Mentor: Dr. Dennis Donovan, University of Washington
Since his Humphrey and INVEST fellowships, Leonardo Rabena Estacio, Jr., has led and contributed to many research and capacity-building initiatives. He authored the Primary Prevention of ATS Abuse Among Youth in the Philippines: Rapid Assessment Report (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 2003), which has informed national strategies on youth drug prevention and contributed to the Philippine Sourcebook on Prevention (1998), a foundational resource that continues to support practitioners working in addiction and HIV/AIDS prevention. Estacio has also collaborated with international agencies such as the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, UNODC, International Labour Organization, and Japan International Cooperation Agency in the development of regional strategies for drug demand reduction across Asia and the Pacific.
In addition, Estacio has engaged in international forums discussing policy impacts of cannabis legalization, drug governance and gender, and forensic perspectives to addiction. In 2000, following the completion of his Hubert H. Humphrey–NIDA Fellowship, he cofounded Addictus Philippines Incorporated, a research-driven nongovernmental organization. In partnership with government agencies such as the Dangerous Drugs Board and the Philippine Information Agency, as well as international organizations like the World Health Organization and UNODC, Estacio developed community-based prevention programs, including Barkada Kontra Droga (Peers Against Drugs), which was adopted in 2002 as the Philippines’ national flagship program for drug prevention initiatives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led a pioneering, culturally responsive, cost-effective telehealth-based aftercare program for recovering drug dependents. Funded by the Philippines Department of Health and the Department of Science and Technology, this initiative ensured the continuity of care during lockdowns and laid the groundwork for future digital health solutions in addiction recovery.
Today, Estacio serves as the vice president of the Asian Association for Substance Abuse Research, which promotes addiction research and policy development across Asia. Recognized as a leading expert in substance use and addiction in the Philippines, Estacio stressed that the NIDA fellowships “played a pivotal role in advancing my career” and “significantly enhanced my credibility and visibility in the field.”