Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is a key evidence-based response to opioid dependence, yet challenges around access and retention persist. This webinar presents insights from a mixed-methods study conducted in NSW exploring how people engage with OAT and what shapes their treatment journeys. Drawing on survey data and lived experience narratives, the presentation examines how individuals navigate entry into treatment, experiences within services, and the factors that may influence ongoing engagement or early dropout. [I hour]

About the speaker: Maud Groothuizen is a master's student in Global Health at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, holding a BSc in Sociology and a strong interest in mental health and addiction care. She previously conducted research on non-medical prescription opioid use among young adults in Denmark and worked as a program assistant at the Trimbos Institute, the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction. She was most recently based at NDARC, UNSW Sydney, where she worked on her master's thesis focusing on barriers and facilitators to engagement with OAT.