Rebecca Foster
rebecca foster

Dr Rebecca Foster

Lecturer

 0131 455 3665

  R.Foster2@napier.ac.uk

   

Biography

I joined the School of Applied Sciences as a Lecturer in Criminology in September 2022. I teach and supervise on undergraduate and Masters Criminology programmes. Prior to joining ENU, I worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Stirling, based in the Salvation Army Centre for Addiction Services and Research (within Social Sciences). In that role, I was primarily involved in leading and supporting research projects relating to problem substance use. Funders for these projects included the National Institute for Health Research, and the Scottish Government/Drug Deaths Taskforce. Before that, I worked as a social researcher in the Scottish Government in the crime research team.

While my research interests are varied, inequality and marginalisation and the manifestations and experiences of these, are common themes. I am particularly interested in the lived experience of the criminal justice system (especially prison), problem substance use and homelessness. Methodologically, I am particularly interested in qualitative research, creative methods, ethnographic approaches and peer research. I would welcome PhD supervision enquiries in relation to these topics.

I have a PhD in Criminology from the University of Glasgow. I also hold an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice, and LLB (Hons) (First Class), both from the University of Edinburgh.

School

Research Groups

Research Areas

Esteem

Advisory panels and expert committees or witness

  • Research Advisory Group member for an external evaluation
  • Research Advisory Group member for an external PGR student

 

Fellowships and Awards

  • Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

 

Grant Reviewer

  • Grant reviewer - European Research Council

 

Reviewing

  • Reviewer for Critical Public Health (Elevate)
  • Reviewer for Current Issues in Criminal Justice
  • Reviewer for Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy
  • Reviewer for: Criminology and Criminal Justice; Sociology; Journal of Contemporary Ethnography; Drug and Alcohol Review; Gender, Place and Culture. Guest Review Editor, Scottish Journal of Performance (Volume 2, Issue 2, June 2015).

 

Filter by

Date


22 results

Longer sentences? Overcrowded UK prisons are already failing society

Digital Artefact
Foster, R., & Anderson, K. (2023)
Longer sentences? Overcrowded UK prisons are already failing society. [Magazine]

Patient, family members and community pharmacists' views of a proposed overdose prevention intervention delivered in community pharmacies for patients prescribed high‐strength opioids for chronic non‐cancer pain: An explorative intervention development study

Journal Article
Mercer, F., Parkes, T., Foster, R., Steven, D., McAuley, A., Baldacchino, A., …Matheson, C. (in press)
Patient, family members and community pharmacists' views of a proposed overdose prevention intervention delivered in community pharmacies for patients prescribed high‐strength opioids for chronic non‐cancer pain: An explorative intervention development study. Drug and Alcohol Review, https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.13554
Introduction Despite opioid prescribing for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) having limited therapeutic benefits, recent evidence indicates significant increases in the prescrib...

‘Why would we not want to keep everybody safe?’ The views of family members of people who use drugs on the implementation of drug consumption rooms in Scotland

Journal Article
Parkes, T., Price, T., Foster, R., Trayner, K. M. A., Sumnall, H. R., Livingston, W., …Nicholls, J. (2022)
‘Why would we not want to keep everybody safe?’ The views of family members of people who use drugs on the implementation of drug consumption rooms in Scotland. Harm Reduction Journal, 19(1), Article 99. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-022-00679-5
Background People who use drugs in Scotland are currently experiencing disproportionately high rates of drug-related deaths. Drug consumption rooms (DCRs) are harm reduction s...

Drug Consumption Rooms and Public Health Policy: Perspectives of Scottish Strategic Decision-Makers

Journal Article
Nicholls, J., Livingston, W., Perkins, A., Cairns, B., Foster, R., Trayner, K. M. A., …Parkes, T. (2022)
Drug Consumption Rooms and Public Health Policy: Perspectives of Scottish Strategic Decision-Makers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), Article 6575. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116575
There is widespread support for the introduction of Drug Consumption Rooms (DCRs) in Scotland as part of a policy response to record levels of drug-related harm. However, exis...

Long-acting depot buprenorphine in people who are homeless: Views and experiences

Journal Article
Matheson, C., Foster, R., Schofield, J., & Browne, T. (2022)
Long-acting depot buprenorphine in people who are homeless: Views and experiences. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 139, Article 108781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2022.108781
Introduction People experiencing homelessness often experience intersecting mental and physical health problems, alongside problem substance use and a range of overlapping cha...

