- Goldstein, Lara (5 April 2024). "Russell Newcombe Dies - Legacy Of UK's Longtime Harm Reduction Advocate, Committed Drug Researcher". Benzinga. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
Authority control databases: Academics  |
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Russell Newcombe | |
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| Died | April 4, 2024 |
| Occupation(s) | Researcher, harm reduction advocate |
Russell Newcombe was a British substance use researcher. His 1987 article "High Time for Harm Reduction" in Druglink, the magazine of the Institute for the Study of Drug Dependence, helped popularize the concept of harm reduction.[1]
In 1979, Newcombe graduated from the University of Sussex, where he studied social psychology. He earned a doctorate in social psychology from the University of Kent in 1983.[2]
After completing his doctoral studies, Newcombe took a role at the University of London as a research assistant on a project concerning secondary school policies towards smoking. From 1985 to 1987, he served as a research associate on the Wirral Misuse of Drugs Research Project team at the University of Liverpool. He next took research positions at the South Sefton District Health Authority and the Mersey Region Health Authority. Between 1991 and 1993, he managed the Alcohol, Drugs & Crime Research Project at The University of Manchester.[2]
In 1998, Newcombe joined the Liverpool John Moores University faculty as an associate professor. He left the university in 2005 for a position at Manchester Lifeline.[2]
Newcombe founded the 3D Research Bureau in the late 1980s, with a focus on harm reduction among MDMA users in Liverpool's rave scene.[3] In 2010, Newcombe relaunched the agency as 3D Research to pursue freelance research and advocacy.[4]
Newcombe's wife, Cher Newcombe-White, announced in March 2024 that Russell had been hospitalized for terminal cancer resulting from long-term chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.[5] On April 4, 2024, Newcombe's death was announced on Twitter by Steve Rolles of the Transform Drug Policy Association.[6]