Staff Profile: Rowan

Turning Point is made up of a diverse team that is committed to removing stigma around alcohol and other drug use and providing support for those affected by substance use disorders. Our staff profiles provide insight on the great work we do and what it is like to work in the addiction treatment, training, and research sector.

Meet Rowan, Turning Point’s Deputy Strategic Lead, National Addiction and Mental Health Surveillance Unit

Dr Rowan Ogeil has been working at Turning Point for 9 years.

He first started as a research officer examining alcohol’s effects on young risky drinkers and alcohol’s contribution to Australia’s Burden of Disease, and has worked his way up through various positions at the organisation. Rowan has held prestigious Fellowships while at Turning Point, including a Peter Doherty Fellowship from the NHMRC (2014-18), and a Harvard Club of Australia Fellowship (2016) which saw him seconded to work at Harvard University and the Brigham & Women’s Hospital in MA, USA in 2016 studying the use of drugs by shift working populations and the effect that these drugs have on their health and sleep.

Since returning to Turning Point, Rowan has continued to work as part of successful collaborative teams and has attracted competitive funding from the ARC, NHMRC and Movember among others. He is now the Deputy Strategic Lead of NAMHSU and continues to work on exciting research projects, in addition to teaching and mentoring our students, and helping internal and external bodies write strong briefs to lobby for changes in AOD policy.

“I love the people here, and working on projects that make a difference. That is what has kept me here for so long.”

Given his background in Sleep Medicine and Circadian science, it is no surprise that Rowan is still passionate about these subjects, and has hosted workshops to upskill the AOD sector. He has also been invited by external bodies to discuss how different drugs affect sleep.

What does Rowan do?

Rowan is actively involved in research and spends a lot of his work days looking at data and patterns of AOD and mental health harms and applying this to his research.

“We always have interesting research projects going on at Turning Point that have value to government and policy makers, as well as having impact in peer-reviewed academic journals.”

Rowan also coordinates with stakeholders at the National, State and Local government levels to ensure they are up-to-date on any new research findings, patterns emerging in NAMHSU data, and important AOD statistics and information.

Recently, the NAMHSU team received a grant led by Rowan from VicHealth to fund their innovative research project which aims to understand alcohol-related harms in the post COVID era. For this work, Rowan and his team will be working alongside longtime partners Ambulance Victoria, the Victoria Department of Health, and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

“We will be commencing this project very soon and it is very exciting to work with organisations we have strong relationships with.”

What is the culture like at Turning Point?

Something Rowan really appreciates about working at Turning Point is the room for growth within the organisation.

“There are plenty of moments where people within Turning Point have helped others build their career paths. Having taken on a more senior role recently, I would like to think I have done the same for others, and am keen to continue this into the future.”

“It is always rewarding for me to see someone else succeed.”

Want to work at Turning Point? We currently have several amazing opportunities which you can view here.