iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ben Scher @ben-scher.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

Delighted to share the final paper from my PhD which explores how Athens’ Drug Consumption Facility operates and is experienced by people in the local community. lnkd.in/eVymq_kH

lnkd.in

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

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Center for Health and Wellbeing at Princeton University @princetonchw.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

Princeton Professor and CHW affiliate @heatherhhoward.bsky.social has been invited to co-chair Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill's Action Team focused on affordable health care. Howard will lead the committee with @chiquitabl.bsky.social '96, Fmr. CMS Administrator. tinyurl.com/597tnztf

Heather Howard and New Jersey capitol building

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Oxford Social Policy and Intervention @dspi-oxford.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

New research led by @deannagiraldi.bsky.social finds that impacts of gun violence extend far beyond dominant news statistics. The review analyses 25 years of literature involving survivors, witnesses & their communities. More: dspi.web.ox.ac.uk/article/impa... Full report: doi.org/10.1016/j.la...

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Ben Scher @ben-scher.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Excited to share a new paper out in HRJ where we explore the concept of ‘atmosphere’ within SCS spaces and how it influences service engagement. A huge thanks to my co-authors @bchrisinger.bsky.social, @gwshorter.bsky.social and @dkhumphreys.bsky.social for their support and guidance on this work.

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Ben Chrisinger @bchrisinger.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Twelve states will be adding new food restrictions to SNAP next year. I unpack these policies in some new research in Health Affairs Scholar (open access). tl;dr - wide range in food definitions, justifications for restriction, and plans to evaluate. 🥗 🛟 📊🩺

doi.org

Characteristics of State Waivers to Establish Nutritional Restrictions in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

AbstractIntroduction. States have previously requested permission from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement food item restrictions within t

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Center for Health and Wellbeing at Princeton University @princetonchw.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

In a recent interview, Postdoctoral Research Associate @ben-scher.bsky.social shares the crux of his research exploring health inequalities, social exclusion, and drug policy, along with his plans for advancing this work at and beyond Princeton. tinyurl.com/2feh6kah

tinyurl.com

Ben Scher Tackles Health Inequalities and Drug-Related Harm

In a recent interview, Postdoctoral Research Associate Ben Scher shares the crux of his research and plans for advancing this work at and beyond Princeton

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Ben Scher @ben-scher.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

I’m glad to share a new article published as part of HRJ’s special collection: "Harm Reduction in Europe: Histories, Choices and Hopes." link.springer.com/article/10.1... @gwshorter.bsky.social @dkhumphreys.bsky.social @bchrisinger.bsky.social 1/2

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Health and Social Care Workforce Research Unit @hscwru.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

New in the Homelessness series Harm Reduction and Belonging in the Provision of Homelessness Services 12 November 2025 10:00 to 11:00 Online. All welcome. with @ben-scher.bsky.social www.kcl.ac.uk/events/harm-...

kcl.ac.uk

Harm Reduction and Belonging in the Provision of Homelessness Services | King's College London

Ben Scher

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Yale Program in Addiction Medicine @yaleadm.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

✨Job Alert ✨ The Division of Prevention and Community Research, Department of Psychiatry, @yaleschoolofmed.bsky.social, invites applications for a two-year NIDA-funded T32 postdoctoral training program in substance use prevention research. medicine.yale.edu/psychiatry/p...

medicine.yale.edu

Division of Prevention and Community Research and The Consultation Center

The Division of Prevention and Community Research, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine invites applications for a two-year NIDA-funded T32

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Oxford Social Policy and Intervention @dspi-oxford.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Congratulations @neftalememanuel.bsky.social, winner of the 2025 Barnett Prize for his paper: ‘Damp Places, Unhappy Faces: Analysing the Impact of Housing Repairs & Maintenance Expenditure on Local Authority Residents Wellbeing in England between 2013-2022’ 👏 www.spi.ox.ac.uk/article/barn...

spi.ox.ac.uk

Barnett Prize winner 2025: Neftalem Emanuel

We are delighted to announce this year's Barnett Prize winner, Neftalem Emanuel, for his outstanding contribution to evidence-based social intervention and policy evaluation.

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Society for the Study of Addiction @addiction-ssa.org · 29/05/2025

Congratulations Ben!! We look forward to seeing what you do next in your career.

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Amiya Bhatia @amiyabhatia.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Come and work with us at @dspi-oxford.bsky.social as a Departmental Lecturer. Role involves teaching qualitative and mixed methods and intervention and evaluation design with time and support to develop your own lines of research. Apply by June 13th: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNF076/d...

jobs.ac.uk

Departmental Lecturer at University of Oxford

Apply for the Departmental Lecturer role on jobs.ac.uk, the top job board for academic positions in higher education. View details and apply now.

