SUNDAY 8 June 2025
MONDAY 9 June 2025
TUESDAY 10 June 2025
THURSDAY 12 June 2025
Sunday 8 June 2025: 9.00-16.45
Room: Clarice Pears building; Room 103A/B
Summary: Natural experiments refer to the study of situations, where researchers observe the effects of an intervention or event that “naturally” occurs, without the researchers manipulating the situation themselves. Alcohol control policies fall under this category, no matter is they have single or multiple components. For instance, the effects of an alcohol taxation increase in a country can be studied, as well as the effects of multicomponent alcohol policies which are comprehensive strategies that employ a combination of measures—such as taxation, restrictions on availability, advertising limitations, and public education—to reduce alcohol consumption and its associated harms.
In the European Union, Lithuania and Estonia have implemented robust multicomponent alcohol control policies over the past decade. These include tax increases, stricter sales regulations, and comprehensive advertising bans, which have led to significant reductions in alcohol-attributable mortality. In contrast, Latvia and Poland have taken less comprehensive approaches, creating a natural experiment across the region. Latvia’s upcoming legislative changes—effective August 2025—will introduce stricter limits on alcohol sales hours and online availability, offering a new point of comparison.
This workshop will focus on evaluating alcohol control policies, using the Baltic natural experiment as a central case study. It will also introduce general techniques for assessing a broad range of public health interventions. Participants will explore quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches.
Structured around thematic modules, the workshop will combine plenary discussions with group work on specific evaluation methods, drawing on additional European examples. It aims to build capacity among researchers—particularly early-career professionals—interested in evaluating multicomponent alcohol interventions at national and international levels.
Speakers: World Health Organisation representative and others
Schedule:
08:30 – 09:00: Arrival & Registration
09:00 – 10:30: Module 1
10:30 – 11:00: Coffee Break
11:00 – 12:30: Module 2
12:30 – 13:30: Lunch Break
13:30 – 15:00: Module 3
15:00 – 15:15: Short Coffee Break
15:15 – 16:45: Module 4 + Wrap-up Discussion
Sunday 8 June 2025: 5-7pm
Room: Clarice Pears Hub
Summary: This is an alcohol-free, informal side session designed for early-career researchers and anyone working in alcohol, substance use, or public health. The event offers a relaxed space to connect, reflect, and rethink how we collaborate and grow in the field — including how alcohol norms influence academic and professional environments.
The session will feature a warm welcome, a light-hearted icebreaker, a “career speed dating” mentoring roundtable and an open dialogue on alcohol in scientific culture. Light snacks will be provided. Participants will also be invited to share reflections and ideas that could contribute to future pieces, including a potential narrative on redefining alcohol in academic culture and a guide on alcohol-free events.
Open to all participants — we welcome curiosity, questions, and energy from both early-career and established colleagues.
Speakers: WHO Europe
Monday 9th June: 12:30 - 2pm
Room: 743
Summary: Are you a first-timer at KBS? Looking to connect with others and get a better sense of the culture, processes and what to expect throughout the week?
Join us for a brief KBS101 to hear about the conference history, the culture of discussants, the football game and more from some regular attenders (with some snacks).
It’s the perfect opportunity to meet fellow newcomers and mingle before the conference gets into full swing.
Open to all KBS attendees, and especially relevant for PhD students, early career researchers, anyone new to KBS and those curious to connect with ‘new’ KBSers.
Speakers: Claire Wilkinson, Karen Schelleman-Offerman and Gillian Shorter
Monday 9th June: 1pm - 2pm
Room: 607
Summary: This will be an opportunity for current members of the network, and others interested in or working on NoLo research, to meet and discuss opportunities for collaboration.
Led by: Prof John Holmes
Monday 9th June: 1pm - 2pm
Room: 639
Summary: Researching alcohol labels is a nascent area compared to more evolved fields of tobacco or nutrition labelling. However, due to increased policy interest in Europe and globally, there is room and appetite for more research on the labelling impact, especially in a real world context.
The purpose of the event is to 1) present the current landscape of the alcohol labelling real-world research, with focus on WHO/Europe work and presentation of case studies from Ireland and Australia, and 2) to open a debate on how can future research in this field support policy implementation and to provide a space for the participants to share their plans, interests and questions.
