Stella Zine, Liberatory Harm Reductionist and a National Survivors Union southern liaison, has held numerous roles at various US organizations like providing frontline harm reduction street outreach services for Georgia Harm Reduction Coalition to co-designing community-led research programs and feminist data analysis for Emory's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing.

Background: The urgent need to address overdose crises in Atlanta, Georgia’s illicit drug market underscores the importance of empowering People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) with effective drug testing strategies. Utilizing the expertise of PWUD through Community Engaged Research (CER) and Community Driven Research (CDR) offers a promising approach to gathering comprehensive and relevant data. Despite the potential of CER, it remains underutilized in drug-checking research. Capacity building within impacted communities is crucial for obtaining holistic insights and effective solutions to combat the overdose epidemic.

Methods: This presentation will highlight how collaborative efforts between PWUD, People with Lived and Living Experience (PWLLE), and academic researchers can transcend traditional power imbalances and structural challenges. By applying recommendations from organizations such as the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) and National Survivors Union (NSU) and integrating Liberatory Harm Reduction (LHR) and Healing Justice (HJ) frameworks, our research team has fostered equitable partnerships. These collaborations empower PWUD by involving them as co-researchers, utilizing their lived experience to inform and drive research efforts.

Community Contextualization: The HJ framework, deeply rooted in US southern traditions of resilience, plays a pivotal role in addressing the needs of communities disproportionately impacted by drug war policies. Our approach emphasizes respecting PWUD’s expertise and integrating their insights into research processes. By providing academic support, CITI training, and IRB clearance, we ensure that PWUD/PWLLE have meaningful roles in decision-making, data analysis, and research design. This inclusive model creates space for innovative partnerships between academic researchers and PWUD.

Conclusion: Identifying and implementing novel strategies to engage PWUD in harm reduction and drug checking is essential for preventing overdoses from contaminated drug supplies. By refining our CER practices, significantly informed by the valuable contributions of PWUD, will continue to enhance the effectiveness of our research and intervention strategies in Atlanta, Georgia.