BACKGROUND:

The current practice of undergraduate education in addictology for medical students at medical faculties both in and outside Europe does not meet the requirements and needs of practice. The rise in problems with legally prescribed opioids in the United States has highlighted this long-overlooked problem and has been reflected in factual debate. The opiate crisis in Europe then led to the formulation of the WHO’s priority to revise and support the teaching of addictology at medical faculties and to improve its quality. The basic problem of the present time is the question of the...

The World Health Organization’s Less Alcohol Unit, Department of Health Promotion, the Alcohol Research Group, and the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research are pleased to announce a new scientific research and writing mentorship initiative. 

The initiative aims to support early-stage researchers from low- and middle-income countries in their work to analyse, report and publish a study related to strengthening alcohol policies tackling the determinants driving the acceptability, availability and affordability of alcohol consumption. The initiative aims to accelerate the finalisation...

The Society for the Study of Addiction have developed a guide for creating academic posters.

The resource contains information on:

• Tailoring your poster to your audience
• Presentation
• Telling a story
• Topic
• Accessibility
• Inclusivity
• Entry Criteria

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the drug and violence resistance educational program (PROERD) on short-term secondary outcomes, such as intentions to use drugs, attitudes toward drugs, school experience, and life skills (refusal, decision-making, and communication). Two cluster-randomized controlled trials were conducted in 30 public schools in the city of São Paulo (Brazil) with 4030 students (1727 fifth and 2303 seventh graders). The intervention group attended 10 PROERD classes conducted by trained police officers, whereas the control group received no...

The new SSA Early Career Research Network launches on 19 May, providing a series of (initially online) events designed to support PhD students and post-doc academics through the early stages of their addiction research careers.

Run by people in the early stages of their own research, this new ECR network will cover topics on grant writing, applying for fellowships, writing articles, getting published, and how to navigate the often confusing, and occasionally stressful, initial stages of a research career. The network welcomes suggestions and themes for future events, making sure it is focused...

Abstract

Telehealth has become an increasingly important part of health care delivery, with a dramatic rise in telehealth visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth visits will continue to be a part of care delivery after the pandemic subsides, and it is important that medical students receive training in telehealth skills to meet emerging telehealth competencies. This paper describes strategies for successfully integrating medical students into telehealth visits in the ambulatory setting based on existing literature and the extensive experience of the authors teaching and learning in...