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This is a past event from 18 May 2023, 9:30am - 4:30pm (BST)
They are unavailable to book
With universities concerned about the impact of student drug use on learning; mental health; future job prospects; addiction and student safety, UUK have launched work to set out a common approach to reduce harms from drug use and to better tackle supply.
This one-day conference will delve into and set out Universities UK's new framework that aims to support universities in addressing student drug use by providing strategic guidance on how to tackle supply, reduce demand, and improve support, with the overall aim of minimising harms for students. This framework has been developed in collaboration with students, staff and wider stakeholders who all make up this excellent speaker line-up.
Sessions and topics will include:
If you are unable to join in person, you can register for access to a livestream of the plenary sessions (breakout sessions will not be streamed).
Why should you attend?
This is an opportunity to discuss a subject that is rarely talked about across UK universities. You will hear first-hand about the work that the taskforce has been doing to understand the current issues and the proactive approaches that are being explored to address them.
If you have any questions about this or any other of our events, please contact us at events@universitiesuk.ac.uk or +44 (0) 20 7419 5459.
We allow delegates to cancel their bookings up to one month before the event and receive a refund. If this applies to you, please contact us at the email or phone number above.
If national rail strikes are called for the date of this event, we will be in touch with all registered delegates to advise of changes to the event, which may include rescheduling or moving the event fully online. If you are unable to make the rescheduled date, or are unhappy with the alternative format, you will be able to cancel your place and request a full refund instead.
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Room: Woburn House Foyer
Room: Woburn Hall
This session will introduce findings from a programme of research conducted to improve the sector’s understanding of student drug use. The research included a weighted student survey, student focus groups and roundtables, plus a provider survey for UK universities. The development of the research was done by a Research Advisory Panel (RAP) in support of the UK-wide taskforce on student drug use, and the RAP was advised by a Student Advisory Panel (SAP) who also contributed to the development of the research.
The framework developed adopts a harm-reduction approach to drugs and is split into three strands: tackling support, reducing demand and improving support. Each of these panel discussions are led by the chairs of the policy development group and will introduce their respective key messages including challenges, partnerships and solutions.
Connections with drug supply routes may present significant risks and safeguarding challenges for students and universities. This session will discuss recognising the potential lifetime impacts and how to provide appropriate support for students involved in disciplinary action or have contact with the criminal justice system.
Room: Woburn House Foyer
Universities recognise that students will use drugs while enrolled at their institution. For many, this has no or little consequence. For others, it can lead to harms including to mental and physical health, academic performance and progress, and employability. This session will discuss embedding trust between the university and it’s students, communication about their approach to harm reduction, drug information, testing and awareness.
Universities have a central role to play in protecting the health, safety, and welfare of students. Drug use can lead to some students struggling with their academic work, mental health, or addiction and recovery which may cause some students to seek support from their university. This session will provide recommendations for making students feel empowered to ask for help, inside university and out. Plus, it is important to eliminate stigma for those that do who seek support.
Room: Woburn House Foyer
This breakout session led by The Loop will introduce their work and expertise in innovative health interventions and drug testing. The Loop’s mission and vision include a commitment to developing a nationwide network of drug-checking services that is non-judgemental, accessible and available to all.
Room: Foster
This breakout session focuses on the link between medicine and prescription drugs with addiction and substance abuse. How can support be tailored to those with disabilities, mental or physical health conditions?
Room: Bloomsbury
Room: Woburn House Foyer
Room: Woburn Hall
Universities cannot work in isolation but should develop strong and effective partnerships with key stakeholders in their communities. This session will present case studies of successful partnerships that universities have been a part of to reduce drug-related harms and deliver information for students to utilise.
Consultant Psychiatrist & Addiction Medicine Specialist
Adam is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Addiction Medicine specialist based in London. He trained at the Maudsley and Institute of Psychiatry. He is currently Honorary Clinical Professor at UCL and works for a number of treatment providers across community and prison services. He is an active clinician, educator and researcher, having published over 150 papers. He is also founder of the Global Drug Survey He is the creator of the Staying Safe Programme that was awarded NIHR innovation funding, as part of its demand reduction initiative in Feb 2023. He’s developed a suite of free on-line self-assessment and harm reduction tools including Drinks Meter app, Drugs Meter and the ultra-brief feedback tools for young drinkers OneTooMany and for people who use cannabis
Co-founder and Director
Arda Ozcubukcu graduated with an MPA in Science, Engineering and Public Policy from University College London in 2020, where she also completed her Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience. In the following years, she conducted research in health and innovation systems. She is now co-founder and Director at NeuroSight, where she helps organisations design and implement drug harm reduction policies and practices. She also works as Communications Associate at Clerkenwell Health, a clinical research organisation specialising in psychedelic drugs.
