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Dr Carmen Lim
Dr

Carmen Lim

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Overview

Background

Carmen is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow at the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research. Her research seeks to understand why young people start using substances and develop strategies that advance public health.

Her work spans four key areas:

(1) Youth vaping and social media, where she examines trends and the influence of social media on youth vaping; (2) Cannabis and regulation, investigating industry marketing practices and compliance with regulatory guidelines; (3) International comparisons and equity - developing culturally appropriate prevention and harm reduction strategies to address substance use in diverse contexts; (4) Substance use and mental health - exploring the links between substance use and mental health conditions.

Through her research, Carmen aims to generate evidence that informs policy, guides prevention and harm reduction efforts, and support healthier futures for young people. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers in addiction and mental health (Google Scholar: >10K citations, h-index = 43, 31% output in top 10% citation percentile).

Carmen holds qualifications in biostatistics, public health and epidemiology. She has experiences in teaching and mentoring students from diverse demographic and cultural background, and welcomes self-driven, curious students with interest in public health, psychology, epidemiology, or statistics to join her team.

Availability

Dr Carmen Lim is:
Available for supervision

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy of Psychology, The University of Queensland

Research interests

  • Substance Use

  • Harm reduction

  • Mental health

  • Digital advertising

  • Biostatistics

Research impacts

My research focuses on why young people start using substances such as e-cigarettes, cannabis, and alcohol, and how we can reduce the harms that follow. By combining survey data with innovative tools like social media analysis, I provide early evidence that helps communities, schools, and policymakers respond to emerging challenges.

This work has informed national discussions and inquiries on youth vaping, contributed to World Health Organization reports, and supported the development of harm reduction program internationally.

Beyond academia, I share findings widely through media outlets like The Conversation and national radio interviews, making evidence accessible to the broader community and ensuring it reaches those who can use it to drive change.

Works

Search Professor Carmen Lim’s works on UQ eSpace

154 works between 2013 and 2025

61 - 80 of 154 works

2022

Journal Article

Perceived loneliness, peer, and parental relationship with smoking: a cross-sectional analysis of adolescents across South-East Asia

McClure-Thomas, Caitlin, Lim, Carmen, Sebayang, Susy, Fausiah, Fitri, Gouda, Hebe and Leung, Janni (2022). Perceived loneliness, peer, and parental relationship with smoking: a cross-sectional analysis of adolescents across South-East Asia. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 34 (8), 770-777. doi: 10.1177/10105395221115220

Perceived loneliness, peer, and parental relationship with smoking: a cross-sectional analysis of adolescents across South-East Asia

2022

Journal Article

Getting high for likes: exploring cannabis‐related content on TikTok

Rutherford, Brienna N., Sun, Tianze, Johnson, Benjamin, Co, Steven, Lim, Tong Liang, Lim, Carmen C. W., Chiu, Vivian, Leung, Janni, Stjepanovic, Daniel, Connor, Jason P. and Chan, Gary C. K. (2022). Getting high for likes: exploring cannabis‐related content on TikTok. Drug and Alcohol Review, 41 (5), 1119-1125. doi: 10.1111/dar.13433

Getting high for likes: exploring cannabis‐related content on TikTok

2022

Conference Publication

Patterns of tobacco and cannabis use in Australia: a latent class analysis and health-related correlates

Lim, Carmen C. W., Leung, Janni, Gravely, Shannon, Gartner, Coral, Chiu, Vivian, Sun, Tianze, Chung, Jack, Stjepanovic, Daniel, Connor, Jason, Scheurer, Roman, Hall, Wayne and Chan, Gary (2022). Patterns of tobacco and cannabis use in Australia: a latent class analysis and health-related correlates. The College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Minneapolis, MN USA, 11-15 June 2022.

Patterns of tobacco and cannabis use in Australia: a latent class analysis and health-related correlates

2022

Journal Article

Causal inference with observational data in addiction research

Chan, Gary C. K., Lim, Carmen, Sun, Tianze, Stjepanovic, Daniel, Connor, Jason, Hall, Wayne and Leung, Janni (2022). Causal inference with observational data in addiction research. Addiction, 117 (10), 2736-2744. doi: 10.1111/add.15972

Causal inference with observational data in addiction research

2022

Journal Article

Prevalence and correlates of cannabis use for medicinal reasons – an Australian cross-sectional study

Leung, Janni, Lim, Carmen C.W., Chiu, Vivian, Chung, Jack, Mekonen, Tesfa, Dawson, Danielle, Hall, Wayne D. and Chan, Gary C.K. (2022). Prevalence and correlates of cannabis use for medicinal reasons – an Australian cross-sectional study. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 15 100436, 100436. doi: 10.1016/j.abrep.2022.100436

Prevalence and correlates of cannabis use for medicinal reasons – an Australian cross-sectional study

2022

Journal Article

Did the under‐reporting of meth/amphetamine use increase in a general population survey in Australia as negative media coverage increased?

