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Dr Carmen Lim
Dr

Carmen Lim

Email: 

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

160 works between 2013 and 2026

101 - 120 of 160 works

2020

Journal Article

Effect of sodium benzoate vs placebo among individuals with early psychosis: a randomized clinical trial

Scott, James G., Baker, Andrea, Lim, Carmen C. W., Foley, Sharon, Dark, Frances, Gordon, Anne, Ward, David, Richardson, Drew, Bruxner, George, Beckmann, K. Martin, Hatherill, Sean, Stathis, Stephen, Dixon, Krystal, Ryan, Alexander E., McWhinney, Brett C., Ungerer, Jacobus P. J., Berk, Michael, Dean, Olivia M., Saha, Sukanta and McGrath, John (2020). Effect of sodium benzoate vs placebo among individuals with early psychosis: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA network open, 3 (11) e2024335, e2024335. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.24335

Effect of sodium benzoate vs placebo among individuals with early psychosis: a randomized clinical trial

2020

Journal Article

Gateway or common liability? A systematic review and meta‐analysis of studies of adolescent e‐cigarette use and future smoking initiation

Chan, Gary C. K., Stjepanovic, Daniel, Lim, Carmen, Sun, Tianze, Shanmuga Anandan, Aathavan, Connor, Jason P., Gartner, Coral, Hall, Wayne D. and Leung, Janni (2020). Gateway or common liability? A systematic review and meta‐analysis of studies of adolescent e‐cigarette use and future smoking initiation. Addiction, 116 (4) add.15246, 743-756. doi: 10.1111/add.15246

Gateway or common liability? A systematic review and meta‐analysis of studies of adolescent e‐cigarette use and future smoking initiation

2020

Journal Article

The cost of mental disorders: a systematic review

Christensen, M. K., Lim, C. C. W., Saha, S., Plana-Ripoll, O., Cannon, D., Presley, F., Weye, N., Momen, N. C., Whiteford, H. A., Iburg, K. M. and McGrath, J. J. (2020). The cost of mental disorders: a systematic review. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 29 e161, e161. doi: 10.1017/s204579602000075x

The cost of mental disorders: a systematic review

2020

Journal Article

Comorbidity within mental disorders: a comprehensive analysis based on 145 990 survey respondents from 27 countries

McGrath, J. J., Lim, C. C. W., Plana-Ripoll, O., Holtz, Y., Agerbo, E., Momen, N. C., Mortensen, P. B., Pedersen, C. B., Abdulmalik, J., Aguilar-Gaxiola, S., Al-Hamzawi, A., Alonso, J., Bromet, E. J., Bruffaerts, R., Bunting, B., de Almeida, J. M. C., de Girolamo, G., De Vries, Y. A., Florescu, S., Gureje, O., Haro, J. M., Harris, M. G., Hu, C., Karam, E. G., Kawakami, N., Kiejna, A., Kovess-Masfety, V., Lee, S., Mneimneh, Z. ... de Jonge, P. (2020). Comorbidity within mental disorders: a comprehensive analysis based on 145 990 survey respondents from 27 countries. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 29 e153, e153. doi: 10.1017/s2045796020000633

Comorbidity within mental disorders: a comprehensive analysis based on 145 990 survey respondents from 27 countries

2020

Journal Article

Randomized controlled trial of social cognition and interaction training compared to befriending group

Dark, Frances, Scott, James G., Baker, Andrea, Parker, Stephen, Gordon, Anne, Newman, Ellie, Gore-Jones, Victoria, Lim, Carmen C. W., Jones, Lyndall and Penn, David L. (2020). Randomized controlled trial of social cognition and interaction training compared to befriending group. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 59 (3) bjc.12252, 384-402. doi: 10.1111/bjc.12252

Randomized controlled trial of social cognition and interaction training compared to befriending group

2020

Journal Article

Corrigendum to: The epidemiology of alcohol use disorders cross-nationally: findings from the World Mental Health Surveys [Addict. Behav. 102 (2020) 106128] (Addictive Behaviors (2020) 102, (S0306460319304897), (10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106128))

