A full time Research Assistant post is available in the TobaccoTactics team providing research support to the STOP project (see below).

TobaccoTactics.org is a unique academic resource that summarises research and monitoring findings on the tobacco industry and its allies in an evidence-based and user-friendly format. It is used globally by politicians, civil servants, journalists and advocates.

You will be required to edit and update existing content as well as research and develop new profiles for the TobaccoTactics website, a unique academic resource that explores how the tobacco industry influences policy and public health in the UK, the EU and internationally. We are particularly interested in someone who can analyse the operation of multinational corporations.

THE STOP PROJECT

STOP (Stop Tobacco Organisations & Products) is a global tobacco industry watchdog, established with $15m funded from Bloomberg Philanthropies. It is a partnership between the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath, the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control, Thailand, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, and Vital Strategies, New York.

As such it brings together the global leaders in in tobacco industry monitoring and research, advocacy, accountability and communication. This unique combination ensures our research is widely and effectively communicated and maximally impactful.

We will be leading the tobacco industry monitoring and research arm of the work. With a focus on low and middle income countries, we will be extending the scale, geographic reach and responsiveness of our current research.

Within the University of Bath, the STOP team will be based within the Tobacco Control Research Group and include staff from different faculties, departments and research centres

A two-year postdoctoral fellowship position is available for individuals interested in a career conducting research on recovery support services for adults with substance use disorders. The fellow will work directly with Drs. Ashli Sheidow and Michael McCart, two accomplished clinical investigators, in achieving the aims of NIH-, foundation-, and state-funded research projects.

This postdoctoral fellow will primarily work on a NIDA-funded Initiative (R24DA051950) focused on two populations:

(1) emerging adults and

(2) adults of any age involved with the justice system.

This Initiative seeks to advance research on the efficacy/effectiveness of recovery support services, specifically peer supports and recovery residences, by

(1) identifying priority research areas,

(2) increasing the number of early career investigators in this field,

(3) providing funds and guidance for pilot studies, and

(4) conducting dissemination and outreach to the larger field. Including individuals with lived experiences (i.e., in recovery from substance use and/or formerly involved with the adult or juvenile justice system) in all Initiative activities is a high priority. Beyond the Initiative activities, integration into other projects will be based on the fellow’s interests and training needs. 

CNWL Addictions is a well-established NHS provider offering a wide range of high-quality drug and alcohol treatment interventions to diverse and multicultural populations.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust are looking for an experienced Service Coordinator/ NMP who will primarily be prescribing controlled drugs and managing a small caseload of substance misuse client at our Cobbold Road site.

Queen's University Belfast are recruiting for a Research Fellow in Systems Biology and Disease Models.

The long-term objective of the research is to define the genetic architecture of OUD in a rodent model and uncover new insights into this disease pathophysiology. To accomplish this, we are using a rat behavioural model of excessive opioid intake that exhibits both face and construct validity for dysregulated drug intake associated and opiate dependence.

This is a four-year Research Associate role to work on the National Institute for Health Research funded ADEPT (Using complexity science and digital technology to improve co-morbid Alcohol use disorder and DEpression Prevention and Treatment) study. 

ADEPT aims to use complex systems approaches to better understand the challenges experienced by patients with co-occurring heavy drinking and depression, and their service providers

Title

Alcohol Consumption and Mental Health Literacy in Young People

Project Description

According to the Global Drug Survey, nearly half of young people with existing mental health conditions increased their alcohol consumption during COVID-19 lockdown. Reasons for this included feeling depressed and anxious. Drinking for coping reasons is associated with long term problems (Holahan et al, 2001), and a vicious circle of excessive drinking and poor mental health. 

Mental Health Literacy (MHL) includes understanding how to obtain and maintain positive mental health, knowledge of help-seeking options, and decreasing stigma. Higher levels of MHL may be linked to lower levels of mental ill health, and may serve to encourage more healthy coping strategies. However, the field of MHL is currently characterised by “conceptual confusion and methodological inconsistency” (Mansfield et al, 2020, p11) and many interventions to improve MHL lack a theoretical basis, and focus on mental ‘disorder’ rather than mental ‘health’. 

This studentship will involve initial scoping research to inform the development of an intervention, which focuses on the potential of improving MHL. This work could start by exploring the relationship between MHL, alcohol consumption and coping strategies. Our research group values co-production and employs systematic frameworks in intervention development. 


The successful application will join the Children and Young People Network at Oxford Brookes. 

As part of their Studentship, any successful applicant will be required to undertake up to 6 hours undergraduate teaching a week during semesters without further remuneration. Training will be given. 

This PhD project will ask: 

Can we isolate the relationships between cannabis use, tobacco use and psychiatric disease through triangulation of data from cohort studies and brain imaging studies, and across statistical methods that differ in their ability to make causal links?

Background: 

Cannabis is gaining increasing acceptance as a medicinal and recreational drug and prevalence of use is rising worldwide. There are concerns about the association between cannabis and tobacco with risk of psychiatric disease, including severe and chronic disorders such as psychosis. The association between cannabis and psychiatric disease may be confounded by tobacco-use.

