Episode 114: Filling the Harm Reduction Gap (featuring Sheila P. Vakharia)

What happens when there is a substantial gap in how we currently approach substance use?  Sheila P. Vakharia is an author, sought-after speaker, and national expert on harm reduction and drug policy.  Her recent book, “The Harm Reduction Gap” provides an educational and thought-provoking review of the current approach to drug use and how harm reduction is the safety net that keeps people alive.  Listen as she discusses the reasons for writing the book, meeting readers where they are when it comes to harm reduction, how systems are designed to harm, and how we can begin to undo it at pivotal touch points.   

Sheila P Vakharia is the Deputy Director of Research and Academic Engagement. at the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA). In this role, she helps DPA staff and others understand a range of drug policy issues. Dr. Vakharia builds relationships with drug researchers and helps to advance policy-relevant research. She also mobilizes researchers in support of DPA policy campaigns and organizes conferences on key issues in drug policy. Dr. Vakharia is also the author of The Harm Reduction Gap: Helping Individuals Left Behind by Conventional Drug Prevention and Abstinence-Only Treatment.

Before joining DPA, Dr. Vakharia was an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Long Island University. She has also worked as a clinical social worker in both abstinence-only and harm reduction settings. 

Preferred link for book purchase: https://www.routledge.com/The-Harm-Reduction-Gap-Helping-Individuals-Left-Behind-by-Conventional/Vakharia/p/book/9781032294735

Links to follow Sheila Vakharia:

• sheilavakharia.com
• https://twitter.com/MyHarmReduction
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheilavakharia/