Tara Carney

Dr. Carney has been employed as a Specialist Scientist in the Mental Health, Alcohol, Substance Use, Tobacco and Other Drug Research Unit of the South African Medical Research Council since 2006 and as a PhD from Psychiatry and Mental Health Department from the University of Cape Town. Her research experience includes leading large substance use and mental health projects funded by NICHD, NIAAA, NIDA, and SOR4D. She is a previous Marie Curie Fellow and Work Package Leader on the Code Misused Project funded by the European Union, and was also the master trainer and curriculum developer for the South African HIV ATTC (Addiction Transfer Technology Centre). She has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and technical research reports on the topics of substance abuse screening, brief intervention, substance use and infectious disease and adolescent mental health (including substance use), has presented on these topics at local and international conferences (including AIDS Impact, NIDA International (National Institute on Drug Abuse, College of Problems on Drug Dependence and InWomen’s Group Conference, KBS Symposium and been asked to deliver multiple local keynote addresses., and reviewed articles for peer-reviewed journals. Her specific research interests include intervention work in general and specifically aimed at young people who engage in substance use and other challenging behaviour, mental health, as well as structural drivers of substance use services. She has also been rated by the National Research Foundation as an established researcher. She has a strong track record of working with a number of national and international collaborators, as well as been responsible for the recruitment of and management of staff at various levels, including field teams and project management staff/supervisors., Dr. Carney has a strong background in ensuring ethics protocols are submitted and adhered to and am generally responsible for the setting up of study trials, budget management, hiring field staff, staff training and management and monitoring study progress, as well as ensuring protocol is adhered to as well as building staff capacity. She is also skilled in both qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and the preparation and writing of manuscripts, together with the dissemination of study findings both nationally and internationally.

• ISSUP South Africa, 2021-present
• RTI International Global Gender Center, 2022-present

• 1R01DA 049612-01A1, 2020-2025, $732,304 (ZAR10 821 695)
• 1R01A1147316-01, 2019-2024, $278,650 (ZAR4 117,778)
• 1R01AI155765-01, 2020-2025, $666,766 (ZAR 9 848,134)
• Solution-Oriented Research for Development (SOR4D) programme grant, 2023-2026, CHF 256,021 (ZAR5 239.539)
• 1R21TW012347-01A1, 2024-present, $185,838

• Parental or Caregiver Brief Intervention for reducing Adolescent Substance Use and Other Risk, 01/01/2017–01/01/2019
• Expanding Testing and Prevention to Reach Vulnerable Young Women, 09/01/2015–2022
• Linking High-risk Young Women to HIV Prevention and Care for Comorbid Conditions (The Pretreatment CoOp), 02/23/2015–02/28/2018
• The Impact of Alcohol Consumption on Tuberculosis Treatment Outcomes, 04/30/2016–03/31/2022 (NCE)

• Nationality: South African (Eligible for British ancestry or special skills visa)
• Driving License: Yes

• Introduction to Epidemiology (PPH7018H), University of Cape Town, 2008
• Introduction to Biostatistics (PPH7021H), University of Cape Town, 2008
• Biostatistics Module II (STA5055Z), University of Cape Town, 2008
• Motivational Interviewing (5 day course), University of the Western Cape, 2009
• Protocol development and Revman software, Cochrane Centre, South African Medical Research Council, 2010
• Grading quality of evidence workshop, Cochrane Centre, South African Medical Research Council, 2012
• Protocol development and systematic review workshop, Cochrane Centre, Oxford, 2015
• International ATTC Master trainer Course, University of San Diego, 2018
• Good Clinical Practice (most recent update), CREDE, 2023