The event is aimed at all conference participants who are actively involved in or interested in alcohol labelling research and policy.
Speakers: Maria Neufeld (WHO/Europe), Daša Kokole (WHO/Europe), Paula O’Brien (Melbourne University), Simone Pettigrew (The George Institute for Global Health)
RSVP: Not required
Tuesday 10th June: 7.30-8.30am
Room: 429
Chairs: Neo Morojele and Anne-Marie Laslett
RSVP: IJADR Editors and Board members welcome, please RSVP to:
Tuesday 10th June: 1pm - 2pm
Room: 639
Summary: This session is intended to offer an overview of alcohol research themes and findings that current and newer research professionals may not be so familiar with; illustrate one previously successful example of networking and collaboration, and help identify emerging themes and opportunities for alcohol research focus. This session is particularly aimed at newer and emerging alcohol researchers but of general interest to anyone interested in a rapid review of past research and some 'crystal ball' gazing into future themes and opportunities.
Speakers: Trevor McCarthy (potentially with contributions from NDSAG colleagues: Prof. Wulf Livingston [Uni Wrexham]; Dr James Nicholls [Uni Stirling])
Tuesday 10th June: 1pm - 2pm
Room: 743
Summary: This workshop is tailored for early career researchers seeking to understand how their work can influence public policy. It will provide an overview of the policy process, highlighting how research is integrated alongside other competing factors. Participants will gain practical guidance on collaborating with civil society organisations to enhance the policy relevance of their research and amplify the impact of their findings.
The workshop will feature senior researchers with extensive experience in alcohol policy development and evaluation. They will share first-hand insights into bridging the gap between research and policy, offering lessons learned and strategies for effective engagement.
This session will equip attendees with tools to navigate the complexities of policymaking and build collaborations that ensure their research informs meaningful change. It promises to be an interactive, informative, and inspiring experience for researchers aiming to maximise the real-world impact of their work.
Speakers: Katherine Severi – IAS (Chair)
John Holmes – Sheffield Addictions Research Group
Simone Pettigrew – The George Institute for Global Health
Tim Naimi – Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research
Tuesday 10th June: 4pm - 5:30pm
Room: 607
Summary: This one-hour workshop brings together Editors and Editorial Board members from three significant journals in the alcohol and other drug field, Drug and Alcohol Review, Addiction and the International Journal of Alcohol and other Drug Research.
The workshop is designed for early-mid career researchers where the basics of scientific publishing will be covered including a description of article processing procedures and tips for writing journal articles.
The workshop will then provide an update from the annual meeting of the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors. This will include a scan of the current publishing landscape that is revolutionising academic publishing and the interface with Artificial Intelligence.
The session will include Editorial Board members from the three Journals (two of whom President and Vice-President of the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors) and be presented in a Q&A format to encourage discussion and debate and inclusion of the audience.
Speakers: Robin Room1, Paul Dietze2, Michael Livingston2 and Neo Morojele3
1 Latrobe University, Bundoora, Australia. 2 National Drug Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia. 3 University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
Tuesday 10th June: 4pm - 5:30pm
Room: 639
RSVP: Preferred but not essential,
Summary: The organisers would like to invite KBS colleagues interested in alcohol licensing and alcohol availability to discuss the implications of their recently published review of the alcohol licensing system in Northern Ireland and other ongoing research. This Northern Ireland review included an analysis of the geographical distribution of licensed premises in Northern Ireland, and an assessment of the extent to which the licensing system meets consumer demand and local community needs, when set alongside the impact it has on personal and public health and on public order. The review incorporated an examination of options for reforming the system, and implications for licence holders. In total, 26 recommendations were made for improving the licensing system.
On the basis of this review, and emerging findings from other licensing research, this workshop will act as a catalyst for discussion of what ‘good’ licensing systems might look like, alongside strategies for reviewing systems already in place, transitions from one system to another, and lessons learned from the UK and internationally.
The intended audience is any KBS attendees in the field of alcohol licensing and alcohol availability. We’d particularly welcome colleagues interested in studying licensing in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, as understanding licensing systems in LMICs will be part of our work as a newly designated WHO Collaborating Centre for Alcohol Policy and Public Health Research.
