1st Medical Faculty’s Addictology Center Introduces Its Master’s Programme












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            * 1st Medical Faculty’s Addictology Center Introduces Its Master’s Programme
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            This year, first Master’s degree students enrolled at the Addictology Centre of the Psychi

            Charles University’s 1st Faculty of Medicine. It is presently the only institution in the 
            to offer a university degree in addictology. Introducing the centre is its director, doc. 
            Miovský, Ph.D.

            For how long and in what form has addictology existed at the 1st Faculty of Medicine as a 
            own?
            We launched our on-site Bachelor’s degree programme in 2005 and since 2007, we have been a

            distance learning programme. In the same year, we secured the certificate of competency fo
            which means that our graduates are officially medical workers and are fully qualified to w

            service. This year, we launched the Master’s programme, which completes our pre-gradual ci
            As of now, the 1st Faculty of Medicine is the only one to offer this programme. A doctoral
            has also been greenlighted by the faculty’s management. We already tutor Ph.D. candidates 

            addictology-related theses in other postgraduate courses, but we would naturally prefer if
            worked on their research right here in the centre, took part in our projects and represent
            We have built this programme from scratch, there hadn’t been anything like it in the Czech

            save for some courses in lifelong-learning sections in some of the related programmes. But
            there had to be a dedicated curriculum for addictology, as none of the existing programmes
            range of courses needed for working with addicts.

            A few years ago, people thought addictology would only be a set of optional courses and co
            we would once evolve into a self-sufficient and stable programme that has research ambitio
            How many students enroll in the programme each year?

            Even big schools abroad keep their addictology programmes relatively small. University of 
            instance, has about 20 students in each year. We have 35 on-site and 45 distance students 
            programme and the Master’s will also have about 35-45 on-site students. Of course, there i

            rate, as our programme is quite difficult, especially its medicine branch.
            What kind of research does the centre focus on specifically?
            We work on a relatively broad range of topics that span from drug policies to the general 

            research. I myself focus on qualitative methods and their application – I, for instance, i
            possibilities of gathering data from an unmotivated target group. How to ensure that they 
            part in our research and that we obtain some kind of useful data for our research on the o

            the behavior of addicts, also of dealers, and so on. Another branch of research focuses on
            interventions and evaluates their effectiveness. This year, for example, we are the main o
            the 7th annual national conference on primary prevention. The third branch of research con

            applied research, for example on the epidemiology of hepatitides among intravenous drug us
            have been commissioned by the Prague City Magistrate to research Russian-speaking immigran
            Prague Main Station, many of whom make their living by prostitution. We investigated the p

            behavior, illicit drug use and the spread of hepatitis C and HIV.
            The centre takes part in many international projects. Can you mention some of them?
            One of our current projects is the adaption and verification of the Unplugged method, whic

            preventive intervention. Seven countries took part in the first wave and this time, it is 
            adapted the intervention for the Czech environment and had a test run of 50 schools. We ha
            the evaluation study performed as a controlled effectiveness study, in which we compared t

            took part in the primary prevention programme with those who did not. Right now, we are go
            the first group of results.
            In November 8 and 9, we co-host the Primary Prevention of Risk Behavior conference, themed

            and Professionalism in Primary Prevention”. There, we would like to introduce a new textbo
            prevention and a programme aimed at parents, co-designed with the Sananim non-profit. We h
            to secure the copyright for the original British programme for free, so that our only cost

            of adaptation into Czech context. I see this project as a great example of the potential o
            between the university and non-profits.
            Our next project is a response to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports’ call for co

            with Georgia. We have collaborated with our partners in Tbilisi for a long time now – one 
            colleagues is even a Ph.D. candidate at our faculty. So far, we have set up a summer schoo
            of Georgian drug prevention and treatment professionals. While doing that, we tried to ide

            personnel who might develop Georgian addictology further and maybe start a programme like 
            interventions in the region. We are also considering research collaboration, as the region
            interest to us. Many immigrants come to Europe from there, which offers opportunities to s

            diseases and the threat of their spread on our continent.
            On your website, you offer consulting services for students and professional. What do you 
            The advice centre was launched last year, funded by development programmes for universitie

            anonymous and non-anonymous advice. Clients can take advantage of our on-line advice centr
            of face-to-face consulting. We are ready to give advice concerning all kinds of addictive 
            of more serious problems, we can offer services of other institutions, like the drug addic

            programmes in the U Apolináře building or in Červený Dvůr. Right now, we are considering t
            advice centre, as the funding has run out.
            You have mentioned prevention among children and assistance to parents. Do you also cover 

            helping adult victims of addiction and their families?
            This is still a new topic for the centre. One of the big tasks we have ahead of us is the 
            stigmatization. There was a survey not too long ago asking “Who you would not want to have

            and the so-called “junkies” won. Anybody else is more likely to be tolerated. On the other
            society has always been very tolerant towards alcohol, although the majority of drug-relat
            related to it. It is not considered out of the norm when your neighbour is a drunk who bea

            At least he’s not a junkie. We have to explain to people that the difference between a dru
            street and the one who is swallowing pills or secretly drinking at home is only superficia
            At the same time, we want people to know that it is perfectly normal to undergo drug treat

            there is no point in destroying one’s self and one’s family. In America, it is normal to s
            addicted to alcohol and I go to treatment.” Addictologists are considered experts in their
            have prosperous private practices.

            (Lucie Kettnerová)

            Translation: Jaroslav Švelch