معرفی
Dr Caitlin Elizabeth Hughes is a Senior Research Fellow at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre within the Faculty of Medicine & Health at the University of New South Wales. She serves as Vice-President of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy and contributes to the Drug Policy Modelling Program (DPMP), which aims to improve drug policy through evidence-based research and direct engagement with policymakers.
Her educational background includes:
- Bachelor of Arts (Honors)
- Bachelor of Science
- PhD in Criminology
Dr Hughes specializes in drug policy research, with particular expertise in comparative analysis of drug laws and enforcement approaches across jurisdictions. Her work focuses on understanding the criminal justice, health, and social impacts of drug policies, with an emphasis on alternatives to traditional prohibitionist approaches. She has conducted extensive research on drug decriminalization models, particularly examining the Portuguese experience, and has evaluated drug diversion programs in multiple countries.
Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on evidence-based drug policy reform, with particular attention to the relationship between drug law enforcement strategies and public health outcomes. Her work spans comparative policy analysis across numerous countries and examines both supply-side and demand-side interventions in drug markets.
Dr Hughes holds significant professional recognition:
- Vice-President of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy
- Member of the editorial boards for the International Journal of Drug Policy and Journal of Illicit Economies and Development
- Active member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology and European Society of Criminology
She has secured substantial research funding from diverse sources including the Australian Research Council, Irish Department of Justice and Equality, Commonwealth Department of Health, and Australian Institute of Criminology. Her current projects include examining festival drug safety, international comparisons of drug policing, developing models for drug decriminalization, studying pharmaceutical drug diversion, and analyzing the relationship between drug market dynamics and harm.
Dr Hughes works within the Drug Policy Modelling Program at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, collaborating with researchers across multiple disciplines and jurisdictions to generate evidence that directly informs drug policy development.
