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Claudia Stoicescu

Associate Professor, Public Health

Accepting PhD students

Dr Claudia Stoicescu is a social epidemiologist and policy analyst with expertise in HIV, gender-based violence, drug use and drug policy. Dr Stoicescu is an Associate Professor in Public Health at Monash University, Indonesia and a Research Associate at Oxford University’s Centre for Criminology.

Dr Stoicescu received a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Social Intervention (2018) and a Master of Science in Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation (2010) from the University of Oxford, where she was a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar. She conducted her postdoctoral training at Columbia University’s School of Social Work (United States) as a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Fellow.

Dr Stoicescu regularly consults for and provides technical assistance to United Nations agencies, non-governmental organisations, community networks, and governments on key issues affecting underserved communities through data-driven, strategic and timely programming and policy advice. Prior to focusing on academic research, Dr Stoicescu worked extensively on HIV and AIDS, health equity and drug policy as a frontline harm reduction service provider, policy analyst, and advocate in a wide range of international settings.

Gilbert L, Stoicescu C, Goddard-Eckrich D, Dasgupta A, Richer A, N. Benjamin S, Wu E, & El-Bassel N (2023). Intervening on the Intersecting Issues of Intimate Partner Violence, Substance Use, and HIV: A Review of Social Intervention Group’s (SIG) Syndemic-Focused Interventions for Women. Research on Social Work Practice, 33(2), 178–192. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315221121807
Barrett D, Stoicescu C, Thumath M, Maynard E, Turner R, Shirley-Beavan S, Kurcevič E, Petersson F, Hasselgård-Rowe J, Giacomello C, Wåhlin E, Lines R (2022) Child-centred harm reduction. International Journal of Drug Policy, 109(10385. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103857
Stoicescu C, Lataire Q, Peters K, Amon JJ, Kamarulzaman A, Ali R, Aramrattana A, Escartin IC, Feria MI, Kaur S, Sarasvita R, Nugraha S, and members of the International AIDS Society-Lancet Commission on Health and Human Rights (2022) End compulsory drug treatment in the Asia-Pacific region. 399(10323):419-421. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00003-4
Stoicescu C, Peters K, Lataire Q (2022) A Slow Paradigm Shift: Prioritizing Transparency, Community Empowerment, and Sustained Advocacy to End Compulsory Drug Treatment. Health Human Rights Journal. Jun;24(1):129-134. PMID: 35747278
El-Bassel N, Mukherjee T, Stoicescu C, Starbird LE, Stockman JK, Frye V, Gilbert L (2022) Intertwined epidemics: Progress, gaps, and opportunities to address IPV and HIV among key populations of women. Lancet HIV. 9(3): E202-E213. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3018(21)00325-8
Iryawan AR, Stoicescu C, Sjahryal F, Kuntanto N, Dominich A (2022) The impact of peer support on testing, linkage to and engagement in HIV care for people who inject drugs in Indonesia: qualitative perspectives from a community-led study. 19 (16). https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-022-00595-8
Stoicescu C, Richer A, Medley B, Gilbert L, Jiang D, Wu C (2021) A global systematic review of interventions co-targeting HIV and psychosocial syndemics of gender-based violence, substance misuse, and psychological distress and promoting health-seeking behaviours among women who use drugs: evidence for policy and practice. Prospero International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=248428
Chang J, Shelly S, Busz M, Stoicescu C, Rachman A, Madybaeva D, de Boer Y, Guise A (2021) Peer driven or driven peers? A rapid review of peer involvement of people who use drugs in HIV and harm reduction services in low- and middle-income countries. Harm Reduction Journal. 18(15) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-021-00461-z
Kramer E and Stoicescu C. (2021) An uphill battle: A case example of government policy and activist dissent on the death penalty for drug-related offences in Indonesia. International Journal of Drug Policy. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103265
Stoicescu C, Ameilia R, Irwanto, Praptoraharjo I, Mahanani M (2019) Syndemic and synergistic effects of intimate partner violence, crystal methamphetamine, and depression on HIV sexual risk behavior among women who inject drugs in Indonesia. Journal of Urban Health. (96)3: 477-496. DOI: 10.1007/s11524-019-00352-6
Stoicescu C, Cluver L, Spreckelsen T, Casale M, Sudweo AG, Irwanto (2018) Intimate partner violence and HIV-related sexual risk behavior among women who inject drugs in Indonesia: findings from a respondent-driven sampling study. AIDS and Behavior 22(10): 3307-3323 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-018-2186-2
Stoicescu C, Cluver L, Spreckelsen T, Mahanani M, Ameilia R (2018) Intimate partner violence and receptive syringe sharing among women who inject drugs: results from a respondent-driven sampling study. International Journal of Drug Policy. 63:1-11. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2018.08.009
Pinkham S, Stoicescu C, Myers B (2012) Developing effective health interventions for women who inject drugs: Key areas and recommendations for program development. Advances in Preventive Medicine. DOI: 10.1155/2012/269123

Teaching

Health Promotion and Programme Planning
Policy Evaluation
Global Health Care Delivery: Principles and Challenges

Research Interests

Dr Stoicescu’s current research examines the gendered impacts of police enforcement activities on HIV risk, prevention and treatment outcomes among marginalised and underserved populations, including women who inject drugs and other persons involved with the criminal justice system.
She is also the recipient of a Sexual Violence Research Initiative 2023-4 grant to lead intervention research aimed at identifying and reducing gender-based violence and increasing access to justice among transgender women in Indonesia.

Other interests

Global health
Social epidemiology
Substance use
Community based participatory research methods
Gender-based violence
Respondent driven sampling
HIV and AIDS
Syndemics

Sexual Violence Research Initiative 2023-4 grant

Featured

Authored

Jakarta Post: https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2022/06/25/research-shows-how-indonesias-drug-control-victimizes-women-and-puts-their-health-atrisk.html
Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2019/2/23/has-the-decade-old-war-on-drugs-in-asia-succeeded
Inside Indonesia Special issue co-editor: https://www.insideindonesia.org/drugs-and-drug-policy
The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/countries-should-put-women-at-the-forefront-of-the-un-drug-policy-debate-57930
The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/indonesia-uses-faulty-stats-on-drug-crisis-to-justify-death-penalty-36512
The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/forced-rehabilitation-of-drug-users-in-indonesia-not-a-solution-43184
Tempo (Bahasa Indonesia): https://nasional.tempo.co/read/646243/opini-bapak-jokowi-data-anda-untuk-soal-hidup-mati
The National Post (Canada): http://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-how-to-heal-the-scars-of-canadas-war-on-drugs?_gl=1*14rynk4*_ga*MTU5NzM4NTI5MC4xNjg2ODMwMjI0*_ga_72QH41ZTMR*MTY4NjgzMDIyMy4xLjAuMTY4NjgzMDIyNS41OC4wLjA.&_ga=2.63622828.2049428534.1686830224-1597385290.1686830224

Guest Editor for a Special Section of the Health and Human Rights Journal (2022)
Canadian Institutes of Health Research Postdoctoral Fellowship (2020)
University of Oxford’s Vice Chancellor’s Research Innovation Award (2018)
University of Oxford Barnett Prize for Best Academic Research Paper, Department of Social Policy & Intervention (2017)
Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarship (2014-8)
Canadian Institutes of Health Research Doctoral Research Award (2014)