Professor in Addictions and Mental Health and Academic Dean, Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education
Director MyCareAcademy, President International Nurses Society on Addictions (IntNSA) Addiction Nurses Save Lives
Carmel earned her doctorate from St Georges Medical School, University of London, UK, and is currently registered with the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) as a mental health and adult nurse and has over 30 years’ experience in delivering nursing education at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, including curriculum development, specifically in the area of addiction; and was the course developer of the first Masters in co-morbidity (dual diagnosis) in Europe. In 2014 with funding from Health Education England Carmel established My Care Academy – a knowledge building community in partnership with Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust and Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust, and is currently the Project Director. In October 2020 Carmel took over the office of President of the International Nurses Society on Addiction. She has written extensively in this area and in 2017 co-chaired a Public Health England working group on the nurses’ role in the treatment and recovery addiction pathways . Carmel has also served as a Member of the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD)(2002 -2011) – a Standing Committee which advises the UK Government on drug issues and policies. In 2015 in recognition of her contribution to addiction practice, she was awarded a Fellowship by Distinction and entered onto the membership register for the UK Faculty of Public Health. Carmel has provided training to addiction professionals throughout the world and is a member of The International Society of Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Professionals (ISSUP) and holds credentials ICAP-III from the Colombo Plan-ICCE. More recently, Carmel has been working as part of the UUK Taskforce on Student Drug Use as Chair of the Research Group.
Assistant Academic Registrar
Caroline has 30 years’ experience in Higher Education administration, working in faculty administration at the University of Manchester before moving to Manchester Metropolitan University to support institutional student experience initiatives. As part of her current role, Caroline leads on the identification and management of risk to students and to the University on issues such as harassment, sexual misconduct and student substance use. She is passionate about removing barriers to opportunity and supporting students to get the most out of their time whilst they are at University.
Current student, Co-chair, Tackling Supply policy framework group
Charlotte Brooks is a PhD Researcher at the University of Nottingham. Charlotte’s ESRC funded research explores how UK universities acquire and use information about applicants' criminal records during the admissions process. As part of her research, Charlotte collaborates with the charity ‘Unlock', which advocates for people who are facing stigma and obstacles because of their criminal record. Charlotte’s research will contribute to a broader conversation about the ‘collateral consequences’ of possessing a criminal record in the UK. Prior to studying for a PhD, Charlotte has worked in widening participation and student support teams at several universities.
Director of Student Support Services
Donny McCormick is a Higher Education and Safeguarding Professional who is passionate about improving student academic and health outcomes. As Director of Student Support Services at University of Roehampton, Donny is responsible for the University’s Wellbeing, Disabilities and Sports Services; ensuring these services are responsive to current student needs and appropriate safeguarding responses are performed in line with legislation and Government guidance.
Donny has delivered successful projects and services in Robert Gordon University, Edinburgh Napier University and Unite Students. He also continues to be an accredited trainer in Mental Health First Aid England, Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid and Safeguarding Children and Adults in Need. Further, Donny is an accredited Sexual Violence Liaison Officer.
Donny holds a BA (Hons) in Scots Law as well as an LLB. He is currently working towards a Master of Arts in Safeguarding and Security at London Metropolitan University.
Chair in Criminology University of Liverpool
Professor Fiona Measham is Chair in Criminology at the University of Liverpool. Fiona has conducted research for over 30 years exploring changing trends in drugs, drug policy and the socio-cultural contexts to intoxication. Her recent research and publications have focused on recreational drugs, leisure sex and transgressive leisure, and harm reduction policy and practice with particular reference to drug checking.
Fiona has been an advisor to the UK government through the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (2008-), is a founding member of DrugScience, sits on Labour and Conservative Party drug policy reform expert panels and UUK Student Drug Taskforce committees. Previous expert advisory roles include to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, UK Ministerial Review of New Psychoactive Substances and Liberal Democrat cannabis regulation expert panel.
