Dr Krista Siefried | UNSW Research

Biography

Krista is a clinician researcher, Registered Nurse and Clinical Research Lead and Deputy Director of the National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs (NCCRED), based at UNSW’s National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre. She is also a Senior Lecturer at UNSW and a clinical researcher with St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney. With more than 20 years’ experience spanning intensive care, transplantation and clinical trials, Krista leads research to improve treatment and care for people who use methamphetamine and other emerging drugs. Her work includes clinical trials, digital and psychosocial interventions, and research co-designed with people with lived and living experience. She has built a nationally recognised research program whose findings have informed clinical guidelines, policy and practice, and contributes to international research collaborations and global treatment initiatives.

My Grants

NHMRC/MRFF: $8,133,073

Other Public and Industry: $23,496,857

My Qualifications

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

My Awards

2026: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre Ian Webster Award - Faculty of Medicine, UNSW

2024: Transform the System: Global Impact (awarded for the OLAM: Trial of lisdexamfetamine for methamphetamine withdrawal team) - St Vincent's Health Australia

2022: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre Prof Richard Mattick Award - Faculty of Medicine, UNSW

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

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

My Research Activities

Current research:

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

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

A study examining a new internet delivered cognitive behavioural therapy program for methamphetamine (the IMPACT study) (open to recruitment, info here)

My Research Supervision

Supervision keywords

drug dependence

health outcomes

comorbidity

alcohol and other drug treatment

Currently supervising

Current - PhD

Craig Rodgers - Feasibility, safety and cost of time-limited parenteral hydromorphone in people with treatment-resistant injecting opioid use disorder (Primary Supervisor. Secondary Supervisor: Prof Greg Dore)

Stassi Kypri - Is an anecdotal reporting system for emerging drug-related concerns a useful, acceptable tool for users, and a reliable source of data that can be utilised to enhance drug monitoring and early warning systems in Australia? (Secondary Supervisor. Joint Primary Supervisors: Dr Jack Freestone, Prof Nadine Ezard)

Dora Karavasilis - Digitally delivered psychosocial support for people who use methamphetamine. (Secondary Supervisor. Primary Supervisor: Dr Kathryn Fletcher)

Completed - PhD

Liam Acheson - Pharmacotherapy for adults during acute withdrawal from methamphetamine (Primary Supervisor. Co-Supervisors: Prof Michael Farrell, A/Prof Rebecca McKetin, Conjoint Prof Nadine Ezard)

Jack Freestone - Exploring and Implementing Community-Led Chemsex Interventions for Gay and Bisexual Men who have sex with Men (Joint Primary Supervisor with Dr Mohamed Hammoud. Co-Supervisors: Prof Garrett Prestage, Dr Adam Bourne)

My Engagement

Established the National Methamphetamine and Emerging Drugs Clinical Research Network Working Group, engaging multi-disciplinary stakeholders to collaborate towards multi-centre clinical research
Developed, implemented and oversee the NCCRED seed funding grants, awarding over $2.7M in competitive funding over four rounds
Developed, implemented and oversee the NCCRED clinical research fellowships and scholarships programs, supporting 6 AOD clinical scholars to conduct research and contribute to UNSW through their adjunct positions
Active member of the:
- St Vincent’s Hospital Alcohol and Drug Service Research Committee
- NDARC Strategic Advisory Committee
- St Vincent’s Health Sydney Inclusive Health Committee

My Teaching

Ongoing

Open for supervision

Completed - UNSW Medicine Hons Project

Terrence Truong (Hons): Methamphetamine associated psychosis: a qualitative study (Co-supervised with Prof Jonathan Brett, Dr Liam Acheson) (2026)

Sophie van der Helder (First Class Hons) - Co-designing psychedelic-facilitated psychotherapy studies with Australians with lived experience (Co-supervised with A/Prof Jonathan Brett) (2023)

Vincent Chauvet (Hons) - Outcomes and measures used in research of psychedelic medications for mental health and addiction (Co-supervised with A/Prof Jonathan Brett) (2023)

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

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

Completed - Other

UNSW MIPH Scholarly Project

Andrea Delgado - An Australian cohort of people using the S-Check App to track their methamphetamine use (Co-supervised with Prof Jonathan Brett) (2026)

Notre Dame Medicine Year 2 Research Project

Alex Fowler - Psilocybin and methamphetamine induced psychosis (Co-supervised with Prof Jonathan Brett) (2026)

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

UNSW Medicine Year 4 Research Project

Mohamed Budebes - A quantitative study of the experience of GHB consumption, GHB-related harms, and harm reduction practices (Co-Supervised with Dr Brendan Clifford; Winner: Best ECR Poster at APSAD 2024) (2024)

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

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

Clinical

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

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