Associate Professor Janni Leung
Associate Professor

Janni Leung

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 344 32526

Background

A/Prof Janni Leung (PhD) is an NHMRC Development Fellow at National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research (NCYSUR) at The University of Queensland. Their program of research includes investigating the epidemiology of substance use and mental health because they are both major public health issues that commonly occur together. This research program had made paradigm-changing development through 100+ articles, which have recognised impact (15,000+ cites, 30% output in the top 1% citation percentile). Many of their work involves conducting systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and applying statistical models to epidemiological data on addiction and mental health issues to better understand their impacts on populations. Her work is used to inform policies on how to reduce the disease burden caused by addiction and mental health problems in Australia and overseas. Janni is committed to conducting high-quality rigorous research to generate empirical epidemiological evidence to inform decisions to prevent addiction-related harms in the population.

Teaching and supervision: They have qualifications and training in public health, sociology, and psychology. In addition, they have strong research and teaching experience in epidemiology and biostatistics. Janni has worked with a range of students from diverse demographic and cultural backgrounds, including mature-aged students and students with family responsibilities. She currently has a topic available for a self-motivated student interested in addiction research. Janni’s current research focus is on the epidemiology and disease burden associated with mental and substance use disorders across the globe.

Consultation: Janni is available for private consultation and workshop presentations on request for various research methodological and statistical topics, e.g. systematic reviews and meta-analysis, questionnaire and survey designs, cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses.

Where can you find Janni: Janni is based at the UQ St Lucia campus with regular visits to the Long Pocket and Herston campuses. You may also catch Janni at the APSAD conference.

Availability

Associate Professor Janni Leung is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Clinical sciences Epidemiology Health Sciences Psychology

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Arts, The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor of Health Sciences, The University of Queensland
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Research interests

  • Substance use, substance abuse, and substance dependence

  • Mental health and mental disorders

  • Epidemiology, public health

  • Burden of disease

  • Higher education

Search Professor Janni Leung’s works on UQ eSpace

305 works between 2010 and 2025
All (305) Journal Article (236) Book Chapter (1) Conference Publication (62) Other Outputs (6)

61 - 80 of 305 works

2023

Journal Article

E-Cigarette Use Among High School Students—a Cross-Sectional Study of Associated Risk Factors for the Use of Flavour-Only and Nicotine Vapes

Leung, Janni, Tisdale, Calvert, Choi, Jisu, Ellem, Rhiannon, Davidson, Lily, Chan, Gary C. K., White, Melanie J., Kavanagh, David J., Quinn, Catherine and Hides, Leanne (2023). E-Cigarette Use Among High School Students—a Cross-Sectional Study of Associated Risk Factors for the Use of Flavour-Only and Nicotine Vapes. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 23 (1), 1-15. doi: 10.1007/s11469-023-01099-7

E-Cigarette Use Among High School Students—a Cross-Sectional Study of Associated Risk Factors for the Use of Flavour-Only and Nicotine Vapes

2023

Journal Article

Motivation and hesitancies in obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine—a cross-sectional study in Norway, USA, UK, and Australia

Leung, Janni, Price, Daicia, McClure-Thomas, Caitlin, Bonsaksen, Tore, Ruffolo, Mary, Kabelenga, Isaac, Lamph, Gary and Geirdal, Amy Østertun (2023). Motivation and hesitancies in obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine—a cross-sectional study in Norway, USA, UK, and Australia. Vaccines, 11 (6) 1086, 1-13. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11061086

Motivation and hesitancies in obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine—a cross-sectional study in Norway, USA, UK, and Australia

2023

Journal Article

Predicting the long-term effects of electronic cigarette use on population health: a systematic review of modelling studies

Vu, Giang T, Stjepanović, Daniel, Sun, Tianze, Leung, Janni, Chung, Jack, Connor, Jason, Thai, Phong K, Gartner, Coral E, Tran, Bach Xuan, Hall, Wayne D and Chan, Gary (2023). Predicting the long-term effects of electronic cigarette use on population health: a systematic review of modelling studies. Tobacco Control, 33 (6) tc-2022-057748, 1-8. doi: 10.1136/tc-2022-057748

Predicting the long-term effects of electronic cigarette use on population health: a systematic review of modelling studies

2023

Journal Article

All‐cause and cause‐specific mortality in individuals with an alcohol‐related emergency or hospital inpatient presentation: a retrospective data linkage cohort study

