Dr Stephen Parkins.parkin@hud.ac.uk | 01484 473641
Stephen Parkin joined the University of Huddersfield as Research Fellow within the School of Human and Health Sciences in May 2012. In this role, it is anticipated that Stephen will further develop his research interest in various topics relating to illicit substance use, public health and community safety.
Stephen Parkin has worked predominantly as a qualitative researcher in the field of substance use since 1995. During the period 1995-2001, as an employee at the relevant universities (Newcastle and Glasgow), he was responsible for the design, management and application of numerous research projects with a substance use remit. All of these projects were conducted as applied research for numerous local health authorities and/or regional health boards and were located throughout England and Scotland. Additionally, all studies were qualitative in design and aimed to prioritise local policy and practice concerning particular drug-related, health issues. Within this period, Stephen also conducted several ethnographic studies of substance use in locations throughout England and Scotland (including Gateshead, Shetland and Lanarkshire).
After a four-year period of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (in Kuwait, Thailand and throughout the UK) Stephen returned to health research in 2005. In 2006 he joined Plymouth University as part of an ESRC (CASE) studentship (co-funded by Plymouth Drug and Alcohol Action Team) where he conducted an ethnography of public injecting drug use as his doctoral research in sociology. After obtaining his doctorate (in 2009) he continued to apply qualitative and ethnographic methods in commissioned studies of public injecting drug use. Since 2006, Stephen has conducted 3 separate ethnographic studies of street-based heroin and crack-cocaine use in various UK locations (in Devon, Essex and Greater London); each of which have directly informed local policy and practice agendas concerning substance use matters in those particular geographic areas.
His current research interests include social theory, injecting drug use, visual methods, peer education and conducting solution-focused research to assist with applied harm reduction intervention (especially those interventions concerning injecting drug use/rs). Since 2008 he has presented 17 papers at national/international conferences and published 12 papers in peer-reviewed journals / edited book collections on substance use issues. In 2011, he was nominated for the Vice Chancellor’s Early Career Researcher Award at Plymouth University.
Stephen continues to seek opportunities to develop research in matters relating to injecting drug use, alcohol use, harm reduction, public health, community safety as well as wider (and related) issues relating to HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. As part of this ongoing programme of research development, Stephen also aims to proactively form collaborative partnerships with non-academic / service-focused partners in order to develop links between the academy, policy, practice and applied intervention.
Parkin, S (2012) Frontline: A Photo-Ethnography of Drug-Using Environments [Show/Exhibition]
Parkin, S (2012) ‘Book review : Briggs, D. Crack Cocaine Users: High Society and Low Life in South London. ’ Sociology of Health and Illness , 34 (5), pp. 807-808. ISSN 0141-9889
Parkin, S (2012) ‘Identifying and Predicting Drug-Related Harm with Applied Qualitative Research.’. In: Adult Lives: A Life Course Perspective.. Bristol: Policy Press. pp. 439-448. ISBN 9781447300441
Parkin, S. and Coomber, R. (2011) ‘Injecting drug user views (and experiences) of drug-related litter bins in public places: A comparative study of qualitative research findings obtained from UK settings’ Health & Place , 17 (6), pp. 1218-1227. ISSN 1353-8292
Parkin, S. and Coomber, R. (2011) ‘Public injecting drug use and the social production of harmful practice in high-rise tower blocks (London, UK): A Lefebvrian analysis’ Health & Place , 17 (3), pp. 717-726. ISSN 1353-8292
