Rate My Professor John Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald's career includes significant practical contributions to public health and policy. He spent three years at VicHealth, initially on the executive team and later as acting CEO, fostering collaborations between researchers and practitioners. In 2017, he provided academic oversight to Victoria Police, contributing to the development of their Illicit Drug Strategy 2020-2025, which prioritizes targeted harm reduction measures. He co-leads the RAPID early warning system, monitoring illicit drug use through overdose data, syringe residues, and wastewater analysis at public events and during the COVID-19 pandemic, partnering with public health services, event organizers, and the Victorian Poisons Information Centre. Key publications include the book Framing Drug Use: Bodies, Space, Economy and Crime (2009), Life in Pain: Affective Economy and the Demand for Pain Relief (2019), and articles such as 'Supervised injecting facilities: A case study of contrasting narratives in a contested health policy arena' (2013), 'Early Warning System for Illicit Drug Use at Large Public Events' (2021), and numerous others on topics like public injecting, drug markets, and policy governance. His work has influenced strategies for governments, police, industry, and sporting bodies, enhancing proactive responses to drug-related harms.