Fiona is founder of The Loop (2012-), a charity which provides drug checking and associated harm reduction services in community and nightlife settings. The Loop is best known for introducing drug checking in the UK in 2016. www.wearetheloop.org
Professor of Forensic Psychology, Durham University, Co-chair, Reducing Demand policy framework group
Graham Towl is Professor of Forensic Psychology at Durham University. He co-chaired the ‘demand’ drug strand with Maria Measham for Universities UK and was co-author of ‘Illicit drug use in universities: zero tolerance or harm reduction?’ (2022) with Arda Ozcubukcu of Neurosight. He is national advisor on mental health to Nightline the student peer helpline and previously was Pro Vice Chancellor Chair of the Sexual Violence Task Force at Durham University. He was also an expert member of the Harris Review into suicides amongst 18–24-year-old prisoners. As well as having been an academic and practitioner psychologist he was formerly a Senior Civil Servant and Chief Psychologist at the Ministry of Justice, UK.
PhD student, University of Birmingham and Chair, Student Advisory Panel, Student drug use taskforce
Hanna is an ESRC funded PhD student at the University of Birmingham, working alongside the charity Release to explore innovative police approaches to reducing drug related harms. She chairs the Universities UK Student Advisory Panel for the project on student drug use, and is also a board member for Students For Sensible Drug Policy UK, and works on campaigning for sensible drug education and policies in higher education institutions. She regularly attends conferences and gives guest lectures about her PhD topic, but also on student drug use and university drug policy.
Prior to joining the University of Birmingham, Hanna completed her MA Comparative Drug & Alcohol Studies at Middlesex University, where she was awarded the Yvonne Heard Award in Criminology for best postgraduate dissertation, looking at the policy process behind university drug policy. She also held the role of VP Welfare & Community at Southampton Solent for two years. She has also previously worked as a research assistant for Release where she assisted the policy review for the NUS & Release Taking the Hit report on university drug policy and student drug use, and has been a trustee for several charities including Yellow Door (formerly Southampton Rape Crisis & Womens Aid) and Mentor.
Director of Student Services
Jenny has 30 years’ experience of working in Further and Higher Education in a variety of Academic and Professional Service roles. As part of her role Jenny is responsible for leading and strategic development of Counselling Mental Health and Wellbeing Services, Inclusion and Disability Services, Student Welfare and Pastoral Services, Sport, Student Engagement (including Peer Guides, PAL Leaders, Inclusive Learning Communities) Learner Development Services and Student Operations. Within her first year of employment at Manchester Metropolitan University, Jenny was awarded the University Citizenship Award for demonstrating outstanding leadership, beyond the day-to-day expectations of her role. Jenny always puts students’ and their experience, at the heart of her work and is passionate about making a difference to the lives of young people each and every day.
Higher Education External Engagement Director
Jenny Shaw is HE External Engagement Director for Unite Students and the presenter of Accommodation Matters podcast. She has previously led on student experience and student welfare for Unite, and since 2013 has led national research into the student experience. Before joining Unite in 2012 she worked at senior level in the UK higher education sector to widen participation in higher education, and has published several academic articles and edited a book on the subject. She has worked for the universities of Hull, York St John and Middlesex, and provided research and consultancy for national HE sector organisations.
Assistant Director, Policy
John de Pury is Assistant Director of Policy at Universities UK. John currently leads policy programmes on HE Innovation and Health and directs the UUK Health Research Networks.
Prior to this, he led the Research and Innovation desk at NHS Confederation. He has a background in health, higher education and arts policy and infrastructure in the UK and East, South East and Central Asia.
John has a first degree from Oxford and an MSc from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Service Manager
Lauren Stewart works for the organisation Change, Grow, Live. Lauren’s role as Services Manager has her overseeing 1625Outreach, these projects support those aged 16-25. The ethos centres around reducing drug/alcohol related harms, and lessening the likelihood of recreational/experimental use becoming that of a problematic nature. Part of this work involves a specialist work stream with further & higher education provisions and working within the night time economy, supporting students to be aware, safe & well. With support of Change, Grow, Live & Middlesex University Lauren has recently secured NIHR research funding to support the evaluation the 1625Outreach model, with hopes of seeing this successful approach expanded.