Speakers: Niamh Fitzgerald1, James Nicholls2, Rachel O’Donnell1 and Robyn Burton1
1 Institute for Social Marketing and Health, Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, University of Stirling, Scotland, UK. 2 Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, University of Stirling, Scotland, UK, in association with the Institute of Public Health in Ireland.
RSVP:
Tuesday 10th June: 4pm - 5:30pm
Room: 743
Summary: The Gender Alcohol and Culture - an international study (GENACIS), Gender and Alcohol’s Harm to Others (GENAHTO) and the International Group for the Study of Alcohol’s Harm to Others (IGSAHO) workshop brings together researchers from across the world to discuss research in three areas: 1) alcohol, gender, culture and harm, 2) alcohol’s harm to others and 3) men’s drinking and its impacts on women and children.
Participants provide updates on their own and co-developed/ing projects in these areas, highlighting cross-national progress and opportunities for developing future workshops, grant applications and publications.
Chair: Anne-Marie Laslett
RSVP: No need to RSVP to the workshop but if you are interested in joining the group for a dinner afterwards at 7pm, PLEASE RSVP to Anne-Marie via by 30 May 2025. Further details on restaurant to follow.
Thursday 12th June: 11am - 12:30am
Room: 639
Summary: Under the current Trump administration, addiction science and practice are being threatened both in the USA and globally. This workshop will use the recent advocacy activities of the Addiction Science Defense Network (ASDN) to explore new ways to oppose and reverse the unethical, illegal and anti-scientific executive orders of Trump administration. The ASDN is an information exchange and action network for individuals and organizations committed to preserving the global infrastructure that relies heavily on epidemiological research to justify investments by national governments and international organizations in addiction research. Current ASDN activities include sharing information, preparing expert committee reports, writing editorials for addiction journals, and petitioning members of the US Congress. ASDN is interested in hearing from KBS members about their concerns and their suggestions for remedial action.
Speaker: Tom Babor
RSVP: not required
Thursday 12th June: 1pm - 2pm
Room: 639
Summary: As a charity that exists to create social change (impact) and that funds research as a means to do this, we have a particular first-hand perspective on what 'research impact' looks like and means. We sometimes see tension between what academics feel they are expected to do for 'research impact exercises' and their desire to create meaningful social impact. This 45-60 minute session is intended to be run as an interactive workshop, rather than a presentation, co-developing our collective thinking about these issues.
Speaker: Richard Piper, Chief Executive, Alcohol Change UK
Thursday 12th June: 1pm - 2pm
Room: 743
Summary: This workshop aims to build understanding and skills in research methods for interdisciplinary collaborative research in alcohol. It is organised and presented by ICARA members who received a Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) Research Collaboration award for a project aiming to strengthen collaborations in alcohol research with the Global South. This is the second of three workshops under this grant.
Workshop Objectives:
By the end of the workshop, participants will have:
1. Been introduced to:
a. Research methods for interdisciplinary collaborative research in alcohol
b. Funding sources for interdisciplinary collaborative research in alcohol
c. ‘Best practices’ for successful collaboration between Global-North and Global-South researchers
2. Developed preliminary plans for interdisciplinary collaborative alcohol research projects.
The workshop will have three main parts. First, Prof. Joel Francis will give a presentation on methods for interdisciplinary collaborative research using alcohol-based research projects as examples (20 mins). His presentation will incorporate key information shared in ICARA’s first workshop (April 2025) on funding for collaborative alcohol research projects. In the second part, Dr. Isa Uny and Prof. Neo Morojele will discuss strategies for enhancing the success of Global South-Global North research collaborations (10 minutes). Dr. Andrea Mahon will lead the third part where attendees will work in small groups (max. 5 per group), facilitated by ICARA board members, to develop ideas for interdisciplinary collaborative alcohol research projects to be conducted in at least one Global South country (40 mins). They will be encouraged to identify potential funding sources, resources they will need for their proposed collaborative research, and next steps for progressing their ideas post conference. Groups will present their ideas and get feedback from the wider workshop (20 mins).
