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With the FIFA World Cup 2010 drawing to a close in the country, a lecturer at the School of Health Sciences in Waterford Institute of Technology is to serve as an associate staff member with a key research unit focused on alcohol and drug abuse in South Africa.

Marie Claire van Hout will be an associate staff member of the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Research Unit in Cape Town for five years from this summer. The unit is part of the South African Medical Research Council which works to improve the country’s health and quality of life through relevant and responsive health research.

Conducting research to input to policy development and interventions that will lead to a reduction in alcohol and other drug abuse, the unit tracks trends with a view to improving health in South Africa which faces particular challenges around the misuse of alcohol and drugs.

The unit’s researchers across South Africa are also involved in identifying current and future risk factors as well as the design and evaluation of preventive interventions.

In confirming Ms van Hout’s appointment to the honorary position, Prof Charles Parry, Director, Alcohol & Drug Abuse Research Unit, said: “We are interested in Marie Claire joining our team in this capacity because we believe she has a promising future in the substance abuse research area.

“She has already demonstrated an excellent capacity to initiate new research projects in Ireland, get her work published in good journals in the addiction field and to network with local stakeholders and international colleagues.”

Ms van Hout’s previous research has covered areas such as the use of ‘head shop’ drug mephedrone; comparative use of BZP (Benzylpiperazine) in the UK and Ireland; Traveller substance abuse; drug use in the Roma community; adolescent substance use in Ireland; teachers’ perceptions of drug education; alcohol and drug use in rural Ireland; cocaine use in Dublin; opiate detoxification and therapeutic recreation in support of addiction treatment.

Looking ahead to her work with colleagues in South Africa, Ms van Hout said: “This is a tremendous opportunity to collaborate with research and policy professionals working at the cutting edge of alcohol and drug abuse in a very interesting and exciting jurisdiction that has seen massive social change over the last 20 years. The associate staff membership stems from an initial contact with the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Research Unit during a methamphetamine study in 2008 and subsequent journal review collaborations with the director, Prof Parry.”

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