Dr Peter Gates

BA (Psych), Dip In Psych, PhD

Dr Peter Gates has an extensive career with the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, starting in August 2002.

He has worked on projects investigating alcohol use in young Australians leading to the introduction of the Australian Alcohol Treatment Outcome Measure for dissemination across non-government health organisations. Peter also conducted research on the potency and contamination content of Australian cannabis prior to commencing employment with the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC) at its inauguration in 2008. Peter then investigated the barriers users face in receiving treatment specifically for their cannabis use and completed his PhD in August 2012 on developing and evaluating the efficacy of a telephone-based treatment as delivered by the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre’s Cannabis Information and Helpline.

Following the unfortunate defunding of NCPIC in 2016, Peter then worked in areas of paediatric medication safety and mental health with Macquarie University prior to returning to NDARC in July, 2022. Peter is currently leading the 'Communities' stream for the SUSTAIN group within NDARC, which aims to identify communities struggling with alcohol and other drug harms, support these communities to implement best-evidence primary prevention strategies, and finally evaluate the acceptability and impact of these strategies.