A global, experienced team
GDS was founded in 2011 by Dr Adam R Winstock, a British and Australian trained Consultant Psychiatrist, Addiction Medicine Specialist and Researcher. His CV can be downloaded from here
GDS grew out of a decade of research using collaborations with media partners to access hidden, sentinel drug using populations. He is supported by an international network of experts in the fields of psychoactive substance use, medicine, epidemiology, toxicology, psychology, criminology, sociology, drug policy and harm reduction, who provide corporate and research governance as well as clinical, statistical and analytical expertise
GDS Core Research Team (CRT)
Role: Oversees curation, content and analysis of the annual Global Drug Survey and provides leadership over aims and objectives of GDS, and preparation of academic articles and grant applications.
Dr Adam R Winstock MD MRCPsych MRCP FAChAM
Adam is a Consultant Addiction Psychiatrist based in London where is he looks after the care of people who use drugs in prison. He is also an Honorary Reader at University College London, he was previously Consultant Psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital and Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London. Adam has published over 100 research papers and has developed particular clinical and research expertise in the areas of cannabis, new drugs and chemsex. He is also founder and director of Global Drug Survey, the world’s biggest annual survey of drug use trends, the architect of online and smart phone apps drugs meter and Drinks Meter, and the ultra brief feedback and assessment tool for cannabis use www.saferuselimits.co
Dr. Monica Barratt PhD
Monica is a social scientist at the Drug Policy Modelling Program, part of Australia’s National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales. Monica’s work examines the social and public health implications of digital technologies for people who use illicit and emerging psychoactive drugs. Research topics emerging from this interest include on-line drug markets, or CryptoMarkets, and policy responses to novel psychoactive substance evolution. She specialises in engaging hard-to-reach networks and groups in digital spaces in conversations about research and policy, to inform policy change. Monica also serves as an associate editor at the International Journal of Drug Policy, and as the Director of Research at the international drug harm reduction community Bluelight.org
Dr. Jason Ferris PhD
Jason is the chief biostatistician for the Global Drug Survey. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Social Science Research, University of Queensland and holds an NHMRC Postdoctoral Fellowship. He leads the Drug Alcohol and Crime Research Program and works on the Research Methods and Social Statistics Program. Jason is an adjunct Senior Research Fellow within the School of Social Science, and holds a PhD in alcohol epidemiology, a Master of Biostatistics and a first class honours degree in Psychology. His interest is in sophisticated analytical modelling, time series analysis, and using large-scale population-health data. He has a well-established publication record, focusing on alcohol and drug research. Among many research areas, Jason’s current interests focus on the effectiveness and utilisation of electronic surveillance tools for controlling drugs and drug diversion, reviewing the effectiveness of random breath-testing mechanisms to reduce alcohol related traffic crashes, and measuring the extent of alcohol-fuelled violence in Queensland, Australia
Dr. Des. Larissa J. Maier PhD
Larissa is a postdoctoral research fellow working at the Swiss Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction (ISGF), an affiliated institute of the University of Zurich. In March 2015, she completed her doctoral degree at the University of Zurich in Psychology, where she specialised in Clinical and Health Psychology. Larissa’s research interests focus on the epidemiological and sociological consideration of pharmacological neuroenhancement, psychological well-being, and psychoactive substance use as self-medication to cope with stress or psychiatric symptoms. In this context, neuroscientific research considering altered cognitive and affective function is of great significance for her. Furthermore, she has conducted research on early detection of problematic substance use patterns in nightlife settings to provide instruments for early intervention. As a clinical psychologist, she also follows the debate on the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs for the treatment of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and addiction.
