One of Australia’s most prominent and productive researchers in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander alcohol and drug use field is joining La Trobe University to further her important work.
Professor Kylie Lee will move from the University of Sydney to continue her research at La Trobe’s Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (CAPR) within the School of Psychology and Public Health.
Professor Lee is a researcher and leader in creating culturally appropriate methods to measure alcohol and other drug use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and for supporting community-driven responses.
Her work has resulted in a world first tool, the Grog Survey App, that allows flexible and culturally suitable iPad-based drinking assessment.
Joining Professor Lee will be promising postdoctoral researcher Dr James Conigrave, who has worked in the Discipline of Addiction Medicine.
Director of CAPR, Professor Emmanuel Kuntsche, said Professor Lee and her team will make a major contribution La Trobe.
“We are excited to welcome Kylie and have her team, her expertise will be a benefit to CAPR, as well as the newly established Indigenous Research Centre and other areas of the university,” Professor Kuntsche said.
Professor Lee said she was looking forward to working at La Trobe, particularly at CAPR, which is the only academic unit in Australia with a dedicated focus on alcohol policy.
“The research being undertaken on alcohol policy at La Trobe is both important and engaging and I can’t wait to bring my team to the university to progress this work, in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scholars, service providers and whole communities,” Professor Lee said.
CAPR is highly successful and produces world-leading evidence in a variety of areas, such as drinking cultures and harm to others.
Alcohol consumption is a causal factor in more than 60 major types of disease and injury and costs the Australian society more than $66.4 billion each year.
