Reflections from the Future Leaders in Addiction Science event

On 11th June, Christian attended the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA) ‘Future Leaders in Addiction Science’ event in London, hosted in partnership with Addiction Healthcare Goals and the Medical Research Council. The event brought together current and future leaders in addiction science to explore recent developments in the field, discuss research leadership, and reflect on how evidence can better inform policy and practice.

The day offered an inspiring mix of keynote talks, presentations, and networking. It was a privilege to hear from leading voices in the field, including Professor Dame Carol Black GBE, independent adviser to the UK Government on drugs, and Professor Jennifer Rubin CBE, former Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser. Their contributions highlighted the crucial role that research plays in shaping healthcare and policy, and gave realistic advice about ways to frame research to better impact policy. 

The interdisciplinarity of the field was reflected in the backgrounds of people in the room, including clinicians, psychologists, epidemiologists, social scientists, statisticians, qualitative researchers, policy specialists, people working in services, and those with lived and living experience. People were all connected over a commitment to understanding and improving the lives of people affected by addiction, whose lives also don’t neatly fit into one discipline or service, and instead require connected responses across health, housing, social care, welfare, criminal justice etc.  

There was also a welcome honesty from SSA alumni further along in their careers about the realities of research careers. They spoke openly about setbacks and offered practical advice on navigating early-career research roles, including how to stay engaged, seek out opportunities, when to say no, build networks, and get into the rooms where decisions are being made in order to advocate for our field.

Overall, the event left a strong sense of optimism. Networking was filled with care and compassion for those most affected by addiction, and there was a palpable enthusiasm for driving change to improve care for people. With initiatives such as Addiction Healthcare Goals and SSA funding schemes supporting the field, it feels there will be plenty of space for people to work in the field and as such, there was space to feel excited about the prospect of future collaborations.

You can find out more about the SSA at the link below: