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      Prof Betsy Thom

      PhD
      ROLE: Professor
      SCHOOL: Health Social Care & Education
      DEPARTMENT: Mental Health & Social Work
      TELEPHONE: +44 (0)20 8411 5519
      EMAIL: B.Thom@mdx.ac.uk
      1. Biography &
        Qualifications
      2. Learning &
        Teaching Interests
      3. Research Outputs &
        Interests
      4. Funded Research &
        Knowledge Exchange Projects
      5. Engagement &
        Impact

      • Biography &
        Qualifications

        Curriculum/ subject area

        Social Science/ Health Policy/ Alcohol and Drugs

        Current professional duties/ roles

        Head, Drug and Alcohol Research Centre

        Qualifications

        MA, BSc, PhD, Cert.Ed., Diploma in Public Health

        Research

        Publications from 2010

        Books / book chapters

        • Butler, S., Elmeland, K., Nicholls, J. and Thom, B. (2017) Alcohol, power and public health: A comparative study of alcohol policy Routledge
        • Kolind, T., Thom, B. and Hunt G. (2016) Handbook of Drug and Alcohol Studies SAGE Publ.
        • Thom B. and Aceijas C. (2016) Homelessness and Substance Use. In: Kolind T., Thom, B. and Hunt, G. (eds.) Handbook on Drug and Alcohol Studies London: SAGE Publ.
        • Houborg, E., Thom, B., Beccaria, F., Eisenbach-Stangl, I., Herring, R., Moskalewicz, J., Welbel, M. (2016) ‘The role of stakeholders in addictions policy and intervention’. Ch. 6 In: Hellman M., Berridge, V., Mold. A. and Duke, K. (eds.) Concepts of Addictive Substances and Behaviours across Time and Place Oxford University Press.
        • MacGregor S. and Thom B. (eds.) (2013) Drug and Alcohol Studies 6 volume major work, London: Sage
        • Thom B. (2011) Drinking contexts and youth drunkenness in Fox A. and MacAvoy M. (2011) Expressions of Drunkenness (Four Hundred Rabbits) New York: Routledge
        • Thom B. (2010) Women in Recovery, chapter 4 in: Yates R. and Malloch M. (eds) Tackling Addiction Pathways to Recovery London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
        • Herring R. and Thom B. (2010) Alcohol harm reduction in Europe, in Rhodes (ed.) Harm reduction: evidence, impacts and challenges EMCDDA Scientific Monograph. Lisbon: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction

        Peer reviewed papers

        • Thom, B. (2017). Good practice in school based alcohol education programmes. Patient education and counseling, 100 (1), S17-S23.
        • Hafford-Letchfield T., Thom B., Herring R. & Bayley M. (2017): Delivering information and brief advice on alcohol (IBA) in social work and social care settings: an exploratory study Drugs: education prevention and policy DOI: 10.1080/09687637.2017.1344621
        • Thom B., Herring R. and Bayley M. (2016) The role of training in IBA implementation beyond primary care settings in the UK Drugs: education, prevention and policy DOI: 10.1080/09687637.2016.1195792
        • Herring R., Thom B. and Bayley M. (2016) Delivering alcohol Identification and Brief Advice (IBA) in housing settings: a step too far or opening doors? Drugs: education, prevention and policy DOI: 10.1080/09687637.2016.117699,available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09687637.2016.1176992 .
        • Thom, B., Herring, R., Thickett, A. and Duke, K. (2016) The Alcohol Health Alliance: the emergence of an advocacy coalition to stimulate policy change British Politics 11 (3): 301-323
        • Duke K. and Thom B. (2014) The role of evidence and the expert in contemporary processes of governance: the case of opioid substitution treatment policy in England. International Journal of Drug Policy 25:964–971
        • Toner P., Lloyd C., Thom B., MacGregor S., Godfrey C., Hering R., Tchilingirian J. (2014) Perceptions on the role of evidence: An English alcohol policy case study Evidence & Policy 10 (1): 93-112
        • Lloyd C.; Thom, B.; MacGregor, S.; Herring, R.; Toner, P.; Godfrey, C.; Tchilingirian, J. (2013) 'Soft methods, hard targets: Regional Alcohol Managers as a policy network': Journal of Substance Use DOI: 10.3109/14659891.2013.808710
        • Thom B., MacGregor S., Godfrey C., Herring R., Lloyd C. Tchilingirian J., Toner P. (2013) The Alcohol Improvement Programme – evaluation of an initiative to address alcohol-related health harm in England. Alcohol and Alcoholism 48 (5): 585–591
        • Thom B. Herring R., Bayley M., Waller S., Berridge V. (2013) Partnerships: survey respondents’ perceptions of inter-professional collaboration to address alcohol-related harms in England, Critical Public Health, 23 (1): 62-76 DOI:10.1080/09581596.2012.724770
        • Beccaria F., Eincert S., Thom B. (eds) (2013) Stakeholders in substitution treatment in six European countries Substance Use and Misuse 48 (11) Special Issue.
        • Thom B., Duke K., Asmussen Frank V., Bjerje B. (2013) Stakeholders in opioid substitution treatment: Similarities and differences in six European countries Substance Use and Misuse 48 (11): 933-942
        • Duke K., Herring R., Thickett A., Thom B. (2013) Substitute prescribing in the era of ‘recovery’: an analysis of stakeholder roles and policy windows in Britain. Substance Use and Misuse 48 (11):1082-6084
        • Thickett A., Elekes Z, Allaste A, Kaisa K, Moskalewicz J. Thom B.(2013) Drinking Terms and Concepts: their meaning and use Drugs: education, prevention and policy doi:10.3109/09687637.2013.798263
        • Hurcombe R., Bayley M., Thickett A., Thom B. (2012) Perspectives on alcohol use in a Traveller community: An exploratory case study" Ethnicity and Inequalities in Health and Social Care. 5 (3): 89 – 97