Current student, Co-chair, Reducing Demand policy framework group
Maria Measham has over seven years of drugs and alcohol research experience, from volunteering with The Loop at festivals and nightclubs, to working on policy and data with Release and the NightTime Industries Association. She recently completed her MPhil in Criminology from Cambridge University, with a thesis focused on victim personal statements and the courts. Her current role is in the domestic abuse sector, working for Welsh Women’s Aid as their Research and Evaluation Officer.
Senior Policy Analyst, Advance HE and former Policy Analyst
Myles is the Senior Policy Analyst at Advance HE and is responsible for delivering high-quality policy analysis within the organisation. Myles previously worked as a Policy Adviser at Universities UK and led their work on student drug use, and supported their work on mental health, access and participation, social mobility, and the cost of living. He holds an MA in International Relations and a BA in History from the University of Sheffield.
Consultant in Addiction Psychiatry, Imperial College London and Chair, Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
Dr Owen Bowden-Jones is a Consultant in Addiction Psychiatry, overseeing alcohol and drug services in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Imperial College in the Division of Brain Science. He trained in general psychiatry before achieving a specialist accreditation in substance misuse.
In 2010, Dr Bowden-Jones founded the Club Drug Clinic, the UK’s largest multi-disciplinary service for people using ‘legal highs’ and ‘club drugs’. The service has grown rapidly and now operates from two Central London sites. The clinic has provided a unique opportunity to monitor new trends in drug use and to research innovative approaches to service delivery and treatment.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and Professor of Criminology, Birmingham City University
With a track record in higher education leadership, Peter’s career spans education, research and knowledge exchange. He joined Birmingham City University on 1st July 2021, having previously worked as Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Northumbria. His responsibilities include all academic matters including the academic portfolio, academic transformation, academic partnerships and TNE, student recruitment, student support services, mental health and wellbeing, and the student experience. He co-led the University’s response to TEF, and is REF lead. As an active researcher, most of Peter’s published research has focussed on victims and victimisation, criminological research methods, policing, prisons, and crime and social divisions. He has just completed leading a major multi-partner and multi-site R&D project funded through the OfS Mental Health Challenge Competition examining student mental health and wellbeing support achieved through advanced educational data analytics, relationship management, and effective models of support. He has published three articles on educational analytics in HEIs, and on the platform society, and is writing up findings from his recent research.
Professor in Primary Health Care
Sarah is a Professor of Primary Care at the University of Bristol. Until recently she was Pro Vice-Chancellor Student Experience, responsible for student wellbeing, inclusion and engagement across the University. Previously, she led Bristol Medical School.
Sarah is a Non-Executive Director of North Bristol NHS Trust, a Trustee of Bristol Student Union and Vice-Chair of a multi-academy charitable trust sponsoring 13 schools. She joined the Barts Charity Grants Committee in January 2023.
Sarah practiced as a GP from 1991 to 2022 and was awarded an OBE for services to general practice in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours.
Senior Project Manager
Tracy Lumb is the Senior Project Manager - Wellbeing for Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK). She supports universities and students' unions to deliver programmes to embed social norms of responsible drinking on campuses as well as refocusing the conversation on drugs towards reducing harm and building healthier and safer student communities. She leads on the Alcohol Impact and Drug and Alcohol Impact accreditation programmes. From 2020-2022 she managed a pilot scheme supporting universities and students’ unions to introduce harm reduction on campus. Before working for SOS-UK, Tracy worked for 6 years in community drug and alcohol services coordinating the care for adults affected by drugs or alcohol and providing training to health care professionals, support workers and students on the facts and risks associated with alcohol and drugs.
Accommodation Support Worker and BA English language and History student
Yusuf is a Muslim student in long-term recovery from addiction. Over the past eight years, he has worked in numerous roles within the recovery sector and outside of it. After teaching for three years in the Middle East he returned to the UK to pursue a bachelor's degree. He currently works part-time as a peer support worker in the recovery flat as part of BTW's recovery service at the University of Birmingham. He is also very involved with the ISOC at UoB as the Vice president. He continues to stay involved in the 12-step recovery community outside the university sponsoring people in the program.
This conference is open to all with an interest in the topic but will be particularly useful for all university staff who have responsibility for or play a part in the management of student services, student safety, mental health and wellbeing.
Relevant job titles include:
We have a range of sponsorship opportunities available at this and our other events. Please contact Jess Jackson, Marketing and Sponsorships Officer, for more information: jess.jackson@universitiesuk.ac.uk
Our monthly updates are a great way for you to stay up to date with our work, events, and higher education news.