Pearson, M., Parkin, S. and Coomber, R. (2011) ‘Generalizing Applied Qualitative Research on Harm Reduction: The Example of a Public Injecting Typology ’ Contemporary drug problems , 38 (1), pp. 61-91. ISSN 0091-4509
Parkin, S. and Coomber , R. (2010) ‘Fluorescent Blue Lights, Injecting Drug Use and Related Health Risk in Public Conveniences: Findings from a Qualitative Study of Micro-Injecting Environments. ’ Health and Place , 16 (4), pp. 629-637. ISSN 1353-8292
Parkin, S., Coomber , R. and Wallace, G. (2010) ‘Going Public.’ Drink and Drug News , pp. 14-15. ISSN 2164-8050
Parkin, S. and Coomber, R. (2009) ‘Informal ‘Sorter’ Houses: A qualitative insight of the ‘shooting gallery’ phenomenon in a UK setting’ Health & Place , 15 (4), pp. 981-989. ISSN 1353-8292
Parkin, S. and Coomber, R. (2009) ‘Public injecting and symbolic violence’ Addiction Research & Theory , 17 (4), pp. 390-405. ISSN 1606-6359
Parkin, S. and Coomber, R. (2009) ‘Value in the Visual: On Public Injecting, Visual Methods and their Potential for Informing Policy (and Change)’ Methodological Innovations Online , 4 (2), pp. 21-36. ISSN 1748-0612
Parkin, S (2008) ‘Visual Methods within the Addictions: the Pulp-Fictionalisation of Reality TV? ’. In: Proceedings of the Plymouth Post-Graduate Symposium 2007.. University of Plymouth.: University of Plymouth.. pp. 139-147. ISBN 1753-7053 (Print).
Parkin, S (2008) ‘Review of L.C. Rubin (2006) Psychotropic Drugs and Popular Culture. ’ Sociology of Health and Illness , 30 (2), pp. 329-330. ISSN 0141-9889
Coomber, R. and Parkin, S. (2008) ‘Drug Myths’. In: The Essential Student Reader on Drugs (3rd Edition). London: Drugscope . . ISBN 9781904319498
Coomber, R. and Parkin, S. (2008) ‘Drugs and the media. ’. In: The Essential Student Reader on Drugs (3rd Edition). London: Drugscope. . ISBN 9781904319498
McKeganey, N., Neale, J., Parkin, S. and Mills, C. (2004) ‘Communities and Drugs: Beyond the Rhetoric of Community Action.’ Probation Journal , 51 (4), pp. 343-361. ISSN 0264-5505
Parkin, S. and McKeganey, N. (2000) ‘The Rise and Rise of Peer Education Approaches.’ Drugs: Education, Prevention & Policy , 7 (3), pp. 293-310. ISSN 0968-7637
Following the publication of a paper concerned with the effects of fluorescent blue lights in public conveniences (as part of measures to prevent injecting drug use), Stephen has provided informal advice, suggestions and recommendations to numerous national and international bodies (statutory and non-statutory) concerning their use, installation and management since 2010. These bodies include numerous Drug and Alcohol Action Teams throughout the UK, drug agencies throughout UK and Australia and various businesses within the private sector throughout the UK.
This informal advisory role is ongoing and has also included Stephen designing and delivering a workshop at the National Conference for Injecting Drug Use (Gateshead 2010) that was dedicated to formalising a dedicated harm reduction response to this public health issue.
Stephen is currently supervising two candidates enrolled on the Professional Doctorate programme (2012) within Human and Health Research. These are:
2006-2009: Stephen’s doctoral research was an ESRC Collaborative Award in Science and Engineering (CASE) studentship that involved co-funding by a non-academic partner. In this CASE, the latter was Plymouth Drug and Alcohol Action Team (PDAAT). Due to this funding, a great deal of collaborative work was conducted in order to ensure academic and applied value. As a consequence of the successes that followed this studentship, Stephen continued to assist PDAAT in a wide variety of other applied research projects concerning injecting drug use (until 2012).
2009-2012: As a direct consequence of the above studentship, Stephen subsequently co-managed an initiative at Plymouth University known as the Public Injecting Rapid Appraisal Service (PIRAS). This was set up to provide solution focused responses as commissioned research to various statutory bodies that may have a (harm reduction) interest in street-based injecting issues. Between 2010-11, two PIRAS commissions were conducted and successfully completed within their allocated timeframes.
