Dr. Johanna Gripenberg is a researcher and the Director at STAD (Stockholm prevents alcohol and drug problems). STAD is a research and development unit within Stockholm Centre for Psychiatry Research, Stockholm County Council, and the Karolinska Institutet at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience. Johanna is also a research group leader at the Karolinska Institutet. Johanna’s research field is prevention science and she focus on the development, implementation and evaluation of substance use prevention programs in the local community. Multi-component interventions, community mobilization, and co-production of prevention programs are some of her special interests.

STAD (Stockholm prevents alcohol and drug problems) has been conducting research in the prevention science field for over two decades. STADs mission is to develop, implement, and evaluate substance use programs. One focus has been different nightlife and entertainment settings. All interventions are developed in co-production with key actors such as; the County Council, the Municipality (Licensing Board), the Police Authority, the County Administration, the organization for the hospitality industry, leading nightclub owners, and the Union for the hospitality industry staff. Substance use has been targeted in multi-component programs, such as Responsible Beverage Service and Clubs against Drugs. Intervention strategies include e.g. community mobilization, training, policy work, improved enforcement, and media advocacy. Results have for instance shown reduction in alcohol service to intoxicated and underaged guests, reduced blood alcohol concentration (BAC)-levels, reduced observed drug use, reduced police-reported violence, and cost-savings. 

Johanna's presentation will focus on the long-term effects, boosting factors and hindering factors. Further, experiences from national dissemination in Sweden and other countries and settings will be presented.

Examples of programs developed by STAD are programs in the nightlife setting such as Responsible Beverage Service and Clubs against Drugs. In addition, STAD has also developed an alcohol prevention program for large sporting events in the Swedish Premier Soccer League. Johanna has been the principal investigator for Sweden for several EU-projects such as the “STAD in Europe”-project, http://stadineurope.eu/.