Prof. Spencer Li De, head of the Department of Sociology at the University of Macau (UM), was elected president of the Asian Association for Substance Abuse Research (AASAR) at the association’s inaugural meeting held at the University of Macau last month.
More than 40 university administrators and professors, directors of major research centres, and representatives of government and non-government agencies supervising substance abuse treatment from Macao, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan attended the meeting. Notable participants at the meeting included Prof. Shu-Lung Yang, a leading expert on substance abuse and vice president of Chung Chong University in Taiwan; Prof. Guo Bao, president of the Yunnan Police Officer Academy; Prof. Zhang Yong’an, vice dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Shanghai University; Prof. Huang Kaicheng, managing director of the Institute of Drugs, Crime and Public Policy at the Southwest University of Political Science and Law; Prof. Zhang Hongwei, professor of law at Guangxi University and deputy secretary of the Chinese Society of Criminology; and Prof. Zhu Qiliang, chair of the Department of Security Administration at Guangxi Police Academy.
AASAR is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting scientific research and evidence-based prevention and treatment policies on substance abuse in Asia. It focuses on the following activities: fostering academic research and regional scientific collaboration in the prevention and treatment of substance abuse; identifying effective models, strategies and methods in substance abuse prevention and treatment for Macao, mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other Asian countries and regions; working with government and non-government agencies to develop evidence-based public policy on substance abuse prevention and treatment; improving the knowledge and skills of substance abuse practitioners through training and participatory research; and promoting international collaborations among academic institutions and professional associations specializing in substance abuse research and practices. The association is headquartered at UM.
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