Glantz, Meyer D., Bharat, Chrianna, Degenhardt, Louisa, Sampson, Nancy A., Scott, Kate M., Lim, Carmen C. W., Al-Hamzawi, Ali, Alonso, Jordi, Andrade, Laura Helena, Cardoso, Graca, De Girolamo, Giovanni, Gureje, Oye, He, Yanling, Hinkov, Hristo, Karam, Elie G., Karam, Georges, Kovess-Masfety, Viviane, Lasebikan, Victor, Lee, Sing, Levinson, Daphna, McGrath, John, Medina-Mora, Maria-Elena, Mihaescu-Pintia, Constanta, Mneimneh, Zeina, Moskalewicz, Jacek, Navarro-Mateu, Fernando, Posada-Villa, José, Rapsey, Charlene, Stagnaro, Juan Carlos ... Kessler, Ronald C. (2020). Corrigendum to: The epidemiology of alcohol use disorders cross-nationally: findings from the World Mental Health Surveys [Addict. Behav. 102 (2020) 106128] (Addictive Behaviors (2020) 102, (S0306460319304897), (10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106128)). Addictive Behaviors, 106 106381, 106381. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106381

Corrigendum to: The epidemiology of alcohol use disorders cross-nationally: findings from the World Mental Health Surveys [Addict. Behav. 102 (2020) 106128] (Addictive Behaviors (2020) 102, (S0306460319304897), (10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106128))

2020

Conference Publication

What vaping products can you pick up from online cryptomarkets?

Lim, Carmen, Cheng, Branden, Leung, Janni, Hall, Wayne, Connor, Jason, Gartner, Coral, Scheurer, Roman and Chan, Gary (2020). What vaping products can you pick up from online cryptomarkets?. 2020 NIDA International Forum, Conference: 2020 NIDA International Forum, 19-21st June 2020.

What vaping products can you pick up from online cryptomarkets?

2020

Journal Article

Association between mental disorders and subsequent medical conditions

Momen, Natalie C., Plana-Ripoll, Oleguer, Agerbo, Esben, Benros, Michael E., Børglum, Anders D., Christensen, Maria K., Dalsgaard, Søren, Degenhardt, Louisa, de Jonge, Peter, Debost, Jean-Christophe P. G., Fenger-Grøn, Morten, Gunn, Jane M., Iburg, Kim M., Kessing, Lars V., Kessler, Ronald C., Laursen, Thomas M., Lim, Carmen C. W., Mors, Ole, Mortensen, Preben B., Musliner, Katherine L., Nordentoft, Merete, Pedersen, Carsten B., Petersen, Liselotte V., Ribe, Anette R., Roest, Annelieke M., Saha, Sukanta, Schork, Andrew J., Scott, Kate M., Sievert, Carson ... McGrath, John J. (2020). Association between mental disorders and subsequent medical conditions. New England Journal of Medicine, 382 (18), 1721-1731. doi: 10.1056/nejmoa1915784

Association between mental disorders and subsequent medical conditions

2020

Conference Publication

The economic burden of mental disorders: a systematic review

Christensen, Maria, Lim, Carmen, Saha, Sukanta, Cannon, Danielle, Presley, Finley, Iburg, Kim and McGrath, John (2020). The economic burden of mental disorders: a systematic review. Congress of the Schizophrenia-International-Research-Society (SRIS), Florence, Italy, 4-8 April 2020. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbaa029.713

The economic burden of mental disorders: a systematic review

2020

Journal Article

The epidemiology of alcohol use disorders cross-nationally: findings from the World Mental Health Surveys

Glantz, Meyer D., Bharat, Chrianna, Degenhardt, Louisa, Sampson, Nancy A., Scott, Kate M., Lim, Carmen C. W., Al-Hamzawi, Ali, Alonso, Jordi, Andrade, Laura Helena, Cardoso, Graca, De Girolamo, Giovanni, Gureje, Oye, He, Yanling, Hinkov, Hristo, Karam, Elie G., Karam, Georges, Kovess-Masfety, Viviane, Lasebikan, Victor, Lee, Sing, Levinson, Daphna, McGrath, John, Medina-Mora, Maria-Elena, Mihaescu-Pintia, Constanta, Mneimneh, Zeina, Moskalewicz, Jacek, Navarro-Mateu, Fernando, Posada-Villa, José, Rapsey, Charlene, Stagnaro, Juan Carlos ... Kessler, Ronald C. (2020). The epidemiology of alcohol use disorders cross-nationally: findings from the World Mental Health Surveys. Addictive Behaviors, 102 106128, 106128. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106128

The epidemiology of alcohol use disorders cross-nationally: findings from the World Mental Health Surveys

2020

Conference Publication

Availability of substances for use in personal vaporisers on three online cryptomarkets

