John Fitzgerald

John Fitzgerald is interested in drug and alcohol policy. He has advised governments, industry and sporting bodies on alcohol and drug policy matters. In 2008 he led a study on alcohol consumption among AFL footballers, and in 2013 advised the AFL on its Illicit Drug Policy. In 2016 he was engaged as an embedded researcher with Victoria Police, assisting them with Illicit operational drug strategy.

From 2008 to 2010 he took time away from the University of Melbourne and worked at VicHealth looking after the alcohol, tobacco, healthy eating and environments for health portfolios. During 2011 he was appointed into the role of the VicHealth CEO.

In 2015 his book "Framing Dug Use" was published by Palgrave. John is currently working in the school of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne, supervising postgraduate students, teaching Crime and Public Policy and conducting research on healthy environments, alcohol and drug policy and the policing of illicit drug markets. In 2017 he reviewed the Victoria Police approach to illicit drug policing. In 2020, he examined the relationship between pain and illicit drug use through his book "Life in Pain: Affective Economy and the Demand for Pain Relief".

Since 2020 he has led the University of Melbourne's RAPID program - the Illicit drug early warning system funded by the Victorian Health Department to provide fast, accurate health information to Government about Melbourne's illicit drug market.