We propose an innovative approach to explore the impact of single- and combined-use of tobacco and cannabis on brain function and structure, between people with and without psychiatric illness (anxiety, depression, psychosis). 

International impact: 

Understanding the impact of single and combined use on brain regions will inform conclusions about the influence of these substances on psychiatric disease, and will have important policy implications, in the UK and around the globe.

The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) was developed for the World Health Organisation (WHO) by an international group of substance abuse researchers to detect and manage substance use and related problems in primary and general medicine care settings.

Adelaide Medical School are seeking a researcher with extensive clinical experience in the drug and alcohol sector to oversee the ASSIST program. The successful applicant will also be required to conduct and coordinate research, disseminate findings, develop training resources and support organisations implementing the ASSIST program.

The successful candidate will join a multidisciplinary world-leading research group with a strong track record in deliver high impact research in design and evaluation of public health interventions across areas of blood borne viruses (BBVs), sexual health and substance use.

We are looking for an experienced data scientist to work with us in the areas of epidemiology, substance use and blood borne-viruses. The successful candidate will help to support a study funded by the Scottish Government Death Task Force.

The main goal of this study is to use linked and unlinked administrative data to measure the risks of mortality related to problem drug use in Scotland, and determine to what extent specific interventions (Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) and Take-Home Naloxone (THN)) are protective against drug-related deaths. 

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Applications are now being accepted for the JSAT Editorial Fellowship Program. Supported by Elsevier and JSAT, the Fellowship is a one-year experience to begin in January 2021. We seek two Fellows for 2021. The compensation for the Fellowship is $1,000 for each Fellow, and the experience accrued will support future involvement in the editorial side of scientific publishing. Previous Editors-In-Chief and a current Associate Editor of JSAT were Editorial Fellows. Furthermore, there are several models for the Fellowship leading to roles on the JSAT Editorial Board.

The Fellows will participate in bi-weekly phone calls with the Editor-In-Chief, and monthly phone calls with the Editor-In-Chief, Associate Editors, and Managing Editor. The former will focus on manuscript review, the ethics of authorship and review, and how to combine and synthesize conflicting reviews into a constructive decision. Each Fellow will be expected to advance twelve to fifteen papers over the year through the editorial process from submission to review to publication decision. The work should not be longer than 1 to 2 hours per week. The Fellowship should result in a superb knowledge of contemporary electronic scientific publication and also improve writing skills and manuscript preparation.

The ideal applicant would be a person in an early to mid-phase of her or his academic or research career, with a track record indicating a commitment to substance use treatment research. Those interested should email Dr. Peter Friedmann, Editor-In-Chief, directly with questions (Peter [dot] Friedmann [at] baystatehealth [dot] org (Peter[dot]Friedmann[at]baystatehealth[dot]org)).

Applicants should send via email to Emily Babson: ewbabson [at] gmail [dot] com (ewbabson[at]gmail[dot]com): 1) a one-page letter to the Editor expressing interest in the Fellowship, describing any previous experience with JSAT as an author or reviewer, and indicating how the Fellowship will fit into career plans; and 2) a curriculum vitae. Applications are due by November 2, 2020. The editorial team will make final decisions, with a January 2021 start.

https://els-jbs-prod-cdn.jbs.elsevierhealth.com/pb/assets/raw/Health%20Advance/journals/sat/jsat_editorial_fellowship2021.pdf

Kings College London are seeking a research associate to work with researchers at Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care and the Nicotine Research Group at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience on a 16 months Cancer Research UK funded study to identify practices of stop smoking practitioners when supporting tobacco cessation among cannabis users. You will work with the PI and the team to ensure that the project objectives are achieved on time and within budget, taking responsibility for the day-to-day running and ethical conduct of the study.

The successful candidate will have a proven track record in delivering mixed methods research and insight about co-use of cannabis and tobacco. You will be involved in all aspects of the study from recruitment to dissemination of the findings, including opportunities to lead publications and planning the design of future studies. You will have access to research training opportunities throughout your tenure.

This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract for 16 months. 
This is a part-time post - 60% full time equivalent.

The Contemporary Drug & Alcohol Studies (CDAS) programme at the University of the West of Scotland is seeking to appoint a full-time fixed term (14 months) Research Fellow with extensive experience in qualitative research, and a particular expertise in researching marginalised populations.

The successful applicant will be a lead member of an inter-institutional research project recently funded by the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce called Understanding the Role and Potential of Primary Care in the Prevention of Drug Deaths post COVID-19 led by Dr. Aileen O’Gorman, CDAS, UWS and Professor Anne Whittaker, University of Stirling. The postholder will be based at UWS Paisley campus.

The study design uses mixed methods combining interviews and focus groups with GPs, patients, affected family members and other stakeholders with complex systems mapping. Key duties include:

• Collect and analyse data from each practice on the socio-demographic profile of their patients and local population; as well as local health and social care data.
• Recruit research participants and conduct audio-taped qualitative interviews/focus groups, on line if necessary.
• Enter data into NVivo, code and analyse qualitative data, develop framework matrices, write up analytic reports.
• Assist with the development of the complex systems mapping process using KUMU software

The Division of Intramural Research (DIR) of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) seeks an outstanding Staff Scientist to conduct health disparities research studies focused on:

(1) examining the interrelationship between social determinants of health and health behaviours,

(2) using observational and experimental approaches to investigate the mechanisms that explain these interrelationships, and

(3) develop, forecast, and evaluate multilevel interventions to reduce disparities in health behaviours.

