This seminar presents key findings from the world-first steroid checking trial, with a particular focus on Wave 2 of the study. The trial represents a landmark initiative in harm reduction, offering critical insights into the composition, variability, and risks associated with anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) products submitted by community. Wave 2 builds on earlier findings (Wave 1), highlighting evolving trends in substance use, emerging compounds of concern, and the practical implications for service delivery and policy. The seminar also explores how these findings inform future peer-led interventions and reinforce the need for dedicated, evidence-based health responses for people who use AAS.

About the speaker: Dr Timothy Piatkowski is a globally recognised leader in harm reduction research focused on image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs), with more than $4.5 million in research funding and over 120 publications. He was recently awarded a prestigious NHMRC Investigator Fellowship to examine how both individual behaviours and systemic factors—including stigma and healthcare access—shape the risk profiles of steroid consumers. As a nationally recognised peer researcher and Vice President of the Queensland Injectors Voice for Advocacy and Action (QuIVAA), Dr Piatkowski brings a distinctive combination of lived experience and academic expertise to his work. His award-winning research program triangulates perspectives from IPED consumers and health professionals to address pressing gaps in policy and service delivery. This includes the design and implementation of the world’s first steroid drug checking trial, which received the 2024 Harm Reduction Program of the Year from AIVL. He also founded Steroid QNECT, Australia’s only peer-led steroid education initiative, which now informs national harm reduction strategies. Dr Piatkowski has received multiple accolades, including the AIVL Peer Researcher Recognition Award and the APSAD Kyp Kypri Early Career Researcher Award (2024), recognising his outstanding contributions to the field.