Leung, Janni, Chiu, Vivian, Man, Nicola, Yuen, Wing See, Dobbins, Timothy, Dunlop, Adrian, Gisev, Natasa, Hall, Wayne, Larney, Sarah, Pearson, Sallie‐Anne, Degenhardt, Louisa and Peacock, Amy (2023). All‐cause and cause‐specific mortality in individuals with an alcohol‐related emergency or hospital inpatient presentation: a retrospective data linkage cohort study. Addiction, 118 (9), 1751-1762. doi: 10.1111/add.16218

All‐cause and cause‐specific mortality in individuals with an alcohol‐related emergency or hospital inpatient presentation: a retrospective data linkage cohort study

2023

Journal Article

Temperament and character in an Australian sample: examining cross-sectional associations of personality with age, sex, and satisfaction with life

Eley, Diann S., Bansal, Vikas, Cloninger, C. Robert and Leung, Janni (2023). Temperament and character in an Australian sample: examining cross-sectional associations of personality with age, sex, and satisfaction with life. PeerJ, 11 e15342, e15342. doi: 10.7717/peerj.15342

Temperament and character in an Australian sample: examining cross-sectional associations of personality with age, sex, and satisfaction with life

2023

Journal Article

Epidemiology of injecting drug use, prevalence of injecting-related harm, and exposure to behavioural and environmental risks among people who inject drugs: a systematic review

Degenhardt, Louisa, Webb, Paige, Colledge-Frisby, Samantha, Ireland, Jeremy, Wheeler, Alice, Ottaviano, Sophie, Willing, Alex, Kairouz, Abe, Cunningham, Evan B, Hajarizadeh, Behzad, Leung, Janni, Tran, Lucy T, Price, Olivia, Peacock, Amy, Vickerman, Peter, Farrell, Michael, Dore, Gregory J, Hickman, Matthew and Grebely, Jason (2023). Epidemiology of injecting drug use, prevalence of injecting-related harm, and exposure to behavioural and environmental risks among people who inject drugs: a systematic review. The Lancet Global Health, 11 (5), e659-e672. doi: 10.1016/s2214-109x(23)00057-8

Epidemiology of injecting drug use, prevalence of injecting-related harm, and exposure to behavioural and environmental risks among people who inject drugs: a systematic review

2023

Journal Article

Global coverage of interventions to prevent and manage drug-related harms among people who inject drugs: a systematic review

Colledge-Frisby, Samantha, Ottaviano, Sophie, Webb, Paige, Grebely, Jason, Wheeler, Alice, Cunningham, Evan B, Hajarizadeh, Behzad, Leung, Janni, Peacock, Amy, Vickerman, Peter, Farrell, Michael, Dore, Greg, Hickman, Matthew and Degenhardt, Louisa (2023). Global coverage of interventions to prevent and manage drug-related harms among people who inject drugs: a systematic review. The Lancet Global Health, 11 (5), e673-e683. doi: 10.1016/s2214-109x(23)00058-x

Global coverage of interventions to prevent and manage drug-related harms among people who inject drugs: a systematic review

2023

Journal Article

A latent class analysis of patterns of tobacco and cannabis use in Australia and their health‐related correlates

Lim, Carmen C. W., Leung, Janni K. Y., Gravely, Shannon, Gartner, Coral, Sun, Tianze, Chiu, Vivian, Chung, Jack Y. C., Stjepanović, Daniel, Connor, Jason, Scheurer, Roman W., Hall, Wayne and Chan, Gary C. K. (2023). A latent class analysis of patterns of tobacco and cannabis use in Australia and their health‐related correlates. Drug and Alcohol Review, 42 (4), 815-826. doi: 10.1111/dar.13614

A latent class analysis of patterns of tobacco and cannabis use in Australia and their health‐related correlates

2023

Journal Article

Do not let the ideal be the enemy of good enough regulation

Hall, Wayne, Leung, Janni and Carlini, Beatriz H. (2023). Do not let the ideal be the enemy of good enough regulation. Addiction, 118 (6), 1009-1010. doi: 10.1111/add.16201

Do not let the ideal be the enemy of good enough regulation

2023

Journal Article

Study protocol of the Our Futures Vaping Trial: a cluster randomised controlled trial of a school-based eHealth intervention to prevent e-cigarette use among adolescents

