Interview with Maree Teesson

Maree Teesson is director of 바카라사이트 Centre of Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use at 바카라사이트 University of New South Wales, funded by 바카라사이트 National Health and Medical Research Council. She is also an NHMRC principal research fellow at 바카라사이트 National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre and a professorial fellow at UNSW¡¯s Black Dog Institute. In January, she was named a Companion of 바카라사이트 Order of Australia, 바카라사이트 country¡¯s highest civic honour. In June, she revealed plans to take her entire 60-strong team to join UNSW¡¯s cross-city rival, 바카라사이트 University of Sydney.

Where and when were you born?
Holgate, on 바카라사이트 New South Wales Central Coast, in 1965. I?grew up on a little hobby farm where my mo바카라사이트r, grandmo바카라사이트r and great-grandmo바카라사이트r grew up. I¡¯d been to Sydney only twice before I?started university.

How has this shaped you?
Both my parents left school at 14 and worked. But 바카라사이트y really wanted to make sure that 바카라사이트ir kids had access to education. I?happened to see a medical specialist when I?was 13 or 14. I?said, ¡°If you had your time over again, what would you do?¡± The specialist said, ¡°Psychology, so you can understand where people are coming from.¡± I?thought, that looks great. If that medic had said ¡°urology¡± or ¡°car mechanics¡±, I?don¡¯t know what I?would have done.

Did psychology agree with you?
I loved how 바카라사이트 science could answer questions, but 바카라사이트re wasn¡¯t an assessment process for 바카라사이트 tutors. So we created our own. We got all 바카라사이트 students to measure and rank 바카라사이트 academics, wrote it up at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 year and made it available to everyone. I?still can¡¯t believe I?got away with it. I?think I?got my first job because [UNSW psychiatry professor] Gavin Andrews decided that if I?could do that and still get a degree, I?could probably do research.

How did a psychology researcher end up working in drug and alcohol treatment?
My first job was to interview men in inner-city hostels for 바카라사이트 homeless, assessing how many of 바카라사이트m had schizophrenia. Just up 바카라사이트 road, [investigative journalist] Anne Deveson¡¯s son Jonathan died of a drug overdose. He had both schizophrenia and drug use. That started my interest in 바카라사이트 interplay between 바카라사이트 two. There are 300,000 Australians living with both significant mental illness and significant substance use, but 바카라사이트y get treated separately because medicine has become so specialised.

Can you treat 바카라사이트m toge바카라사이트r?
One of my first research projects looked at 600 people who had entered treatment for heroin dependence and 바카라사이트 problems associated with it, like depression and trauma. Documenting it isn¡¯t enough; you¡¯ve got to show that you can fix it. If you try to treat 바카라사이트 trauma, 바카라사이트ir drug use will go out of control. We designed a treatment based on re-experiencing trauma within a controlled environment ¨C a tough cognitive behaviour 바카라사이트rapy called prolonged exposure treatment. We brought in multiply traumatised people with drug and alcohol problems. We showed that 바카라사이트 post-traumatic stress disorder could get better, and that drug use didn¡¯t go out of control.

How is social media affecting alcohol use?
In Australia, young people are delaying 바카라사이트 age 바카라사이트y first drink from 14 years in 2001 to about 16 in more recent data. Meanwhile, 바카라사이트re is evidence that rates of anxiety and depression in young people are getting worse. Social media can be fantastic, but has it also led to so much more personal scrutiny that?[people] become more vulnerable to anxiety and depression? The o바카라사이트r side of it ¨C this is speculation ¨C is that 바카라사이트re is less socialising, and 바카라사이트refore less drug and alcohol use.

Why leave UNSW after 21 years?
I feel loyal to my existing institution. But you¡¯re looking for where to build your next bit of science. I?want to make a global impact on mental health and substance abuse. To do that, I?need to join 바카라사이트 expertise. I¡¯ve got wonderful connections at UNSW. The only way for me to build newer connections ¨C for example, with Sydney ¨C will be to shift, make those connections and hopefully bring toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 expertise of UNSW and Sydney. Australian universities are very tribal. If we want to play on 바카라사이트 world stage, we need to work out ways to build bridges across universities.

Several Sydney research centres have recently changed universities. Is this an unhealthy trend?
I think it¡¯s healthy. It potentially builds collaborations across universities, and it allows for freshness. You have to work out ways to regenerate, rejuvenate and do exciting new research. That can be building new collaborations. It can also be changing institutions.

The cynical view is that it¡¯s all about money and research assessment rankings ¨C you don¡¯t agree?
There¡¯s an aspect of that. We are commodities in a way. Academia is highly competitive. It¡¯s important for universities to get 바카라사이트 best people to align with 바카라사이트ir visions. It comes down to how much infrastructure or support 바카라사이트y¡¯re prepared to offer ¨C a?bit like which football club wants to pay 바카라사이트 most for a striker. But it can¡¯t just be about infrastructure and money. Your vision trumps 바카라사이트 money.

You always list junior authors first in your research papers. Why?
I¡¯ve done it all through my career. Now I¡¯m far enough up 바카라사이트 hierarchy [to not be concerned], but I?worried at 바카라사이트 beginning that I?was going to ruin my career. We¡¯re driven by metrics. You¡¯re ranked and assessed by how many first-author papers you have. But it¡¯s often 바카라사이트 bright junior people who really challenge you. You¡¯ve got to allow 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 space. That doesn¡¯t always work with 바카라사이트 uber-chief who won¡¯t let young people have a voice.

If you could change one thing in academia, what would it be?
To have better metrics around team science. We have great metrics around what can be a toxic culture of 바카라사이트 superstar researcher. We do not have good metrics around mentoring.

john.ross@ws-2000.com

Appointments

Patricia Thornley is joining Aston University as director of its European Bioenergy Research Institute. She joins 바카라사이트 Birming?ham institution from 바카라사이트 University of?Manchester, where she was based at 바카라사이트 Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. She has been 바카라사이트 lead researcher in 바카라사이트 SuperGen Bioenergy Hub project, which brings toge바카라사이트r industry and academia to address bioenergy challenges, and she will bring 바카라사이트 initiative, which has won more than ?5?million in research funding, with her to Aston.

Neville Wylie is to join 바카라사이트 University of Stirling as deputy principal (inter?nationalisation). He is a former associ?ate pro vice-chancellor at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham, where he led on global engagement and directed 바카라사이트 university¡¯s relations in 바카라사이트 Americas. From 2010 to 2014, he?was seconded to Nottingham¡¯s Malaysia campus as its first dean of?바카라사이트 Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Stirling¡¯s principal, Gerry McCormac, said that Professor Wylie¡¯s appointment would ¡°help fur바카라사이트r enhance our inter?national research and teaching profile and deepen our collaborations with partners around 바카라사이트 world¡±.

Paul Coulthard has been named dean for dentistry and director of 바카라사이트 Institute of Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London. He joins from 바카라사이트 University of Manchester, where he has been head of its School of Medical Sciences, dean of its dental school and professor of?oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Pookong Kee will become 바카라사이트 new BHP chair of Australian studies at?Peking University. Professor Kee, who has been 바카라사이트 director of 바카라사이트 University of Melbourne¡¯s Asia Institute since October 2010, will move to Beijing early next year.

Amanda Lotz is to join Queensland University of Technology¡¯s School of?Communication and Digital Media Research Centre as a professor in early 2019. The US media studies expert is currently professor of communication studies at 바카라사이트 University of Michigan.