The workshop is open to everyone who is keen to establish/strengthen Global North-Global South research collaborations.
Speakers: Prof. Joel Francis1 -
(Lead organiser & speaker)
Prof. Neo Morojele2 -
(speaker & facilitator)
Dr. Andrea Mohan3 -
(facilitator)
Dr. Isabelle Uny4 -
(speaker & facilitator)
Dr. Richard Purves4 -
(facilitator)
1 University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. 2 University of Johannesburg, South Africa. 3 University of Dundee, Scotland. 4 Institute for Social Marketing and Health, Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, University of Stirling, Scotland, UK.
Thursday 12th June: 2pm - 3:30pm
Room: 743
RSVP:
Summary: It has been said that Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) of alcohol is the most thoroughly evaluated public health policy in Scotland and the policy itself, while shown to be effective, has not progressed without controversy. The aim of this event is to learn from the people on the inside about what it was like to oversee and to input to such an extensive and heavily scrutinised evaluation programme. You will have chance to discuss what went well, what researchers and programme managers would have done differently if they were to do it all again, and how it played out in the media.
The format will consist of presentations followed by a chaired discussion and the intended audience is researchers and evaluation programme managers, as well as people working in countries where the introduction of MUP is being considered. The session will be between 60 and 90 minutes.
The event is being funded by SHAAP via a sponsorship agreement with KBS/Stirling University.
Speakers: Dr Grant Wyper1, Prof John Holmes2, Prof Carol Emslie3 and Jennifer Trueland4. It will be chaired by Dr Alastair MacGilchrist, Chair of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP)’s Steering Group. A partnership of the medical royal colleges and Faculty of Public Health in Scotland and the original proponents of MUP in Scotland, is hosting this event.
1) Principal Epidemiologist at Public Health Scotland; 2) Professor of Alcohol Policy and Director of the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG), University of Sheffield; 3) Co-Director Research Centre for Health (ReaCH) and Lead Substance Use Research Group, Glasgow Caledonian University; 4) Freelance Health Journalist.
Thursday 12th June: 2pm - 3:30pm
Room: 639
Summary: KBS has a long-standing tradition of facilitating cross-national research on gender and alcohol. Ranging from quantitative work on ‘gender convergence’ (Bloomfield et al, 2001) to more recent collaborations exploring performances of gender in the context of declining youth drinking (Pennay et al, 2022), the field of gender and alcohol has provided fertile ground for cross-national research collaborations among members of the Society.
This side meeting will act as a catalyst for discussion, reflection and collaboration. We will explore the state of the field by outlining key findings from a systematic review, highlighting significant gaps and issues in how gender has featured in recent research. We will hear from researchers innovating in under-explored areas of the field. Participants will be asked to share their ongoing or planned research, and to reflect on both the current state of the field, as well as their hopes for its future. In particular we will consider opportunities for a masculinities and drinking network and future international collaborative research on gender.
After a round of introductions, the side meeting will start with a presentation from the organisers on the aims of the workshop, followed by a short summary of past collaborations by KBS members. Megan Cook will then provide a brief overview of her recent systematic review of the current state of the field, highlighting key features, debates and gaps. Annamae Burrows and Emeka Dumbili will then draw on their recent work on masculinities and non-Western theories of gender respectively to provide examples of under-researched areas. Drawing on the findings of the systematic review and insights from studies in under-researched areas, interactive activities and space for discussion will be offered to explore possibilities for collaboration.
At the start of the meeting, all four organisers will speak briefly about their past and ongoing research in the field to lay the foundations for discussion and interactive activities. Laura Fenton will speak about collaborative cross-national work on gender she has undertaken with KBS colleagues, and provide a short summary of other past collaborations by KBS members. Megan Cook will present a brief overview of key findings of her recent systematic review. Annamae Burrows and Emeka Dumbili will then draw on their recent work on masculinities and non-Western theories of gender respectively to provide examples of innovative studies in under-researched areas.
Speakers: Laura Fenton, Sheffield Addictions Research Group, University of Sheffield
Megan Cook, Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University
Annamae Burrows, Substance Use Research Group, Glasgow Caledonian University
Emeka Dumbili, School of Sociology, University College Dublin
RSVP: No RSVP required
