Dr Carmen Lim
Dr

Carmen Lim

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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

Fields of research

Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Biostatistics Epidemiology Health Sciences Health promotion Mathematical Sciences Public health Statistics

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.

Search Professor Carmen Lim’s works on UQ eSpace

162 works between 2013 and 2026
All (162) Journal Article (121) Other Outputs (4) Conference Publication (32) Book Chapter (5)

161 - 162 of 162 works

2013

Journal Article

Associations between DSM-IV mental disorders and subsequent heart disease onset: beyond depression

Scott, Kate M., de Jonge, Peter, Alonso, Jordi, Viana, Maria Carmen, Liu, Zhaorui, O'Neill, Siobhan, Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio, Bruffaerts, Ronny, Caldas-de-Almeida, Jose Miguel, Stein, Dan J., de Girolamo, Giovanni, Florescu, Silvia E., Hu, Chiyi, Taib, Nezar Ismet, Lepine, Jean-Pierre, Levinson, Daphna, Matschinger, Herbert, Elena Medina-Mora, Maria, Piazza, Marina, Posada-Villa, Jose A., Uda, Hidenori, Wojtyniak, Bogdan J., Lim, Carmen C. W. and Kessler, Ronald C. (2013). Associations between DSM-IV mental disorders and subsequent heart disease onset: beyond depression. International Journal of Cardiology, 168 (6), 5293-5299. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2013.08.012

Associations between DSM-IV mental disorders and subsequent heart disease onset: beyond depression

2013

Journal Article

Associations between DSM-IV mental disorders and onset of self-reported peptic ulcer in the World Mental Health Surveys

Scott, Kate M., Alonso, Jordi, de Jonge, Peter, Carmen Viana, Maria, Liu, Zhaorui, O'Neill, Siobhan, Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio, Bruffaerts, Ronny, Caldas-de-Almeida, Jose Miguel, Stein, Dan J., Angermeyer, Matthias, Benjet, Corina, de Girolamo, Giovanni, Firuleasa, Ingrid-Laura, Hu, Chiyi, Kiejna, Andrzej, Kovess-Masfety, Viviane, Levinson, Daphna, Nakane, Yoshibumi, Piazza, Marina, Posada-Villa, Jose A., Khalaf, Mohammad Salih, Lim, Carmen C. W. and Kessler, Ronald C. (2013). Associations between DSM-IV mental disorders and onset of self-reported peptic ulcer in the World Mental Health Surveys. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 75 (2), 121-127. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2013.04.007

Associations between DSM-IV mental disorders and onset of self-reported peptic ulcer in the World Mental Health Surveys

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

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

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