        Reports from 2015

        Editorials

        • Thom B., Duke K. and Herring R. (2017) Workforce development: Is there a paradigm shift? Drugs: education, prevention and policy
        • Holmila M. and Thom B. (2017) Harms to children: manifold, serious and long-lasting Dugs: education prevention and policy 24:1, 1-2, DOI:10.1080/09687637.2016.1243092
        • Williamson L., Thom B., Stimson G.V., Uhl A. (2014) Stigma as a public health tool: Implications for health promotion and citizen involvement. International Journal of Drug Policy http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2014.04.008
        • Stimson G.V., Thom B., Costall P. (2014) Disruptive innovations: The rise of the E- cigarette International Journal of Drug Policy http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2014.05.003

        Languages Spoken

        English, French, German

      • Learning &
        Teaching Interests

        Professor Thom led the development of a European Masters in Drug and Alcohol Studies funded by an Erasmus Life Long Learning curriculum development grant Oct 2007 - Sept 2010. She teaches on alcohol and drug use/ problem use and policy and supervises PhD students.

      • Research Outputs &
        Interests

        • EU alcohol and drug policy
        • The role of evidence in policy
        • Social/cultural aspects of substance use/ problem use
        • Young people, substance use and the criminal justice system
        • Public health approaches to alcohol use and other lifestyle issues

        Publication Feed

        The risk matrix : drug-related deaths in prisons in England and Wales, 2015-2020

        Duke, Karen L. and Gleeson, Helen and MacGregor, Susanne and Thom, Betsy (2023) The risk matrix : drug-related deaths in prisons in England and Wales, 2015-2020. Journal of Community Psychology , 2023 . ISSN 0090-4392 (Published online first)

        Drug Policy. By AlisonRitter, London & New York: Routledge, 2022. ISBN: 9781032124278 (paperback) [Book review]

        Thom, Betsy (2022) Drug Policy. By AlisonRitter, London & New York: Routledge, 2022. ISBN: 9781032124278 (paperback) [Book review]. Addiction , 117 (9). p. 2562. ISSN 0965-2140

        Exchanging prevention practices on polydrug use among youth in criminal justice systems (EPPIC)

        Thom, Betsy and Duke, Karen L. (2022) Exchanging prevention practices on polydrug use among youth in criminal justice systems (EPPIC). In: How to Manage International Multidisciplinary Research Projects. Hantrais, Linda , ed. Edward Elgar, pp. 114-125. ISBN 9781802204711

        Building cultures of participation: involving young people in contact with the criminal justice system in the development of drug interventions in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy and Poland