Gardner, Lauren A., Rowe, Amy-Leigh, Stockings, Emily, Champion, Katrina E., Hides, Leanne, McBride, Nyanda, Allsop, Steve, O'Dean, Siobhan, Sunderland, Matthew, Lee, Yong Yi, Mihalopoulos, Cathy, Freeman, Becky, Leung, Janni, McRobbie, Hayden, Stapinski, Lexine, Lee, Nicole, Thornton, Louise, Debenham, Jennifer, Teesson, Maree and Newton, Nicola C. (2023). Study protocol of the Our Futures Vaping Trial: a cluster randomised controlled trial of a school-based eHealth intervention to prevent e-cigarette use among adolescents. BMC Public Health, 23 (1) 683. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-15609-8

Study protocol of the Our Futures Vaping Trial: a cluster randomised controlled trial of a school-based eHealth intervention to prevent e-cigarette use among adolescents

2023

Journal Article

Global prevalence of heated tobacco product use, 2015‐2022: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Sun, Tianze, Anandan, Aathavan, Lim, Carmen C. W., East, Katherine, Xu, Steve S., Quah, Anne C. K., Rutherford, Brienna N., Johnson, Benjamin, Qi, Yaqi, Stjepanovic, Daniel, Leung, Janni, Connor, Jason P., Gartner, Coral, Hall, Wayne D., Vu, Giang and Chan, Gary C. K. (2023). Global prevalence of heated tobacco product use, 2015‐2022: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Addiction, 118 (8), 1430-1444. doi: 10.1111/add.16199

Global prevalence of heated tobacco product use, 2015‐2022: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

2023

Journal Article

Cannabis use in Sub‐Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Belete, Habte, Mekonen, Tesfa, Espinosa, Dorothy C., Ambaw, Fentie, Connor, Jason, Chan, Gary, Hides, Leanne, Hall, Wayne and Leung, Janni (2023). Cannabis use in Sub‐Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Addiction, 118 (7), 1201-1215. doi: 10.1111/add.16170

Cannabis use in Sub‐Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

2023

Journal Article

Associations between the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B among people who inject drugs and country‐level characteristics: an ecological analysis

Syangbo, Anjalee, Hickman, Matthew, Colledge‐Frisby, Samantha, Leung, Janni, Grebely, Jason, Larney, Sarah, Degenhardt, Louisa and Trickey, Adam (2023). Associations between the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B among people who inject drugs and country‐level characteristics: an ecological analysis. Drug and Alcohol Review, 42 (3), 569-581. doi: 10.1111/dar.13595

Associations between the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B among people who inject drugs and country‐level characteristics: an ecological analysis

2023

Journal Article

What is the hype on # MedicinalCannabis in the United States? A content analysis of medicinal cannabis tweets

Lim, Carmen C. W., Sun, Tianze, Gartner, Coral, Connor, Jason, Fahmi, Marco, Hall, Wayne, Hames, Sam, Stjepanović, Daniel, Chan, Gary and Leung, Janni (2023). What is the hype on # MedicinalCannabis in the United States? A content analysis of medicinal cannabis tweets. Drug and Alcohol Review, 43 (1), 28-35. doi: 10.1111/dar.13618

What is the hype on # MedicinalCannabis in the United States? A content analysis of medicinal cannabis tweets

2023

Journal Article

Cryptocurrency trading, mental health and addiction: a qualitative analysis of Reddit discussions

Johnson, Benjamin, Stjepanović, Daniel, Leung, Janni, Sun, Tianze and Chan, Gary C. K. (2023). Cryptocurrency trading, mental health and addiction: a qualitative analysis of Reddit discussions. Addiction Research and Theory, 31 (5), 345-351. doi: 10.1080/16066359.2023.2174259

Cryptocurrency trading, mental health and addiction: a qualitative analysis of Reddit discussions

2023

Journal Article

Trends in cannabis use intention around the period of cannabis legalisation in Australia: an age‐period‐cohort model

Chiu, Vivian, Chan, Gary, Hall, Wayne, Hides, Leanne and Leung, Janni (2023). Trends in cannabis use intention around the period of cannabis legalisation in Australia: an age‐period‐cohort model. Drug and Alcohol Review, 42 (2), 337-345. doi: 10.1111/dar.13578

Trends in cannabis use intention around the period of cannabis legalisation in Australia: an age‐period‐cohort model

2023

Journal Article

How should policy makers regulate the tetrahydrocannabinol content of cannabis products in a legal market?

Hall, Wayne, Leung, Janni and Carlini, Beatriz H. (2023). How should policy makers regulate the tetrahydrocannabinol content of cannabis products in a legal market?. Addiction, 118 (6), 998-1003. doi: 10.1111/add.16135

How should policy makers regulate the tetrahydrocannabinol content of cannabis products in a legal market?