Lim, C., Cheng, B., Leung, J., Hall, W., Connor, J., Gartner, C., Scheurer, R. and Chan, G. (2020). Availability of substances for use in personal vaporisers on three online cryptomarkets. 2020 NIDA International Forum , Online, June 2020. Online:

Availability of substances for use in personal vaporisers on three online cryptomarkets

2019

Journal Article

The epidemiology of drug use disorders cross-nationally: findings from the WHO's World Mental Health Surveys

Degenhardt, Louisa, Bharat, Chrianna, Glantz, Meyer D., Sampson, Nancy A., Scott, Kate, Lim, Carmen C. W., Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio, Al-Hamzawi, Ali, Alonso, Jordi, Andrade, Laura H., Bromet, Evelyn J., Bruffaerts, Ronny, Bunting, Brendan, de Girolamo, Giovanni, Gureje, Oye, Haro, Josep Maria, Harris, Meredith G., He, Yanling, de Jonge, Peter, Karam, Elie G., Karam, Georges E., Kiejna, Andrzej, Lee, Sing, Lepine, Jean-Pierre, Levinson, Daphna, Makanjuola, Victor, Medina-Mora, Maria Elena, Mneimneh, Zeina, Navarro-Mateu, Fernando ... Kessler, Ronald C. (2019). The epidemiology of drug use disorders cross-nationally: findings from the WHO's World Mental Health Surveys. International Journal of Drug Policy, 71, 103-112. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.03.002

The epidemiology of drug use disorders cross-nationally: findings from the WHO's World Mental Health Surveys

2019

Journal Article

Protocol update and statistical analysis plan for CADENCE-BZ: a randomized clinical trial to assess the efficacy of sodium benzoate as an adjunctive treatment in early psychosis

Lim, Carmen, Baker, Andrea, Saha, Sukanta, Foley, Sharon, Gordon, Anne, Ward, David, Dark, Frances, Burgher, Bjorn, Beckmann, Martin, Stathis, Stephen, Ryan, Alex, Bruxner, George, Richardson, Drew, Hatherill, Sean, Berk, Michael, Dean, Olivia, McGrath, John, Cadence Working Group, Scott, James and Suetani, Shuichi (2019). Protocol update and statistical analysis plan for CADENCE-BZ: a randomized clinical trial to assess the efficacy of sodium benzoate as an adjunctive treatment in early psychosis. Trials, 20 (1) 203. doi: 10.1186/s13063-019-3232-8

Protocol update and statistical analysis plan for CADENCE-BZ: a randomized clinical trial to assess the efficacy of sodium benzoate as an adjunctive treatment in early psychosis

2019

Journal Article

A comparison of DSM‐5 and DSM‐IV agoraphobia in the World Mental Health Surveys

Roest, Annelieke, de Vries, Ymkje Anna, Lim, Carmen C. W. and Witzchen, Hans-Ulrich (2019). A comparison of DSM‐5 and DSM‐IV agoraphobia in the World Mental Health Surveys. Depression and Anxiety, 36 (6) da.22885, 1-12. doi: 10.1002/da.22885

A comparison of DSM‐5 and DSM‐IV agoraphobia in the World Mental Health Surveys

2019

Journal Article

Exploring comorbidity within mental disorders among a Danish national population

Plana-Ripoll, Oleguer, Pedersen, Carsten Bøcker, Holtz, Yan, Benros, Michael E., Dalsgaard, Søren, De Jonge, Peter, Fan, Chun Chieh, Degenhardt, Louisa, Ganna, Andrea, Greve, Aja Neergaard, Gunn, Jane, Iburg, Kim Moesgaard, Kessing, Lars Vedel, Lee, Brian K., Lim, Carmen C. W., Mors, Ole, Nordentoft, Merete, Prior, Anders, Roest, Annelieke M., Saha, Sukanta, Schork, Andrew, Scott, James G., Scott, Kate M., Stedman, Terry, Sørensen, Holger J., Werge, Thomas, Whiteford, Harvey A., Laursen, Thomas Munk, Agerbo, Esben ... McGrath, John J. (2019). Exploring comorbidity within mental disorders among a Danish national population. JAMA Psychiatry, 76 (3), E1-E12. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.3658

Exploring comorbidity within mental disorders among a Danish national population

2018

Journal Article

The association between psychotic experiences and health-related quality of life: a cross-national analysis based on World Mental Health Surveys

