‘HIV, Heroin and Harm Reduction’ – Dr Roy Robertson on the Drugs Uncut podcast

The latest episode of ‘Drugs Uncut’ – the Scottish Drugs Forum podcast – has been published and is available to listen to for free online or on your favourite podcast app.

In this episode, recorded for World AIDS Day, we are joined by the inimitable Dr Roy Robertson to discuss where Scotland’s current issues with problem drug use began.

Roy has worked as a GP in Edinburgh since 1980, where he was at the forefront of identifying and taking steps to address the emerging dual public health crises of HIV and injecting heroin use. He is also Professor of Addiction Medicine in the University of Edinburgh Usher Institute.

Throughout his career, Roy has consistently had to challenge the status quo to support the vulnerable people in his care, whilst simultaneously informing the rest of the world through a range of research and policy work.

During the episode, Roy discusses what it was like in the early days of the HIV epidemic in Edinburgh in the 1980s, reflects on his years of practice, and provides insight into the potential solutions to addressing Scotland’s on-going public health emergency – drug overdose deaths.

Alongside this episode, SDF also delivered a series of free webinars in partnership with Waverley Care for World AIDS Day on responses to localised HIV outbreaks – including the current ongoing outbreak among people who inject drugs in Glasgow and the surrounding areas. The first webinar on international responses can be found here and the second on responses to the outbreak in Glasgow can be found here.

SDF also released a new, free-to-access e-learning course on the relationship between HIV and substance use. The ‘HIV: Preventable and Treatable‘ course has been developed to increase participants’ understanding of HIV; including its transmission, prevention and available treatment.