2023

Journal Article

What client demographic, substance use, mental health, treatment, and psychological variables predict residential treatment completion for substance use disorders?

Tisdale, Calvert, Leung, Janni, de Andrade, Dominique and Hides, Leanne (2023). What client demographic, substance use, mental health, treatment, and psychological variables predict residential treatment completion for substance use disorders?. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 23 (1), 49-69. doi: 10.1007/s11469-022-01002-w

What client demographic, substance use, mental health, treatment, and psychological variables predict residential treatment completion for substance use disorders?

2023

Journal Article

Perceptions of social media challenges and benefits during the Covid-19 pandemic: Qualitative findings from a cross sectional international survey

Schoultz, Mariyana, Lamph, Gary, Thygesen, Hilde, Leung, Janni, Bonsaksen, Tore, Ruffolo, Mary, Price, Daicia, Watson, Paul, Kabelenga, Isaac, Chiu, Vivian and Østertun Geirdal, Amy (2023). Perceptions of social media challenges and benefits during the Covid-19 pandemic: Qualitative findings from a cross sectional international survey. PLoS Global Public Health, 3 (1) e0001463, 1-13. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001463

Perceptions of social media challenges and benefits during the Covid-19 pandemic: Qualitative findings from a cross sectional international survey

2023

Journal Article

Cryptocurrency trading and its associations with gambling and mental health: a scoping review

Johnson, Benjamin, Co, Steven, Sun, Tianze, Lim, Carmen C.W., Stjepanović, Daniel, Leung, Janni, Saunders, John B. and Chan, Gary C.K. (2023). Cryptocurrency trading and its associations with gambling and mental health: a scoping review. Addictive Behaviors, 136 107504, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107504

Cryptocurrency trading and its associations with gambling and mental health: a scoping review

Current funding

  • 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 - 2025
    Developing and evaluating an AI-assisted health promotion campaign on social media to tackle the public health concerns of youth vaping
    UQ Foundation Research Excellence Awards
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2026
    A new scalable eHealth approach to prevent e-cigarette use among adolescents: The OurFutures Vaping program (MRFF Maternal Health and Healthy Lifestyles Grant administered by University of Sydney)
    University of Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2027
    Reducing the impact and burden of substance use on mental health
    NHMRC Investigator Grants
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2024 - 2025
    UQ AWARE - Dr Janni Leung
    UQ Amplify Women's Academic Research Equity
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2024
    Establishing an International Consortium on video gaming addiction
    U21 Health Sciences Group International Projects Fund
    Open grant
  • 2023
    Review of alcohol and other drugs program
    Queensland Department of Education
    Open grant
  • 2023
    How can we minimise the adolescent uptake of vaping and related social and health harm?
    Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2022
    How much burden from depression can be alleviated if Australians reduce their alcohol consumption?
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2021
    Quantifying the impact and burden of substance use disorders on mental health
    UQ Development Fellowships
    Open grant

Availability

Associate Professor Janni Leung is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Available Dissertation and Thesis Topics (No International Scholarships Available)

    How to apply – Send your CV, academic transcript, and cover letter to <j.leung1@uq.edu.au>

    1. Epidemiology of mental and substance use disorders
    2. Harmful alcohol use and alcohol use disorders
    3. Video gaming addiction in youth and across different population groups
    4. Smoking in South-East Asia
    5. Substance use treatment service use
    6. Cost-effectiveness of addiction interventions

    *Propose your own topics. Research projects would be suitable to those:

    • Highly motivated, proactive, and self-directed
    • Strong written and oral communication skills
    • Has completed or is enrolled to complete the UQ library workshop on systematic reviews and database searching
    • Able to travel to St Lucia, The University of Queensland

  • Areas of RHD supervision

    • Psychiatry epidemiology
    • Alcohol use disorders
    • Alcohol drinking behavior
    • Tobacco smoking
    • Gaming addiction
    • Video game play behaviours
    • Injecting drug use
    • Person who inject drugs
    • Substance use
    • Substance dependence
    • Substance abuse
    • Drug use disorders
    • Amphetamine / methamphetamine
    • Cocaine / Heroin
    • Marijuana / Cannabis
    • Psycho-stimulants
    • Mental health and mental disorders
    • Depression & anxiety
    • Public attitudes
    • Burden of disease
    • Treatment rates and treatment gaps
    • Risk factors and outcomes of substance use
    • Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Associate Professor Janni Leung directly for media enquiries about:

  • Disease burden
  • Mental health
  • Substance abuse
  • Substance dependence
  • Substance use

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au