A peer-delivered intervention to reduce harm and improve the well-being of homeless people with problem substance use: the SHARPS feasibility mixed-methods study

Journal Article
Parkes, T., Matheson, C., Carver, H., Foster, R., Budd, J., Liddell, D., …MacLennan, G. (2022)
A peer-delivered intervention to reduce harm and improve the well-being of homeless people with problem substance use: the SHARPS feasibility mixed-methods study. Health Technology Assessment, 26(14), 1-128. https://doi.org/10.3310/wvvl4786
Background For people experiencing homelessness and problem substance use, access to appropriate services can be challenging. There is evidence that development of trusting re...

Assessing the feasibility, acceptability and accessibility of a peer-delivered intervention to reduce harm and improve the well-being of people who experience homelessness with problem substance use: the SHARPS study

Journal Article
Parkes, T., Matheson, C., Carver, H., Foster, R., Budd, J., Liddell, D., …MacLennan, G. (2022)
Assessing the feasibility, acceptability and accessibility of a peer-delivered intervention to reduce harm and improve the well-being of people who experience homelessness with problem substance use: the SHARPS study. Harm Reduction Journal, 19(1), Article 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-021-00582-5
Background For people experiencing homelessness and problem substance use, access to appropriate services can be challenging. There is evidence that the development of trustin...

Chronic pain, prescribed opioids and overdose risk: a qualitative exploration of the views of affected individuals and family members

Journal Article
Parkes, T., Foster, R., McAuley, A., Steven, D., Matheson, C., & Baldacchino, A. (in press)
Chronic pain, prescribed opioids and overdose risk: a qualitative exploration of the views of affected individuals and family members. Drugs: Education, Prevention, and Policy, https://doi.org/10.1080/09687637.2021.2022100
It has been estimated that chronic non cancer pain (CNCP) affects more than 30% of people worldwide. Correspondingly, prescriptions for individuals experiencing CNCP have incr...

“PPI? That sounds like Payment Protection Insurance”: Reflections and learning from a substance use and homelessness study Experts by Experience group

Journal Article
Foster, R., Carver, H., Wallace, J., Dunedin, A., Burridge, S., Foley, P., …Parkes, T. (2021)
“PPI? That sounds like Payment Protection Insurance”: Reflections and learning from a substance use and homelessness study Experts by Experience group. Research Involvement and Engagement, 7(1), Article 82. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-021-00324-8
Background Patient and Public Involvement in research is important for citizenship, accountability and transparency, and has the practical benefit of helping to ensure its qua...

Peer Support and Overdose Prevention Responses: A Systematic ‘State-of-the-Art’ Review

Journal Article
Mercer, F., Miler, J. A., Pauly, B., Carver, H., Hnízdilová, K., Foster, R., & Parkes, T. (2021)
Peer Support and Overdose Prevention Responses: A Systematic ‘State-of-the-Art’ Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(22), Article 12073. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212073
Overdose prevention for people who use illicit drugs is essential during the current overdose crisis. Peer support is a process whereby individuals with lived or living experi...

Pre-Napier Funded Projects

  • Getting it right for families affected by imprisonment: Lessons from ten years of research briefing paper funding. SCCJR Development Fund (Award: £250). Co-Investigator.
  • (2020-2021). Perceptions and attitudes of strategic decision-makers and affected families across Scotland towards Drug Consumption Rooms to prevent drug-related deaths. Scottish Government/Drug Deaths Taskforce (Award: £37,300). Primary Investigator.
  • (2020-2022). Feasibility and acceptability of an overdose prevention intervention delivered by Community Pharmacies for patients prescribed opioids for chronic non-cancer pain. Scottish Government/Drug Deaths Taskforce (Award: £59,690). Primary investigator until July 2021.
  • (2019-2021). Exploring the Potential of Buvidal in Vulnerable People who Use Drugs and Are Homeless. Camurus AB (Award: £38,000). Co-Investigator.
  • (2019-2021). Assessing prescription opioid overdose risk (POOR) via a quality improvement process led by NHS Fife Pharmacy and scoping the feasibility of a specific overdose prevention intervention delivered by Community Pharmacists. NHS Fife (Award: £30,000). Co-investigator.