Established in 2008, the Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research (CYSAR) has as its mission the enhancement of evidence-based strategies, programs and policies relating to substance use among young Australians.
The Centre is in partnership with the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology and The University of Queensland Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences and Institute for Social Science Research. These partnerships have made it possible to draw together the research and clinical expertise of internationally regarded Australian scholars in the field of substance use disorders.
CYSAR has established collaborative links with government, police, youth health services and other research centres and in its inaugural year has developed a strong research profile dedicated to informing more effective and supportive approaches to youth at risk of substance-related harm.
CYSAR’s aims are to:
- Understand the pathways to substance misuse among young people
- Be at the cutting edge of research into new and innovative ways of preventing and treating substance misuse among young people
- Make significant, tangible improvements to youth service provision by enhancing providers’ capacity to implement and sustain evidence-based programs
- Influence state and national drug strategy relating to youth substance misuse, its policing, prevention and treatment through information dissemination, policy refinement and public advocacy
The Centre is founded on an ongoing philanthropic contribution from the Graeme Wood Foundation.