Tim Rhodes BSc MSc PhD

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Background

Tim joined the School in 2006. Prior to this he was at Imperial College. He leads a programme of research focused on the social aspects of drug use and drug-related health harm. His work focuses on the social science of HIV and hepatitis C risk and treatment, including in Russia, South Eastern Europe and the UK, with a primary emphasis on qualitative studies. He has undertaken consultancy for DFID, WHO, UNAIDS and UNICEF. He directs the Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour (core-funded by the Deopartment of Health), and is Editor-In-Chief of the International Journal of Drug Policy (published by Elsevier). He is also Honorary Professor of Public Health Sociology at the University of New South Wales.

Teaching

PhD supervision of social science and qualitative research studies of drug use and health harm; MSc course lead and lecturing on qualitative methodologies; MSc lecturing on the topics of mixed methods, the social contexts of drug use and health, and the sociology of risk and health.

Research

Current projects include: a qualitative study of HIV and TB treatment among injecting drug users in Russia and Estonia (WHO); a life history and qualitative prospective study of how long-term injecting drug users avoid hepatitis C (ESRC); a qualitative prospective study of children's experiences of family life affected by parental problem drug use (DH); and a qualitative study of HIV treatment experience among children and young people living with HIV (HTA). Recent projects include: a qualitative prospective study of HIV treatment access and delivery in Serbia and Montenegro (ESRC and DFID); a qualitative study of crack and speedball injection in the UK (NTA); and multi-method studies of the HIV and hepatitis C risk environment among injecting drug users and sex workers in Serbia, Montenegro, and Russia (DFID). Research interests focus on social and structural factors shaping drug-related health harm and the role of environmental interventions in harm reduction.

Selected publications

• Strathdee, S.A.; Hallett, T.B.; Bobrova, N.; Rhodes, T.; Booth, R.; Abdool, R.; Hankins, C.A.; HIV and risk environment for injecting drug users: the past, present, and future. Lancet, 2010; 376(9737):268-84
• Rhodes, T.; Sarang, A.; Vickerman, P.; Hickman, M.; Policy resistance to harm reduction for drug users and potential effect of change. BMJ, 2010; 341:c3439
• Degenhardt, L.; Mathers, B.; Vickerman, P.; Rhodes, T.; Latkin, C.; Hickman, M.; Prevention of HIV infection for people who inject drugs: why individual, structural, and combination approaches are needed. Lancet, 2010; 376(9737):285-301
• Rhodes, T. Risk environments and drug harms: A social science for harm reduction approach, International Journal of Drug Policy, 20: 193-201, 2009; 20:193-201
• Rhodes, T.; Bernays, S.; Terzic, K.J.; Medical promise and the recalibration of expectation: Hope and HIV treatment engagement in a transitional setting. Soc Sci Med, 2009; 68(6):1050-9
• Rhodes, T.; Treloar, C.; The social production of hepatitis C risk among injecting drug users: a qualitative synthesis. Addiction, 2008; 103(10):1593-603
• Rhodes, T.; Simic, M.; Baros, S.; Platt, L.; Zikic, B.; Police violence and sexual risk among female and transvestite sex workers in Serbia: qualitative study. BMJ, 2008; 337:a811
• Rhodes, T.; Singer, M.; Bourgois, P.; Friedman, S.R.; Strathdee, S.A.; The social structural production of HIV risk among injecting drug users. Soc Sci Med, 2005; 61(5):1026-44

Full publications listing (since 2001)