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Dr Krista Siefried

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Clinical Research Lead and Deputy Director, the National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs (NCCRED). Senior Lecturer, UNSW National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), and St Vincent's Hospital Sydney Alcohol and Drug Service.

Dr Siefried is a leader in clinical research and clinical trials in populations at risk of harms due to substance use disorders. In her role as Clinical Research Lead and Deputy Director at NCCRED her extensive HIV, Infectious Diseases, Drug and Alcohol, and Public Health experience enable her to direct a program of clinical research and translation; facilitate the establishment of a national clinical research network; and oversee the NCCRED clinical research capacity building grants, seed funding grants, and clinical research fellowships and scholarships. 

Dr Siefried has extensive experience in clinical research, healthcare, and clinical project management. Her broad clinical research interests include pharmacotherapies, comorbidities and treatment outcomes in people living with methamphetamine dependence.

University role: 
Clinical Research Lead
Qualifications: 

RN; BSc; GCert Continuing Care; GDip Coronary Care; PhD

Grants: 

NHMRC: $5,275,062

Other Public and Industry: $21,403,857

 

 

Awards: 

St Vincent's Health Australia

2024: Transform the System: Global Impact (awarded for the OLAM: Trial of lisdexamfetamine for methamphetamine withdrawal team)

Faculty of Medicine, UNSW

2022: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre Prof Richard Mattick Award 

St Vincent’s Clinic Foundation 

2016: Nursing Excellence Award Clinical Researcher on St Vincent’s Campus

Gilead

2013-2014 Fellowship: Awarded for research on factors associated with suboptimal outcomes in antiretroviral therapy (CIA)

 

Research
Research activities: 

Current research:

S-Check 2.0 cohort study: A smartphone application for methamphetamine use (open to recruitment, info here)

An open-label safety and feasibility pilot trial of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for methamphetamine use disorder (the KAPPA trial) (open to recruitment, info here)

A randomised controlled trial of lisdexamfetamine versus placebo, for the treatment of acute methamphetamine withdrawal (the OLAM trial) (recruitment pending, info here)

Teaching & Supervision
I am available to supervise: 
Yes
Currently supervising: 

PhD

Liam Acheson - Pharmacotherapy for adults during acute withdrawal from methamphetamine (Joint Supervisor with Michael Farrell)

Jack Freestone - Exploring sexualised drug use among LGBTQ populations and examining the impact of peer led interventions to address related harms (Co-Supervisor with Garrett Prestage and Mohamed Hammoud)

Supervision keywords: 
drug dependence
antiretroviral (arv) drugs
antiretroviral therapy
health outcomes
comorbidity
alcohol and other drug treatment
Teaching: 

Current - UNSW Medicine Hons Project

Vincent Chauvet (2023) - Outcomes and measures used in research of psychedelic medications for mental health and addiction (Co-supervising with Jonathan Brett)

Sophie van der Helder (2023) - Co-designing psychedelic-facilitated psychotherapy studies with Australians with lived experience (Co-supervising with Jonathan Brett)

Completed - UNSW Medicine Hons Project

Keaton Buhagiar (First Class Hons) - Gamma-hydroxybutyrate cultures, experiences and practices in heterosexual cis and transgender people living in Australia (Co-supervised with Jonathan Brett) (2022)

Oliver Harris (First Class Hons) - Gamma-hydroxybutyrate overdose in inner-Sydney emergency departments: a retrospective review (Co-supervised with Jonathan Brett) (2021)

Completed - Notre Dame Medicine Year 2 Research Project

Rhiannon Lindsey - A retrospective audit of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) withdrawal in an inner-city Sydney hospital (Co-supervised with Jonathan Brett) (2022)

Completed - UNSW Medicine Year 4 Research Project

Amy Healey - Drug use at music festivals (Co-supervised with Jonathan Brett) (2020)

Angus Tolhurst-McKiernan - Methamphetamine use and its associations with insomnia and psychosis (Co-supervised with Nadine Ezard and Jonathan Brett) (2019) 

Clinical

Nursing preceptorships; Clinical Psychology Students (research supervision and clinical supervision); Nursing student supervision (clinical)