NDARC's Professor Maree Teesson appointed Companion of the Order of Australia
March 2018
The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at UNSW Sydney, congratulates Professor Maree Teesson on her appointment as a Companion of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day 2018 Honours List.
Professor Teesson is the Director of the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use (CREMS), which was established in 2012 and brings together more than 70 multi-disciplinary academic and clinical researchers spanning seven national and international universities.
Professor Teesson received her award for, “eminent service to medicine, particularly to the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders, as a researcher and author, to innovate mental health policy development, to education and as a role model for young researchers.”
The Companion of the Order is the highest honour, awarded for eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or humanity at large. Only 16 Australians were named Companions in the Australia Day 2018 Honours List.
Professor Teesson said she was honoured to receive the award in recognition of her and her team’s work addressing issues with the potential to debilitate the lives of millions of Australians and their families.
“My team’s research is at the forefront of prevention and treatment of mental and substance use disorders, having led to numerous ‘firsts’ in the field and drawing attention to the vital areas of mental health and drug and alcohol research,” Professor Teesson said.
“We have pioneered innovative e-health programs focusing on the prevention of alcohol and drug related harms using internet delivered school-based technologies for students in Australia, the UK and the US.
“Investment in research and services is an investment in the future of Australia and clearly valued by the Australian community, yet we spend only five percent of the health budget on mental health and less than two percent on prevention. We need to invest more.”
Please visit the NDARC website to read more about Professor Teesson’s work.
