This resource shares key learnings from the Jude Byrne Emerging Female Leader Award, a programme empowering women who use drugs through mentorship, leadership development and community advocacy.
The Jude Byrne Emerging Female Leader Award honours the memory of the legendary drug user advocate Jude Byrne. Established in 2022 by the International Network of People Who Use Drugs (INPUD) and the International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Use (INHSU), this award offers a transformative opportunity for emerging female leaders within the global community of people who use drugs. The Jude Byrne Award was developed to address the lack of education and career opportunities for women who use drugs due to worldwide systemic stigma and discrimination. The Award invests in women who have the potential to make meaningful contributions to our community, but without the means to stake themselves due to economic and social inequities
Jointly, INPUD and INHSU wanted to reflect on the Award to see what the impact has been for the recipients thus far. The methodology was simple: interviews with award recipients and review and analysis of the nomination data for patterns and trends from 2022 to 2025 in September 2025.