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Concerned about your own or
someone else’s drug use?

The National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline

For free and confidential advice about alcohol and other drugs, call the National Alcohol and Other Drug hotline: 1800 250 015. It will automatically direct you to the Alcohol and Drug Information Service in your state or territory. Click here for more information

Counselling online

An online text-based counselling for people concerned about their own drinking or drug use. The service is equally available to people concerned about a family member, relative or friend. Click here for more information

Cracks in the ice

An online toolkit providing evidence-based and up-to-date information and resources about crystal methamphetamine (ice) for the Australian community. Click here for more information

About Us

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About Us

About NCCRED (National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs)

We are an innovative centre bringing together clinicians and researchers to detect and respond to trends in emerging drug health. NCCRED strives to forge world-leading excellence in the treatment of methamphetamine and other emerging drugs of concern. We never lose sight of the fact that people who use drugs, as well as their families, carers and communities are at the core of what we do.

NCCRED aims to collaborate and build the capacity and scope for new clinical research into emerging drugs; and rapidly translate these findings into best clinical practice. Funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health, NCCRED is made up of a consortium:

Our Aims

Collaborate

To build scope & capacity for clinical research

Collaborate

To build scope & capacity for clinical research

Generate

New evidence based knowledge

Generate

New evidence based knowledge

Translate

Research into effective clinical practice

Translate

Research into effective clinical practice

Our Strategies

Building Research Capacity

  • Research Projects
  • Mentorships
  • Fellowships
  • Clinical research workforce development strategy

Building Research Capacity

  • Research Projects
  • Mentorships
  • Fellowships
  • Clinical research workforce development strategy

Creating a Clinical Research Network

  • NCCRED Methamphetamine & Emerging Drugs Working Group (WG)
  • Clinical Reference Group (CRG)

Creating a Clinical Research Network

  • NCCRED Methamphetamine & Emerging Drugs Working Group (WG)
  • Clinical Reference Group (CRG)

Responding to Emerging Drugs

  • Prompt Response Network
  • Clinical guidance, evaluation, models of care

Responding to Emerging Drugs

  • Prompt Response Network
  • Clinical guidance, evaluation, models of care

Funding

  • Capacity Building
  • Seed Funding

Funding

  • Capacity Building
  • Seed Funding

Team Members

Professor Nadine Ezard

Director
Professor Nadine Ezard is the Director of NCCRED. Nadine is also the Clinical Director of the Alcohol and Drug Service at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney Australia home to one of NSW’s first specialist
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Dr Krista Siefried

Clinical Research Lead
Krista is an experienced Clinician Researcher with broad experience in academic investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored research including multi-centre randomised controlled trials, cohort studies,
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Dr Brendan Clifford

Senior Research Fellow
Dr Brendan Clifford is a Senior Research Fellow with the National Centre for Clinical Research in Emerging Drugs.  Brendan is a clinician researcher who uses interdisciplinary methods to further health
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Jemma Hallen

Project Manager
Jemma Hallen is the Project Manager for NCCRED and has a Bachelor of Media (PR & Advertising). She started as the Executive Assistant to the Director and was moved to the Project Officer role in September
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Dr Liam Acheson

Postdoctoral Fellow
Liam is an early career clinical researcher whose PhD was awarded in June 2024. Their current research focuses on marginalised populations and their clinical outcomes including interventions to address
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Seb Baird

Digital Product Manager
Seb is the Digital Product Manager for NCCRED, working on the digital development of the Prompt Response Network and the S-Check app. He has a background in developing digital products and content for
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Dr Kathryn Fletcher

Senior Research Associate
Kathryn is a clinician researcher with over 15 years of experience in the field of mental health. She has published widely on phenomenology, psychological factors and treatments for psychiatric conditions,
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Dora Karavasilis

Knowledge Translation Lead
Dora is a public health professional with expertise in research & knowledge translation, learning & development, vocational education and training, learning design and all types of writing for
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Ed Broadbent

