Jake Arish Rance

Dr Jake Arish Rance is a Researcher at the Centre for Social Research in Health (CSRH) within the Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture at the University of New South Wales. With nearly a decade of frontline experience in harm reduction services in Sydney's Kings Cross, including outreach work with the Kirketon Road Centre and management of the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre, Dr Rance brings practical expertise to his academic work.

Dr Rance holds a BA (Hons) Class 1 in Social Anthropology from The University of Sydney (1991) and completed his PhD from Utrecht University, The Netherlands, in 2018. His interdisciplinary background spans social anthropology, philosophy, politics, and cultural studies.

His research primarily focuses on people who inject drugs, particularly those affected by hepatitis C and/or incarceration. Dr Rance combines qualitative methods with social theory—especially Foucauldian and new materialist approaches—to understand complex lived experiences. His key research areas include:

• Qualitative methodologies in public health research
• Harm reduction strategies and service delivery
• Hepatitis C prevention, treatment, and elimination
• Stigma and identity among people who use drugs
• Politics of care in drug policy frameworks
• Narrative, post-structuralist, and new materialist theoretical approaches

Dr Rance's publication record demonstrates a strong emphasis on hepatitis C elimination, harm reduction services, and the social dimensions of drug use. His recent work examines implementation of treatment-as-prevention strategies, barriers to care for marginalized populations, and the impact of policy frameworks on service delivery. He frequently employs qualitative methodologies to explore lived experiences with particular attention to gender, stigma, and healthcare access.

Dr Rance has received several notable awards for his research:

• UNSW ADA ECAN (Early Career Academics Network) Award for Research Excellence 2021
• ANZSOG/Australian Political Studies Association Policy Studies Prize 2020
• New Investigator Scholarship, 7th International Symposium on Hepatitis Care in Substance Users (INHSU) Cascais, 2018
• 'Best Social Science Abstract', 7th International Symposium on Hepatitis Care in Substance Users (INHSU) Cascais, 2018

Dr Rance has secured significant research funding for projects focused on hepatitis C and harm reduction. His current research includes studies on hepatitis B testing among Vietnamese and Chinese communities, the impact of COVID-19 on harm reduction services, and the FOpIT trial (Feasibility of Opioid injectable Treatment), Australia's first-ever trial of injectable opioid treatment. He maintains strong collaborations with government and non-government organizations in advocacy, health promotion, and service provision for people who use drugs.

Dr Rance serves on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Drug Policy and the Harm Reduction Journal. He is secretary and board member of Harm Reduction Australia and a longstanding community member of NUAA (NSW Users & AIDS Association). He also serves on several advisory boards including the User's News Editorial Advisory Committee, South East Sydney Local Health District Hepatitis C Health Promotion & Prevention Advisory Group, and the SESLHD Drug and Alcohol Consumer Participation Project Advisory Committee.