Nicola Newton

Professor Nicola Newton is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health and serves as the Director of Prevention Research at the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney. She earned a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours Class 1) from Macquarie University in 2005 and a PhD from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales. Newton's research specializations encompass the development and evaluation of innovative, internet-based interventions aimed at preventing substance use and related mental health harms in adolescents. She has authored more than 220 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, garnering over 6,800 citations and an h-index of 43. Key contributions include her leadership in creating the Climate Schools series, a suite of universal online prevention programs targeting alcohol, cannabis use, and mental health issues, which have been extensively evaluated in randomized controlled trials.

Newton's career includes prior roles at the University of New South Wales and recognition as an NHMRC Career Development Fellow. Her influential work has extended to initiatives like Health4Life, a social venture implemented in over 1,400 schools to improve adolescent mental health and risk-taking behaviors. Notable publications feature 'Effect of Selective Personality-Targeted Alcohol Use Prevention on 7-Year Outcomes for Alcohol Misuse and Mental Health: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial' (JAMA Network Open, 2022), 'The 7-Year Effectiveness of School-Based Alcohol Use Prevention From Childhood to Adolescence' (Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2021), and studies on the Climate Schools Combined program (BMC Psychiatry, 2014). She has received prestigious honors, including the 2024 Australian Rotary Health Mental Health Impact Award, the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Mid-Career Award (2021), the University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine and Health Makers and Shapers Award for the Outstanding Research Team (Health4Life, 2023), and the UNSW Faculty of Medicine Dean's Rising Star Award (2012). Newton supervises higher degree by research students and contributes to mentoring within her field.

Professional Email: nicola.newton@sydney.edu.au