in Sexual Health since 1987 and was accredited as the first Advanced Nurse Practitioner (Sexual Health) by the National Council for the Professional Development of Nursing and Midwifery, in September 2002

DAGMAR HEDRICH
Dagmar Hedrich is a scientific analyst at the European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), a Lisbon based, de-centralized agency of the European Union responsible for data collection and analysis on drug use and drug policies.

The Honorary President of IHRA is Professor Pat O'Hare who was the Executive Director of IHRA from its founding in 1996 until he stepped down in 2004. Pat started working in the drug field in the mid-1980s when he became Drug Education Coordinator for Sefton on Merseyside and then Director of the Mersey Drug Training and Information Centre in Liverpool. In 1989, he founded the International Journal of Drug Policy and was the Editor from 1990 to 2000. In response to the interest created by the innovative 'Mersey Harm Reduction Model', Pat initiated the First International Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm in 1990.

DAVE GORDON
Dave Gordon is Team Coordinator, Harm Reduction Unit, in Southampton he has been working in the field for over 15 year and started as a youth worker. He joined the NHS, delivering prescribing services for IDU's in Southampton, of which he became prescribing coordinator. In 2003 he completed a needs assessment for harm reduction services and 2004 opened a unit including wound care, inoculation programmes, health assessments and NX In 2006 he was presented an award by The Home Office as practitioner of the year for his work managing the local needle exchange and for his tireless efforts to provide support for service users.. Since then he has continued to develop harm reduction services in Southampton.

NEIL HUNT
Neil Hunt (MSc Social Research) is an Honorary Senior Research Associate at the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent ; Honorary Research Fellow with the Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; and, Director of Research for the treatment agency KCA (UK). He also works as a freelance researcher and trainer.