’From then to now: HIV, heroin and harm reduction in Scotland’ with Dr Roy Robertson

Dr Roy Robertson has worked as a GP in Edinburgh since 1980, where he was at the forefront of identifying and taking steps to address the emerging dual public health crises of HIV and injecting heroin use. He is also Professor of Addiction Medicine in the University of Edinburgh Usher Institute.

Throughout his career, Roy has consistently had to challenge the status quo to support the vulnerable people in his care, whilst simultaneously informing the rest of the world through a range of research and policy work.

In this episode, Roy discusses what it was like in the early days of the HIV epidemic in Edinburgh in the 1980s, reflects on his years of practice, and provides insight into the potential solutions to addressing Scotland’s on-going public health emergency - drug overdose deaths.

This episode was recorded especially for World AIDS Day and before the tragic drug-related death figures for Scotland in 2019 were announced on the 15th of December 2020.