        Duke, Karen L. and Gleeson, Helen and Dabrowska, Katarzyna and Herold, Maria Dich and Rolando, Sara and Thom, Betsy (2022) Building cultures of participation: involving young people in contact with the criminal justice system in the development of drug interventions in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy and Poland. Youth Justice . ISSN 1473-2254 (Published online first)

        Editorial DEPP: drug experienced young people in contact with the criminal justice system. Understanding the challenges and working towards solutions

        Frank, Vibeke Asmussen and Rolando, Sara and Thom, Betsy and Beccaria, Franca and Duke, Karen L. and Herold, Maria Dich (2021) Editorial DEPP: drug experienced young people in contact with the criminal justice system. Understanding the challenges and working towards solutions. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy , 28 (1). pp. 1-6. ISSN 0968-7637

        View more publications

      • Funded Research &
        Knowledge Exchange Projects

        Research grants since 2000

        European

        • Thom B. (PI with Karen Duke) 3rd. EU Health programme (CHAFEA). EPPIC: Exchanging Prevention practices on Polydrug use among youth in Criminal justice systems. 3 years from 2017.
        • Thom B. (partner)EU joint action project Standardizing measurement of alcohol related troubles (RARHA), 3 years from January 2014.
        • Thom B. (WP lead) 'Stakeholder Analysis': Addictions and Lifestyles in Contemporary Europe Reframing Addictions Project (Alice Rap). 4 years from May 2011.
        • Thom B.  (partner) EU Public Health Executive Agency, Programme of community action in the field of public health. Project title: Standardizing measurement of alcohol related troubles (SMART); Oct. 2008- Sept 2010.
        • Thom B. (partner) Multi-city study on quantities and financing of illicit drug consumption UNODC through European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, Vienna. 2005 – 2007.
        • Thom B. Trans-cultural applicability of theories of alcohol consumption and responses to alcohol-related harm British Academy Award to develop a research partnership with the National Healthy Lifestyle Centre, Almaty, Kazakhstan: Research, 2003- 2007.

        UK research

        • Thom B. (Herring R.) 'The role of IBA training in non-medical settings', funded by Alcohol Research UK, Alcohol Research UK, July 2013 – June 2015
        • Thom B. (Lloyd, C., Hurcombe, R.) Black and Minority Ethnic groups and Alcohol: A review and consultation study.Department of Health, 2010.
        • Thom B. Travellers: Alcohol and health in a local area Local Authoruty funding, 2010.
        • Lloyd C. and Thom B. Regional Alcohol Managers: an examination of their role Department of Health, 2010.
        • Thom B., (Berridge V. Herring R.) Partnerships as a Mechanism for Local Alcohol Policy ImplementationFunded: Alcohol Education and Research Council, April 2009- May 2011.
        • Thom B.  Alcohol licensing, Internal funding. 2004; grant extension from AERC for national survey, 2006-7. (PI joint with John Foster).
        • Berridge V. and Thom B. The normalisation of binge drinking? An historical and cross-cultural investigation with implications for action funded by Alcohol Education and Research Council.
        • Thom B. Multi-Component Interventions in Alcohol Misuse: A review and scoping Joseph Rowntree Foundation: 2005-6.
        • Nanchahal K., Primatesta P., Thom B. The influence of alcohol on blood pressure and the incidence of hypertension Nanchahal; funded by Alcohol Education and Research Centre,2004 (12 months).

        Evaluations

        • Thom B. (Herring R.) Evaluation of The Healthy Drinking Choices Online Tool, Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals, 2013-2014.
        • Luger L. and Thom B. Evaluation of HMP Wormwood Scrubs Integrated Substance Misuse Services Report to Prison Health Partnership Board. April, 2013.
        • Thom B.  Assess the feasibility and potential effectiveness of IBA in a range of workplaces. AERC Academy, 2012
        • Thom B. (McGregor, Godfrey, Herring, Lloyd) Department of Health Evaluation of the Alcohol Improvement Programme. April 2010 – September 2011.
        • Thom B.  Evaluation of Healthy Schools Projects in Enfield;Grant from Enfield Health Authority. 2002.
        • Thom B. (PI) Evaluation of services for drug using young offenders. Grant from Youth Justice Board and Local HA funding, 2000-2002.

      • Engagement &
        Impact

        Prevention lead, Scottish Drug Research Network

        Member of IARD research advisory group

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