HARM REDUCTIONIST,
RESEARCHER,
SOCIAL WORKER,
AND AUTHOR

THE HARM REDUCTION GAP

By highlighting the large gap in our current approach to substance use - the harm reduction gap - this book is the first step for those interested in learning more about the limitations of our current approach to drug use and how to support local efforts to ensure people who use drugs and their communities can stay safe.

MY BACKGROUND

Sheila Vakharia PhD MSW is an author, a sought-after speaker, and a national expert on harm reduction and drug policy. She is currently the Deputy Director of the Department of Research and Academic Engagement at the Drug Policy Alliance, the nation’s leading advocacy organization fighting to end the war on drugs. Dr. Vakharia brings over 15 years of combined experience in clinical social work in both treatment and harm reduction settings, research, teaching, and policy advocacy to her work.

SELECT PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

Support, Don’t Punish: Drug Decriminalization Is Harm Reduction.

Journal of the American Pharmacists Association

Find more of my work on my
Google Scholar page

SELECT MEDIA MENTIONS AND OP-EDS

Read more of my
media mentions here

SELECT PRESENTATIONS AND AUDIENCES

Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance use and Addiction (AMERSA)

National Academies of Medicine

Association for State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)

Available for speaking engagements
Contact me here

National Institute on Drug Abuse

United Nations

“...a one-of-a-kind book that meets the reader where they are and doesn't just leave them there. She brings them to harm reduction.”

Maia Szalavitz, New York Times bestselling author of Undoing Drugs

“An easy-to-follow explanation of harm reduction and shows that we can do so much more to keep our communities safe and healthy.”

Kassandra Frederique, Executive Director, Drug Policy Alliance, USA