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Ben Scher @ben-scher.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

I’m over the moon to share that yesterday I completed my DPhil @dspi-oxford.bsky.social 🎉 There are so many thank yous, but firstly to my amazing and unbelievably supportive supervisors @gwshorter.bsky.social @bchrisinger.bsky.social @dkhumphreys.bsky.social 1/4

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Ben Chrisinger @bchrisinger.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

🚨 Proud supervisor alert 🚨 One my 1st PhD students just passed his viva! Give @ben-scher.bsky.social a follow for rigorous qualitative + participant-centered #HarmReduction research. s/o to amazing co-sup team @gwshorter.bsky.social @dkhumphreys.bsky.social @dspi-oxford.bsky.social 🛟 #academicsky

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Transform Drug Policy Foundation @transformdrugs.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Glasgow's supervised drug consumption facility was accessed 2,691 times in its first 4 months, with 30 medical emergencies attended too There's huge unmet nationwide demand for SDCF/OPCs, proven to reduce harm, save lives & facilitate service access pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/news... 1/

pharmaceutical-journal.com

UK’s first safer drug consumption facility accessed more than 2,500 times in first four months, data show

The UK’s first safer drug consumption facility (SDCF) in Glasgow has been accessed 2,691 times during the four months it has been open, according to data published by the Glasgow City Health and Socia...

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International Journal of Drug Policy @ijdrugpolicy.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

“Exploring the need for overdose prevention centers in England: A qualitative community-based participatory study on the perspectives of people who use drugs in public and semi-public environments” by @ben-scher.bsky.social et al (2025) via IJDP. Link: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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Alex Stevens @profalexstevens.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

People involved in street-based drug use need places of safety, away from police and public gaze, where they don't have to rush.

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Ben Scher @ben-scher.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

Very excited to share our new paper in @ijdrugpolicy.bsky.social 🎉 In this paper we look at experiences of people who use drugs in public and semi public drug consumption environments and the need for OPCs in England.

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Ben Scher @ben-scher.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

First and final in person supervision with @dkhumphreys.bsky.social and @gwshorter.bsky.social, just missing @bchrisinger.bsky.social…come check out Gillian’s talk at Wolfson tonight if you’re in the Oxford area, link 👇

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Dr. Deanna Giraldi, MPH @deannagiraldi.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

Excited to share my first #PhD paper, now published in @lancetrh-americ.bsky.social 📝 #scopingreview #gunviolence Read more: kwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me/L0/https://a...

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Ben Scher @ben-scher.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

If you are in the Oxford area and interested in drug policy, come catch @gwshorter.bsky.social who will be giving a guest lecture on the evidence-base surrounding overdose prevention centres 🎉 🗓️ Thursday 1st of May ⏰ 6pm-7pm 📍Wolfson College www.wolfson.ox.ac.uk/event/from-s...

wolfson.ox.ac.uk

From Street to Safety: Exploring the How and Why of Overdose Prevention Centres - Wolfson College

Dr. Gillian Shorter is a leading researcher in drug policy, whose work has significantly advanced the empirical and policy understanding of overdose prevention centres (OPCs). Her contributions includ...

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Rob Calder @robcalder.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Great interview Ben! It's wonderful to see @ssa-addiction.bsky.social funded PhD students talk about the importance of the evidence base, providing informed thought and responding so generously to curiosity about such a complex area.

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Ben Scher @ben-scher.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

Is the UK shifting its approach to drug policy? Why is drug policy more important than ever in today's geopolitics? What does global evidence say about OPCs? It was great to join Sam Lewis from the Human Condition Podcast to discuss these questions...check out our full discussion below 👇

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Alex Stevens @profalexstevens.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Just out in #HarmReductionJournal: another article from our realist review of international evidence on overdose prevention centres (AKA drug consumption rooms, supervised injecting facilities), showing how and for whom they work #harmreduction #OPCPrep 1/7 links.springernature.com/f/a/hWOfNJIE...

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Ben Scher @ben-scher.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Excited to share the first empirical paper from my PhD just out in the @cjphrcsp.bsky.social 🎉 A huge thank you to @bchrisinger.bsky.social @dkhumphreys.bsky.social and @gwshorter.bsky.social for their support on this research.

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University of Oxford @ox.ac.uk · 04/03/2025

Oxford University Rugby Football Club will be sending 23 players from the Women's team and 23 from the Men's team to take to the turf at the StoneX Stadium on Saturday 8th March. Find out more and get your tickets here ⬇️

ourfc.org

Varsity | OURFC

Get your tickets to the Varsity Matches 2025! OURFC are also organising coach transport to get supporters to StoneX quickly and cheaply, which you can book here. Get ready for a festival of university...

