ASHM, in collaboration with the National Prisons Hepatitis Network, invites you to join this national Lunch & Learn webinar exploring the critical role of Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) in preventing hepatitis C (HCV) transmission and reinfection in correctional settings.

Delivered by experts from across the country, the session features insights from the authors of the National Consensus Statement on OAT in custodial settings, alongside real-world experiences from New South Wales and Queensland correctional programs.

Join us for a constructive and practical discussion that will:

• Highlight the public health impact of OAT in custodial settings
• Share implementation insights from across jurisdictions
• Explore strategies for national scale-up and continuity of care

Full program details coming soon

CLICK HERE to view the flyer for this event.

Date, Time & Platform

Date: Tuesday, 24 June 2025

Time:

• 12:00–1:30 PM (AEST: NSW, VIC, ACT, TAS, QLD)
• 11:30 AM–1:00 PM (ACST: SA, NT)
• 10:00–11:30 AM (AWST, WA)

Delivery Format: Online webinar (Lunch & Learn)

Target Audience

This webinar is designed for:

• Correctional healthcare professionals (nurses, GPs, psychiatrists, and AOD specialists)
• Peer support workers and peer navigator, Prison health program managers and custodial health administrators
• Public health and HCV program teams
• Policy makers involved in correctional health
• NGOs and advocacy groups working in prison healthcare and system reform

Speakers/Facilitators

Webinar Chair:

•  Dr Rebecca Winter is the Deputy Head of Justice Health and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Burnet Institute, with a co-appointment at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. Her work focuses on improving health and social outcomes for people involved in the criminal justice system, with a particular interest in the intersection of drug use and infectious diseases.

Keynote Presentation: 

• Title: National Consensus Statement on Opioid Agonist Treatment in Custodial Settings: Key recommendations for HCV Prevention.

Presented by:

• Dr Thileepan Naren, is an Addiction Medicine Specialist at Western Health and Chair of the National Prisons Addiction Medicine Network. He brings extensive experience in substance use treatment and is a key national voice on improving health outcomes for people in custody through evidence-based care.
• Dr Jocelyn Chan is an Addiction Medicine Registrar at Western Health and a Postdoctoral Research Officer at the Burnet Institute. Her research and clinical practice focus on improving access to evidence-based addiction care, with a particular interest in custodial health settings.

Case Presentations

• Title: Transitioning from methadone to long-acting injectable (Depot) buprenorphine in NSW prisons
  Speaker: Dr Katerina Lagios is a Sexual Health Physician and has clinical experience in Sexual Health Medicine, Justice Health, Drug and Alcohol and Hepatitis Treatment. Current work is as Clinical Director Population Health & Co-Clinical Director Drug and Alcohol Justice Health NSW.
• Title: Establishing and developing OAT services in QLD prisons
  Speaker: Graham Kraak is the Director of the Office for Prisoner Health and Wellbeing at Clinical Excellence Queensland, part of the Queensland Department of Health. He leads policy development and cross-sector collaboration to improve the health and wellbeing of people in custody across the state.

Panel Discussion:

• Title: Best Practices, Real-world Implementation, and Future Directions for OAT and HCV Prevention in Prisons
• Chair: Dr Rebecca Winter
• Panellists: Dr Jocelyn Chan, Dr Thileepan Naren, Dr Katerina Lagios, Graham Kraak

 

Course Components

This 1.5-hour Lunch & Learn webinar will include the following components:

• Live welcome and introduction by the Chair
• Keynote presentation on the National Consensus Statement on OAT in custodial settings
• Two case presentations showcasing real-world implementation in New South Wales and Queensland
• Facilitated panel discussion with audience Q&A
• All components are delivered live via Zoom with time allocated for participant interaction during the panel discussion.

Learning Outcomes

To explore best practice recommendations for Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) implementation in prisons in the context of hepatitis C prevention.

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe the role of OAT as a key enabler for hepatitis C prevention in custodial settings.
• Explore opportunities to expand and sustain OAT delivery through real-world implementation strategies.
• Highlight successful models of OAT integration and practical insights from prison-based programs.

Endorsement and CPD

RACGP: Pending accreditation with RACGP. ASHM is an RACGP-accredited CPD Provider under the RACGP CPD Program. 

Funding

This event is supported by an unconditional education grant from Gilead Sciences. Sponsorship is provided in accordance with the ASHM’s Sponsorship Policy. ASHM does not endorse or promote any sponsor’s product or service.

For more information

Please contact ASHM Education at [email protected] or call 0431 320 429.

Help us keep ASHM courses free!

At ASHM, we are committed to developing a sustainable HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexual health workforce. We pride ourselves on the ability to offer high quality educational opportunities, that are free to attend. If you are unable to attend one of our courses, please let us know as soon as possible, high rates of non-attendance impacts ASHMs ability to continue providing free education.

You can cancel your attendance by calling 0431 320 429 or emailing [email protected].