Reimagining strengths approaches to drug and alcohol care for young people. This project aims to advance the conceptualisation and practical application of strengths-based approaches in the youth alcohol and drug sector. These approaches provide a promising way forward for addressing substance use and disadvantage among young people, and are widespread in the sector, but lack a strong evidence base. The project will learn from excellence in Aboriginal strengths-based models, and draw on sociolog ....Reimagining strengths approaches to drug and alcohol care for young people. This project aims to advance the conceptualisation and practical application of strengths-based approaches in the youth alcohol and drug sector. These approaches provide a promising way forward for addressing substance use and disadvantage among young people, and are widespread in the sector, but lack a strong evidence base. The project will learn from excellence in Aboriginal strengths-based models, and draw on sociological frameworks, to generate evidence on which to build more relevant responses for disadvantaged young people. This will provide significant benefit to service providers and policymakers by providing evidence about how to do strengths-based practice that is responsive to the needs of disadvantaged young people.Read moreRead less
Understanding and addressing racism in Australia. Despite the well recognised need to understand and address racism, it remains a globally significant issue. Encompassing a range of internationally novel research, this project aims to enhance conceptual understandings of racism and anti-racism and investigate empirical data on the health and social effects of racism. It will design, implement, evaluate and analyse findings from anti-racism interventions, examine the interplay between racism and ....Understanding and addressing racism in Australia. Despite the well recognised need to understand and address racism, it remains a globally significant issue. Encompassing a range of internationally novel research, this project aims to enhance conceptual understandings of racism and anti-racism and investigate empirical data on the health and social effects of racism. It will design, implement, evaluate and analyse findings from anti-racism interventions, examine the interplay between racism and the impact of organisational diversity and shape policy and practice relating to racism, anti-racism and diversity across various sectors. This multi-faceted approach will considerably enhance our understanding of, and capacity to address, racism both in Australia and internationally.Read moreRead less
The changing landscapes of medical pluralism: a sociological analysis of patient experiences and decision making in Australia, India and Brazil. This project examines the respective roles of biomedicine and traditional, complementary and alternative medicine in supporting health needs in Australia, Brazil and India. It will be the first sociological study to compare how different countries balance biomedical approaches to health with more alternative approaches.
Building social infrastructure in settings of locational disadvantage. This project will generate improved understanding the ways in which locational disadvantage influence residents’ social networks. A national study will generate an evidence-base for understanding the extent and contours of place-based social exclusion, and inform effective policies, programs and processes targeting locational disadvantage.
Borders, babies and biotechnologies: cross border reproductive travel in Asia and Australia. A growing number of patients travel internationally to undertake assisted reproductive care such as commercial surrogacy, egg donation or sex selection. The project aims to study the extent of this trade in Australia, Thailand and India and the cross cultural ethical, legal and social context surrounding it.
Experimental workers of the world - the labour of human research subjects in the emerging bioeconomies of China and India. China and India have become significant new hubs for domestic and multinational clinical trials, the process by which new drugs are tested for global consumption. Developing the concept of experimental labour, this project will investigate the growing numbers of the poor and uninsured who enrol in clinical trials as a means of making a living.
Analysing and comparing concepts of addiction for improved social and health outcomes in Australia. Australia invests heavily in responding to alcohol and other drug (AOD) use. This project will analyse a key concept shaping AOD responses, namely addiction. The analysis will help develop new, more productive approaches to AOD prevention, education and treatment, contributing to improved AOD-related social and health outcomes.