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Alex Stevens @profalexstevens.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

The long-awaited evaluation of Project ADDER is now out, and makes fascinating reading for all with a concern for illicit drug problems in England and Wales. A thread: 1/? ttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/project-adder-impact-evaluation/project-adder-impact-evaluation#key-findings

gov.uk

Project ADDER: Impact evaluation

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Gillian Shorter PhD @gwshorter.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

Honored to spend yesterday discussing the evidence on drug consumption rooms with Scottish Affairs committee with brilliant Scottish experts @arjmcauley.bsky.social @catrionamath.bsky.social @vkatikireddi.bsky.social including our @drugscience.bsky.social review parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/...

White woman wearing blonde colored beanie hat with blonde/purple hair, colorful scarf, and checked coat. The person is in the foreground. In the background is the palace of Westminster. It's early morning and cold.

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International Journal of Drug Policy @ijdrugpolicy.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

“Characteristics of supervised injection site clients and factors associated with requiring overdose intervention, Montreal, Canada, 2018–2022” by Camille Zolopa et al (2025) via @ijdrugpolicy.bsky.social great read out of Montreal, Canada! Link: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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Transform Drug Policy Foundation @transformdrugs.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

Ireland's first Supervised Drug Consumption Facility opened 22 Dec. It saw 47 visits in its first week, 88 in the second, and 106 in the third, from 108 different people. Of 6 overdoses in the service, five were managed using oxygen alone, one case required naloxone www.gov.ie/en/press-rel...

gov.ie

Minister Burke highlights significant uptake of new supervised injecting facility services

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Natalie O'Regan @natalieoregan.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

Data from the first 3 weeks of Ireland's first supervised injection facility show a clear demand for its services. This runs as a pilot project for the next 18 months. #Ireland #DrugSky #SpeirGorm #HarmReduction

Since opening on 22nd December, the Supervised Injection Facility in Merchants Quay has had over 300 visits by a total of 108 clients . 84% were male and 16% were female, witThere have been 6 overdoses in the service, 5 managed through the administration of oxygen and one case involved administering naloxoneh the majority aged between 25-44 yrs.

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Richard Branson @richardbranson.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

Fantastic to see the UK’s first drug consumption room finally open its doors in Glasgow. Congratulations to all those who made this happen. As the experience from more than 200 drug consumption rooms around the world shows, The Thistle will save many lives: www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

theguardian.com

‘All eyes are on Glasgow’: UK’s first legal drug consumption room ready to open

The Thistle will be available 365 days a year and provide a supervised space where drugs can be injected safely

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Transform Drug Policy Foundation @transformdrugs.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

We congratulate Scottish colleagues on the UKs first official Safer Drug Consumption Facility opening 13 Jan Transform also worked towards this for years with politicians, service providers, police and media, nationally and internationally. From presenting to the Scottish Affairs Committee 2019 1/2

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Kirsten Horsburgh @kirstensdf.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

UK’s first official Safer Drug Consumption Facility, ‘The Thistle’, to finally open in Glasgow on 13th January www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

UK's first drug consumption room to open this month in Glasgow

The facility will allow people to take illegal drugs under medical supervision.

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Alex Stevens @profalexstevens.bsky.social · 31/12/2024

The effectiveness of #harmreduction services in suppressing HIV infections is not just shown by evaluations of their introduction, but also by what happens when you take them away, as seen in Alberta and - in this study by @ctemenos.bsky.social - Hungary. www.ijurr.org/article/from...

ijurr.org

FROM BUDAPEST TO BRUSSELS: Discursive and Material Failure in Mobile Policy - IJURR

This article introduces an analytic of discursive and material failure, developing a spatial grammar for analysing both the discursive framing of policies as failed and the actually existing processes...

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judithyates.bsky.social @judithyates.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

Come on England and Wales. Catch up. @ukhomeoffice

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Ben Chrisinger @bchrisinger.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Amid an overdose crisis, should we view drug consumption rooms as “inclusion health interventions”? My PhD student @ben-scher.bsky.social makes the case in Harm Reduction Journal AND if you’re interested in drug policy + harm reduction, give him a follow! #publichealth #healthpolicy #academicsky

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Gillian Shorter PhD @gwshorter.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

Always great to hear about the great #HarmReduction in Greek DCRs from Athanasios Theocharis from #OKANA, now with additional mobile DCRs coming to Athens and Attica. Commitments to evidence gathering and good quality data including with Ben Scher #EHRC2024

Athanasios Theocharis a white male presenter wearing a dark jumper, shirt and tie is opening the presentation on DCRs in Greece

This slide summarizes the effectiveness of the DCRs in Greece across nine different indicators to show the multiple benefits of DCRs

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judithyates.bsky.social @judithyates.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

A lovely paper pointing out that DCRs don’t only reduce harm, they also foster sense of belonging, with all the positive health and community effects that brings.

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Ben Scher @ben-scher.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Excited to share our new paper describing DCRs as ‘inclusion health interventions’! Thank you to @bchrisinger.bsky.social @dkhumphreys.bsky.social @gwshorter.bsky.social for their guidance on this piece. Link: harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

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