Chan, Gary, Sun, Tianze, Lim, Carmen, Stjepanović, Daniel, Rutherford, Brienna, Johnson, Benjamin, Hall, Wayne and Leung, Janni (2022). Did the under‐reporting of meth/amphetamine use increase in a general population survey in Australia as negative media coverage increased?. Addiction, 117 (6), 1787-1793. doi: 10.1111/add.15783

Did the under‐reporting of meth/amphetamine use increase in a general population survey in Australia as negative media coverage increased?

2022

Journal Article

Age‐period‐cohort analysis of trends in tobacco smoking, cannabis use, and their co‐use in the Australian population

Leung, Janni, Gravely, Shannon, Lim, Carmen, Hall, Wayne and Chan, Gary (2022). Age‐period‐cohort analysis of trends in tobacco smoking, cannabis use, and their co‐use in the Australian population. Addiction, 117 (10), 2730-2735. doi: 10.1111/add.15951

Age‐period‐cohort analysis of trends in tobacco smoking, cannabis use, and their co‐use in the Australian population

2022

Journal Article

Association between the implementation of tobacco control policies and adolescent vaping in 44 lower‐middle, upper‐middle, and high‐income countries

Chan, Gary C. K., Gartner, Coral, Lim, Carmen, Sun, Tianze, Hall, Wayne, Connor, Jason, Stjepanović, Daniel and Leung, Janni (2022). Association between the implementation of tobacco control policies and adolescent vaping in 44 lower‐middle, upper‐middle, and high‐income countries. Addiction, 117 (8), 1-10. doi: 10.1111/add.15892

Association between the implementation of tobacco control policies and adolescent vaping in 44 lower‐middle, upper‐middle, and high‐income countries

2022

Journal Article

Is smoking reduction and cessation associated with increased e-cigarette use? Findings from a nationally representative sample of adult smokers in Australia

Sun, Tianze, Lim, Carmen C.W., Rutherford, Brienna N., Johnson, Benjamin, Leung, Janni, Gartner, Coral, Hall, Wayne D., Connor, Jason P. and Chan, C. K. Gary (2022). Is smoking reduction and cessation associated with increased e-cigarette use? Findings from a nationally representative sample of adult smokers in Australia. Addictive Behaviors, 127 107217, 1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107217

Is smoking reduction and cessation associated with increased e-cigarette use? Findings from a nationally representative sample of adult smokers in Australia

2022

Journal Article

An age-period-cohort analysis of trends in psychedelic and ecstasy use in the Australian population

Chan, Gary, Sun, Tianze, Lim, Carmen, Yuen, Wing See, Stjepanović, Daniel, Rutherford, Brienna, Hall, Wayne, Johnson, Ben and Leung, Janni (2022). An age-period-cohort analysis of trends in psychedelic and ecstasy use in the Australian population. Addictive Behaviors, 127 107216, 107216. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107216

An age-period-cohort analysis of trends in psychedelic and ecstasy use in the Australian population

2022

Journal Article

Changes in viewer engagement and accessibility of popular vaping videos on TikTok: a 12-month prospective study

Rutherford, Brienna N., Sun, Tianze, Lim, Carmen C. W., Chung, Jack, Cheng, Brandon, Davidson, Lily, Tisdale, Calvert, Leung, Janni, Stjepanović, Daniel, Connor, Jason P. and Chan, Gary C. K. (2022). Changes in viewer engagement and accessibility of popular vaping videos on TikTok: a 12-month prospective study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (3) 1141, 1141. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19031141

Changes in viewer engagement and accessibility of popular vaping videos on TikTok: a 12-month prospective study

2022

Journal Article

Association between marital relationship and multimorbidity in middle-aged adults: a longitudinal study across the US, UK, Europe, and China

Wang, Danyang, Li, Duanhui, Mishra, Shiva Raj, Lim, Carmen, Dai, Xiaochen, Chen, Shu and Xu, Xiaolin (2022). Association between marital relationship and multimorbidity in middle-aged adults: a longitudinal study across the US, UK, Europe, and China. Maturitas, 155, 32-39. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2021.09.011

Association between marital relationship and multimorbidity in middle-aged adults: a longitudinal study across the US, UK, Europe, and China

2021

Journal Article

Has increased youth e-cigarette use in the USA, between 2014 and 2020, changed conventional smoking behaviors, future intentions to smoke and perceived smoking harms?

Sun, Tianze, Lim, Carmen C. W., Stjepanović, Daniel, Leung, Janni, Connor, Jason P., Gartner, Coral, Hall, Wayne D. and Chan, Gary C.K. (2021). Has increased youth e-cigarette use in the USA, between 2014 and 2020, changed conventional smoking behaviors, future intentions to smoke and perceived smoking harms?. Addictive Behaviors, 123 107073, 107073. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107073

Has increased youth e-cigarette use in the USA, between 2014 and 2020, changed conventional smoking behaviors, future intentions to smoke and perceived smoking harms?

