The ICARA Webinar series on COVID-19 and ATOD research ran from April to August 2021. It was funded by the Society for the Study of Addiction. ICARA was proud to partner with the University of Johannesburg, the Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), and the Scottish Alcohol Network (SARN) to host these webinars. On behalf of our board and partners, we would like to thank all chairs and speakers for each session for very interesting and information sessions. Details of each session and their recordings can be found below.
Webinar 1 – Pandemic Perspectives: Addiction Science in the Era of COVID-19
Prof. Niamh Fitzgerald, President of ICARA, chaired this webinar while Prof. Tom Babor, Immediate Past President of ICARA, led the discussion.
Sessions:
Dr. Bronwyn Myers, Chief Specialist Scientist, South African Medical Research Council
Dr. Maristela Monterio, Senior Advisor on Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Pan American Health Organization
Jacqueline MacDiarmid, MPH. Consultant on Alcohol Policy, Pan American Health Organization
Dr. Florence Baingana, Advisor, World Health Organization.
Dr. Jennifer Gonzalez, Senior Director of Population Health, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, Texas
The recording for this webinar can be viewed here.
Webinar 2 – Substance use and gambling in Finland during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives from a Nordic welfare state with low COVID-19 incidence
Chaired by Michael Egerer, University of Helsinki.
Sessions:
Mika Sutela, Helsinki Police Department
Atte Oksanen, Tampere University
Riitta Matilainen, Finnish Association for Substance Abuse Prevention
The recording for this webinar can be viewed here.
Webinar 3 – COVID-19 and the tobacco political and health economy
Chair: Catherine Egbe, South Africa Medical Research Council
Co-chair: Rachel O’Donnell, Institute for Social Marketing and Health, University of Stirling, UK
Sessions:
Prof. Lekan Ayo-Yuusf, DVC Research, Innovation & Postgraduate Studies, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciencies University, South Africa
Rachel O’Donnell, Institute for Social Marketing & Health, University of Stirling, UK
Louis Laurence, Tobacco Tactics.org, Tobacco Control Research Group, University of Bath, UK
Prof. Corne van Walbeek, Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
The recording for this webinar can be viewed here.
Webinar 4 – How COVID has changed cannabis markets, use and policy
Chair: Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, President of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP).
Sessions:
David Hammond, University of Waterloo, Canada: Trends in cannabis use during COVID among youth and adults in the US and Canada.
Judith Albridge, University of Manchester, UK: Availability and Perceptions of Quality and Price of Cannabis in the UK During Covid-19
Bernd Werse, University of Frankfurt, Germany: Cannabis availability and use during the Covid-19 pandemic in Germany
This Webinar was curated by the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP) and is part of a series sponsored by the Society for the Study of Addition (SSA).
The recording for this webinar can be viewed here.
Webinar 5 – Alcohol consumption in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic – Friday 30th July 2021, 2-4pm BST.
ICARA was proud to partner with Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) and the Scottish Alcohol Research Network (SARN) for this fifth webinar focusing on alcohol consumption in Latin America during the pandemic.
Chair: Dr. Andrea Mohan, Secretary of ICARA
Sessions:
Paula Margozzini Maira, Associate Professor of Public Health, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile – “Alcohol consumption during COVID-19: a natural experiment for alcohol policy in Chile”. Please click here to view the recording for Paula’s session.
Dr. Karina Conde, Research Associate, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Argentina – “Alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina: opportunities for public policies”. Please click here to view the recording for Karina’s session.
Dr. Zila van der Meer Sanchez, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil – “Alcohol consumption in Brazil during COVID-19 Pandemic: epidemiology and opportunities for public policies”. Please click here to view the recording for Zila’s session.
Webinar 6 – Myths, Lockdowns, Curfews & Bans: Alcohol consumption and harms during COVID-19 in four continents Tuesday 17th August 2021
ICARA was proud to partner with Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) and the Scottish Alcohol Research Network (SARN) for this fifth webinar focusing on alcohol consumption in Latin America during the pandemic.
Chair: Dr. Claire Wilkinson, NHMRC Senior Research Fellow, Drug Policy Modelling Program (DPMP), UNSW Honorary Research Fellow, Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (CAPR), La Trobe University
Sessions:
Professor Charles Parry, Stellenbosch University: Unnatural deaths, alcohol bans and curfews in South Africa: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment during COVID-19. Please click here to view the recording for Charles’ session.
Dr. Abhijit Nadkarni, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine: Alcohol kills Coronavirus, I drink alcohol, ergo I don’t need the vaccine – Stories from India. Please click here to view the recording for Abhijit’s session.
Dr. Sarah Callinan, La Trobe University: Shifts in alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Please click here to view the recording for Sarah’s session.
Professor Niamh Fitzgerald, University of Stirling: Lockdown & Licensed Premises: COVID-19 Lessons for Alcohol Policy. Please click here to view the recording for Niamh’s session.
Please also check out this interesting blog written by Yvette Mojica-Perez (PhD student from La Trobe University) and Claire Wilkinson (Senior Research Fellow, University of New South Wales), giving their reflections on this webinar.