Workshop Description

Save the date for the inaugural stand-alone PSANZ Perinatal Substance Use Symposium, a two-day educational event bringing together clinicians, researchers, allied health professionals, and multidisciplinary teams working in the field of perinatal substance use and maternal-child health.
Held at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, this symposium will provide contemporary updates on the evolving landscape of substance use in pregnancy and the postpartum period, with a focus on evidence-based clinical care, developmental outcomes, and integrated models of support for women and families.
The program will feature expert presentations, multidisciplinary perspectives, and practical discussions addressing current challenges and innovations in care across the perinatal continuum.
 
 

REGISTER FOR THE SYMPOSIUM HERE

 

2026 Program

Download a PDF of the program here

Program subject to changes

Friday 18th September

Time

Presentation Title

Speaker
08:30-09:00 Registration  
09:00-09:10 Conference Welcome & Acknowledgement of Country  
09:10-10:40 Session One: Update on Epidemiology and Management of Substance Use
09:10-09:40 Cannabis Use in Pregnancy: A Public Health Perspective Anne O'Connor
09:40-10:00 Trends in Drug Use in Preconception and Perinatal Care Debra Kennedy 
10:00-10:20 SUPPS in Action - The SLHD Story Chat Salvador and Kylie Holmes
10:20-10:40 Resilient Families - a Home Visiting Model of Care Gabrielle Skrobofski 
10:40-11:00 Morning Tea  
11:00-13:00 Session Two: Substance Use and Brain Development 
11:00-11:30 Opioids and methamphetamines - impact on developing brain Kelly Clemens
11:30-12:00 Epigenetics - Resilience After Prenatal Substance Exposure Ju Lee Oei
12:00-12.30 Cerebral Palsy and Prenatal Drug Exposure - How often and how? Meredith Ward
12:30-13:00 Smoking cessation pharmacotherapy and pregnancy/prenatal outcomes Danielle Tran
13:00-14:00 Lunch  
14:00-16:00 Session Three: Update on Management of Alcohol Exposure  
14:00-14:45 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder - Update Screening, Management and Pathways Suzy Byrnes
14:45-15:15 Alcohol screening and current trends in management - a maternity perspective Kelly McNamara 
15:15-15:45 Management of alcohol use in pregnancy - drug and alcohol perspective Karyn Avery
15:45-16:00 Closing Remarks and Discussion  
16:00pm Afternoon Tea & Close  

 

Saturday 19th September

Time

Presentation Title

Speaker Name
08:30-09:00 Registration  
09:00 - 10:25 Session One: Perinatal Care Models 
09:00-09:25 Overview of the NGO Alcohol and Other Drug Sector services for women and children Michele Campbell
09:25-09:45 Making changes in mother/child residential rehab centres Sally Regan
09:45-10:05 Peer-to-peer support - creating connections Jess Doumany
10:05-10:25 Biological testing: patient centred approach Vicki Chase
10:25-10:50 Morning Tea  
10:50-12:15 Session Two: Postnatal Care Models
10:50-11:05 From Possum to Platypus - Creating a supportive playgroup Alicia Foran
11:05-11:45 Eat Sleep Console – The Christchurch Experience Nicola Campbell & Claire Vivian
11:45-12:15 CCLHD D&A model of care Vicki Chase
12:15-13:15 Lunch   
13:15-14:10 Session Three: Opportunities for Longitudinal Care
13:15-13:45 Hepatitis C Management - Integration of Care Marianne Martinello
13:45-14:00 What's new in contraception Kelly McNamara
14:00-14:10 Closing Remarks Meredith Ward
14:10 Afternoon Tea & Finish  

Speakers

Nicola Campbell and Claire Vivian

Nicola and Claire work in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Christchurch Women’s Hospital in New Zealand.
Nicola is a Neonatal Outreach Clinical Nurse Specialist. Her work involves supporting families in the community caring for their premature and medically complex infants in their own homes.
One of Nicola’s portfolio responsibilities includes Neonatal Substance Withdrawal. She is a member of the Ngā Taonga Pēpi team and has been integral in establishing the Eat Sleep Console programme within the Christchurch Neonatal Service. She also supports women in the community whose babies have been exposed to substances inutero and are experiencing effects of these, once they have been discharged from the hospital.
Claire is a Neonatal Consultant and a member of the Ngā Taonga Pēpi team. The team provides MDT care for pregnant women on opiate substitution and care for newborn babies exposed to antenatal substances. Claire provides long term outpatient follow-up for those babies who experienced difficulties in the newborn period as a result of substance exposure.

Sep

18 - 19 September 2026

LOCATION:
  • Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney.