Rebecca McKetin

Professor Rebecca McKetin (BSc(Psychol)Hons. PhD) leads a program of research into stimulant use epidemiology and interventions at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW. Her current research involves the online delivery of psychological help for people who use stimulants (Breaking the Ice) the trialling of new pharmacotherapy options for methamphetamine dependence (the Tina Trial, the N-ICE trial; the LiMA study), and the development of novel responses to methamphetamine use in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities (NIMAC). Rebecca established the first longitudinal treatment outcomes study for methamphetamine use internationally (the Methamphetamine Treatment Outcomes Study, MATES), a 3-year prospective cohort of 501 people dependent on methamphetamine, demonstrating the impact of community-based treatments for this drug. She has adapted indirect prevalence estimation methods to estimate the number of dependent methamphetamine users in Australia and has been involved in the development of regional systems to monitor methamphetamine and other drugs in the Asia Pacific. Her work has been pivotal in quantifying the risk of psychosis, violence, and other mental health outcomes related to the use of methamphetamine. She is a Senior Editor for Addiction, a United Nations consultant, and a member of the Australian Institute of Policy and Science.