Alonso, Jordi, Saha, Sukanta, Lim, Carmen C. W., Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio, Al-Hamzawi, Ali, Benjet, Corina, Bromet, Evelyn J., Degenhardt, Louisa, de Girolamo, Giovanni, Esan, Oluyomi, Florescu, Silvia, Gureje, Oye, Haro, Josep M., Hu, Chiyi, Karam, Elie G., Karam, Georges, Kovess-Masfety, Viviane, Lepine, Jean-Pierre, Lee, Sing, Mneimneh, Zeina, Navarro-Mateu, Fernando, Posada-Villa, Jose, Sampson, Nancy A., Scott, Kate M., Stagnaro, Juan Carlos, Ten Have, Margreet, Viana, Maria Carmen, Kessler, Ronald C., McGrath, John J. and WHO World Mental Health Survey Collaborators (2018). The association between psychotic experiences and health-related quality of life: a cross-national analysis based on World Mental Health Surveys. Schizophrenia Research, 201, 46-53. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2018.04.044

The association between psychotic experiences and health-related quality of life: a cross-national analysis based on World Mental Health Surveys

2018

Journal Article

Corrigendum: The cross-national epidemiology of specific phobia in the World Mental Health Surveys (Psychological medicine (2017) 47 10 (1744-1760))

Wardenaar, K. J., Lim, C. C. W., Al-Hamzawi, A. O. and Alonso, J. (2018). Corrigendum: The cross-national epidemiology of specific phobia in the World Mental Health Surveys (Psychological medicine (2017) 47 10 (1744-1760)). Psychological Medicine, 48 (5), 878-878. doi: 10.1017/S0033291717002975

Corrigendum: The cross-national epidemiology of specific phobia in the World Mental Health Surveys (Psychological medicine (2017) 47 10 (1744-1760))

2018

Conference Publication

Randomised controlled trial of social cognition interaction training

Dark, Frances, Scott, James, Baker, Andrea, Parker, Stephen, Gordon, Anne, Newman, Ellie, Gore-Jones, Victoria, Saha, Sukanta, Lim, Carmen and Penn, David (2018). Randomised controlled trial of social cognition interaction training. 6th Biennial Conference of the Schizophrenia International Research Society , Florence, Italy, 4-8 April 2018. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press . doi: 10.1093/schbul/sby017.579

Randomised controlled trial of social cognition interaction training

2018

Journal Article

CoMET: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial of co-commencement of METformin as an adjunctive treatment to attenuate weight gain and metabolic syndrome in patients with schizophrenia newly commenced on clozapine

Siskind, Dan, Friend, Nadia, Russell, Anthony, McGrath, John J., Lim, Carmen, Patterson, Sue, Flaws, Dylan, Stedman, Terry, Moudgil, Vikas, Sardinha, Savio, Suetani, Shuichi, Kisely, Steve, Winckel, Karl and Baker, Andrea (2018). CoMET: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial of co-commencement of METformin as an adjunctive treatment to attenuate weight gain and metabolic syndrome in patients with schizophrenia newly commenced on clozapine. BMJ Open, 8 (3) e021000, e021000. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-021000

CoMET: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial of co-commencement of METformin as an adjunctive treatment to attenuate weight gain and metabolic syndrome in patients with schizophrenia newly commenced on clozapine

2018

Journal Article

Psychotic experiences and general medical conditions: a cross-national analysis based on 28 002 respondents from 16 countries in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys

Scott, Kate M., Saha, Sukanta, Lim, Carmen C. W., Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio, Al-Hamzawi, Ali, Alonso, Jordi, Benjet, Corina, Bromet, Evelyn J., Bruffaerts, Ronny, Caldas-de-Almeida, José Miguel, de Girolamo, Giovanni, de Jonge, Peter, Degenhardt, Louisa, Florescu, Silvia, Gureje, Oye, Haro, Josep M., Hu, Chiyi, Karam, Elie G., Kovess-Masfety, Viviane, Lee, Sing, Lepine, Jean-Pierre, Mneimneh, Zeina, Navarro-Mateu, Fernando, Piazza, Marina, Posada-Villa, José, Sampson, Nancy A., Stagnaro, Juan Carlos, Kessler, Ronald C. and McGrath, John J. (2018). Psychotic experiences and general medical conditions: a cross-national analysis based on 28 002 respondents from 16 countries in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. Psychological Medicine, 48 (16), 1-10. doi: 10.1017/S0033291718000363

Psychotic experiences and general medical conditions: a cross-national analysis based on 28 002 respondents from 16 countries in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys

Funding

Current funding

  • 2026 - 2029
    Monitoring Australia's illicit tobacco and vaping product markets
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2025 - 2028
    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