Welcome home to Dr Sarah Catchlove, who recently presented at the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) Annual Meeting in New Orleans, USA.

“Attending CPDD in New Orleans was a great experience and a real boost for my career,” Dr Catchlove said. “I learned about some interesting new methodologies and fresh insights that I’m hoping to incorporate into my own work.”

The CPDD is the oldest and largest organisation in the US dedicated to advancing a scientific approach to substance use and addictive disorders.

Attending the annual meeting allowed Dr Catchlove to connect with leading researchers and practitioners and exchange ideas, with opportunities to build meaningful networks that may lead to future collaborations.

“The experience also gave me more confidence in presenting and discussing research in a broader setting, and left me feeling inspired and more connected to the wider field,” she said. 

Improving addiction treatment outcomes in women

Dr Catchlove travelled on the 2025 Margaret Hamilton Travelling Scholarship, and presented findings from an open-label pilot study of oxytocin for methamphetamine withdrawal.

The pilot investigated oxytocin’s effectiveness in improving a range of addiction treatment outcomes in women, including sleep, during a one-week residential withdrawal admission (detox).

“It was a pleasure to present our findings in the sole stimulant use disorder treatment session at the conference, catchily titled, “Stimulant Use Disorder: Still Searching for That Perfect Po’boy,” Dr Catchlove said.

While the study was small (with 9 participants), the research team found encouraging support for oxytocin as a safe, well-tolerated, and feasible treatment for methamphetamine withdrawal in women.

“We're continuing our work in this space and are excited to soon be launching a new inpatient methamphetamine withdrawal study with the team at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney/UNSW. The upcoming study, OLAM, is a full-scale randomised controlled trial testing lisdexamphetamine against placebo,” she said.

Thank you to the Margaret Hamilton Travelling Scholarship funders

Turning Point’s travelling scholarships are made possible thanks to the generous contribution from the donors who established the fund, including Professor Margaret Hamilton, who was the founding Director of Turning Point.

With more than 50 years’ experience in the drug and alcohol field, Professor Hamilton remains an active advocate for improving clinical and policy responses to alcohol and drug issues.

For information about the clinical outcomes of the MOXY pilot study and their implications for treatment practices, watch the recent Talking Point presentation.

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