Project Manager (PRN)
Ed Broadbent is a project manager at NCCRED, currently leading the Prompt Response Network, a national health-led initiative to reduce harms related to emerging drugs. He has experience leading and directing
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Dr Cilla Zhou

Research & Partnerships Manager
Cilla is the Research & Partnerships Manager at NCCRED, where she supports NCCRED research activities by fostering national/international partnerships and strengthening consumer collaborations. She
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Stephanie Riches-Evans

Research Officer
Steph is a Research Officer for NCCRED. Her current key priorities are assisting with the B4G pilot study, exploring treatment options for GHB withdrawal and mentoring junior Research Assistant team members.
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Andrea Delgado

Executive Assistant
Andrea is the Executive Assistant for NCCRED. She has a Bachelor Degree in Psychology and a Psychosocial Management Specialisation from the University of Nariño (Colombia). Currently, she is studying
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Harriet MacDonald

Research Assistant
Harriet is a Research Assistant at NCCRED.  She has a Bachelors degree in pharmacology and neuroscience from the University of Sydney.  Harriet is currently assisting with the Prompt Response Network,
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Sophie Van Der Helder

Research Assistant
Sophie van der Helder is a Research Assistant at NCCRED who recently graduated from the University of New South Wales with BAdvSci(Hons). She received Honours Class 1 in pharmacology for her project that
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Florence Bascombe

Consultant & Adjunct Lecturer
Florence is a Registered Nurse, with a BSc (Hons) in Nursing, a Diploma in Tropical Nursing and MSc in Public Health with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. After working in Respiratory
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Advisory Board Members

Conjoint Prof Ingrid van Beek AM

Independent Chair of the Board
Dr Ingrid van Beek AM is a public health and addiction medicine physician who has been working at the sharp end of harm reduction for more than 30 years. Ingrid was the longstanding Director of the Kirketon
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Prof Jacqueline Bowden – NCETA

Consortium Member
Professor Jacqueline Bowdenis Director of the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA), Flinders University. She is a behavioural scientist who has worked at the interface of research
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Prof Michael Farrell – NDARC

Consortium Member
Why did you want to be involved in NCCRED? NCCRED is an exciting opportunity to further develop and improve clinical and translational research in the Drug and Alcohol field and to further build on existing
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Prof Simon Lenton – NDRI

Consortium Member
Why did you want to be involved in NCCRED? NCCRED provides a unique opportunity to bring together Australia’s clinical and research capacity in the drug field to meet the challenges of new and emerging
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Prof Adrian Dunlop – HNELHD

Advisory Board Member
Professor Adrian Dunlop has over 24 years experience as an addiction clinician and clinician/researcher, he currently serves as the Director and Addiction Medicine Senior Staff Specialist with Hunter New
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Prof Nick Lintzeris – DACRIN

Advisory Board Member
Why did you want to get involved with NCCRED? The new National Centre provides a unique opportunity to enhance clinical responses to people with problems related to their use of stimulant and other emerging
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Annalee Stearne – NDRI

Advisory Board Member
Why did you want to be involved with NCCRED? "As a new Centre NCCRED has the unique opportunity to develop collaborations and capacity within First Nations services and communities, from the start."   Annalee
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Steph Tzanetis – Penington Institute and CAHMA/CanTEST

Advisory Board Member
Steph Tzanetis is the workforce development lead at Penington Institute. She also works at the CanTEST Health and Drug Checking Service fixed-site pilot as a peer worker from the Canberra Alliance for
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A/Prof Gillinder Bedi

Board Member
A/Prof Gillinder Bedi is Head of Substance Use Research at Orygen and Principal Research Fellow (Addiction and Youth Mental Health) at the Centre for Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne.
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Baillee Farah

Board Member
Baillee Farah is an advocate and early career researcher working towards more equitable and beneficial health policy and practice, with a focus on alcohol and other drugs. They are the National Research
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National Centre for Clinical
Research on Emerging Drugs

We would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this country
and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

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