Majority of the research will focus on tobacco and substance use disparities, under the direction of Dr Kelvin Choi. There will be opportunities for the incumbent to interact with investigators within and outside of the NIH.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

The Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) invite applications for the Chair in Addiction Psychiatry. This position is a University of Toronto Endowed Chair. The expected start date is January 1, 2021.

The University of Toronto has one of the strongest research and teaching faculties in North America, and is consistently ranked as the top Canadian university in international rankings. The Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN), composed of the University and including CAMH amongst its nine fully affiliated institutes, is one of the world’s largest, most productive academic health science centres.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (250 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in the area of addiction and mental health. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues.

Candidates for the endowed chair position must have a distinguished record of external funding, strong evidence of research and scholarly achievement, consistent record of publication, experience in mentoring, and documentation of outstanding teaching performance. Candidates must demonstrate a proven capacity for leadership, integration and collaboration in the field of addiction psychiatry.

PhD Studentship: In Psychology: Cannabis, Tobacco and Psychiatric Disease: Examining the Impact of Single and Combined-use on Brain Structure and Function (MRC Funded)

This PhD project will ask: 

Can we isolate the relationships between cannabis use, tobacco use and psychiatric disease through triangulation of data from cohort studies and brain imaging studies, and across statistical methods that differ in their ability to make causal links?

International impact: 

Understanding the impact of single and combined use on brain regions will inform conclusions about the influence of these substances on psychiatric disease, and will have important policy implications, in the UK and around the globe.

Aims and method:

• Study 1: Systematic review and meta-analysis of imaging studies exploring the association between cannabis, tobacco use and psychiatric disease.
• Study 2: A cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis using pre-existing data from cohort studies with imaging data (IMAGEN, UK Biobank) to examine the association between dual and single cannabis/tobacco use and its impact on brain structure and function.
• Study 3: The student will collect novel data via fMRI. Results from Study 2 will determine a-priori regions of interest used in this study.

BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY invites applications for a NIAAA-funded postdoctoral training program in Developmental Neuroadaptations in Alcohol and Addictions. This training program has a strong affiliation with the Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (www.binghamton.edu/dearc), a NIAAA-funded P50 Center situated within the Behavioral Neuroscience programme in the Department of Psychology.

In recognition of the fact that alcoholism and addictions have their origins in neurobehavioral development, our program focuses on training in the implementation of approaches that enable characterization of ontogenetic antecedents leading to alcohol- and drug-use disorders, as well as in strategies to mitigate these outcomes. Our program has a strong focus on pre-clinical research, though opportunities also exist for training in clinical psychology and/or interventions research.

Co/Lab in partnership with several other researchers and organizations across BC, recently received funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research for a study entitled: 

A mixed-methods evaluation of risk mitigation measures to address the dual public health crises of COVID-19 and overdose. 

Additionally, we have received funding to work with AVI Health and Community Services on a related project that is also evaluating aspects of the risk mitigation measures.

The project will assess the impact of the new risk-mitigation guidance that permits the prescribing of pharmaceutical alternatives to the toxic drug supply. The specific objectives are to:

1. Determine the impact of risk mitigation guidance on COVID-19 infection, continuity of care for people who use substances and concurrent health conditions, overdose and all-cause mortality among people who use substances.

2. Determine the impact on the uptake of public health measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, as well as other behavioural and psychosocial outcomes among people who use substances.

3. Identify barriers and facilitators to implementation based on program uptake from the perspectives of people who use substances, prescribers, health care providers, outreach workers, and others.

4. Explore different models of delivery of the risk mitigation guidelines.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to be part of the Public health and multimorbidity theme within NIHR South London ARC. The research is exploring ways of reducing harm from tobacco in people who use local health services. The postholder will work within the Nicotine Research Group, Addictions Department on the Denmark Hill Campus. They will provide research assistance for the evaluation of tobacco dependence treatment delivered in hospital and community settings. The evaluation involves a clinical audit of electronic health records and a series of qualitative studies to explore the experience of tobacco dependence treatment from the patient and clinician perspective.

The postholder will be responsible for recruiting patients with long term health conditions and clinicians working across King’s Health Partners, conducting interviews (remotely whilst social distancing measures are in place), extracting data from electronic health care records, assisting with the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, writing for publication and dissemination.

Glasgow Caledonian University are looking for an experienced qualitative postdoctoral researcher to join GCU’s Substance Use and Misuse research group.

You will work on a project exploring change in the availability of alcohol and tobacco in Scottish neighbourhoods over time. The postholder will explore how residents experience the availability of alcohol and tobacco in their neighbourhoods and examine stakeholder views on policy interventions that could reduce alcohol and tobacco outlet density.

You can find out more about the project here.