2021

Conference Publication

Patterns of cannabis and tobacco use in Australia: latent class analysis and health-rated correlates

Lim, Carmen C.W., Leung, Janni, Sun, Tianze, Chiu, Vivian, Stjepanovic, Daniel, Chung, Jack Y.C., Connor, Jason P., Hall, Wayne, Scheurer, Roman, Gartner, Coral and Chan, Gary (2021). Patterns of cannabis and tobacco use in Australia: latent class analysis and health-rated correlates. APSAD Scientific Drug and Alcohol Conference, Virtual, 7-10 November 2021. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.

Patterns of cannabis and tobacco use in Australia: latent class analysis and health-rated correlates

2021

Conference Publication

Prevalence of adolescent cannabis vaping: a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from the US and Canada

Lim, Carmen C.W., Sun, Tianze, Leung, Janni, Chung, Jack Y.C., Gartner, Coral, Connor, Jason P., Hall, Wayne, Chiu, Vivian, Stjepanovic, Daniel and Chan, Gary (2021). Prevalence of adolescent cannabis vaping: a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from the US and Canada. APSAD Scientific Drug and Alcohol Conference, Virtual, 7-10 November 2021. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.

Prevalence of adolescent cannabis vaping: a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from the US and Canada

2021

Conference Publication

Symposium: epidemiology and potential public health benefits and harms of vaping - implication to tobacco control policies

Chan, Gary C. K., Sun, Tianze, Lim, Carmen C. W., Morphett, Kylie, Stjepanovic, Daniel, Chung, Jack Y. C., Chiu, Vivian, Connor, Jason P., Gartner, Coral, Hall, Wayne D. and Leung, Janni (2021). Symposium: epidemiology and potential public health benefits and harms of vaping - implication to tobacco control policies. APSAD 2021 Conference, Virtual, 7-10 November 2021. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.

Symposium: epidemiology and potential public health benefits and harms of vaping - implication to tobacco control policies

2021

Conference Publication

How many people use cannabis for medicinal reasons in Australia?

Leung, Janni, Lim, Carmen C. W., Chiu, Vivian, Chung, Jack Y. C., Mekonen, Tesfa, Hall, Wayne D. and Chan, Gary C. K. (2021). How many people use cannabis for medicinal reasons in Australia?. APSAD 2021 Conference, Virtual, 7-10 November 2021. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.

How many people use cannabis for medicinal reasons in Australia?

2021

Conference Publication

A meta-analysis of the efficacy of smokeless tobacco for smoking cessation

Stjepanovic, Daniel, Leung, Janni, Lim, Carmen C. W., Sun, Tianze, Chung, Jack Y. C., Phartiyal, Preeti, Gartner, Coral, Hall, Wayne D. and Chan, Gary C. K. (2021). A meta-analysis of the efficacy of smokeless tobacco for smoking cessation. APSAD 2021 Conference, Virtual, 7-10 November 2021. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.

A meta-analysis of the efficacy of smokeless tobacco for smoking cessation

2021

Conference Publication

A network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of e-cigarettes in smoking cessation

Stjepanovic, Daniel, Chan, Gary C. K., Lim, Carmen C. W., Sun, Tianze, Anandan, Aathavan Shanmuga, Connor, Jason P., Gartner, Coral, Hall, Wayne D. and Leung, Janni (2021). A network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of e-cigarettes in smoking cessation. APSAD 2021 Conference, Virtual, 7-10 November 2021. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.

A network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of e-cigarettes in smoking cessation

2021

Journal Article

Comorbidity between mood and substance-related disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Saha, Sukanta, Lim, Carmen C.W., Degenhardt, Louisa, Cannon, Danielle L., Bremner, Monique, Prentis, Finley, Lawrence, Zoe, Heffernan, Ed, Meurk, Carla, Reilly, John and McGrath, John J. (2021). Comorbidity between mood and substance-related disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 56 (7) 00048674211054740, 000486742110547-770. doi: 10.1177/00048674211054740

Comorbidity between mood and substance-related disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Funding

Current funding

  • 2026 - 2029
    Monitoring Australia's illicit tobacco and vaping product markets
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2025 - 2027
    The feasibility, acceptability and impact of integrating an online pain management course into alcohol and other drug residential rehabilitation services.
    NHMRC MRFF Alcohol and Other Drugs
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2028
    Unclouding the future: Igniting change with an AI-powered social media campaign against youth vaping
    NHMRC MRFF PPHR - Maternal Health and Healthy Lifestyles
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2028
    Breaking the Cycle: Leveraging Social Media to Address the Public Health Threat of Youth Vaping
    NHMRC Investigator Grants
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Dr Carmen Lim is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Social Media Advertising on Youth Perceptions of Vaping

    This PhD project aims to assess how targeted advertising on social media platforms affects youth perceptions of vaping. A mixed-methods approach could be used to analyze both quantitative and qualitative data.

Supervision history

Current supervision

Media

Enquiries

For media enquiries about Dr Carmen Lim's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au