Rate My Professor Peter Kelly

Professor Peter Kelly is a Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Wollongong, within the Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. He holds the position of Acting Executive Dean of the Faculty, Deputy Head of School (Research), and Director of the Centre for Health Psychology Practice and Research. A registered clinical psychologist, Kelly completed his PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Wollongong between 2003 and 2007. His career at the university has progressed from lecturer to associate professor and now full professor, with longstanding affiliations including the Health Psychology Research Group.

Kelly's research specializations encompass substance use disorders, particularly alcohol and other drugs, peer support and mutual aid in addiction recovery such as SMART Recovery, patient-centred care and treatment outcomes in alcohol and drug settings, health literacy in individuals with mental illness, physical health comorbidities during substance treatment, healthy lifestyle interventions for people with severe mental illness, and pharmacotherapies for methamphetamine dependence. He guest-edited a special issue of Addictive Behaviors in 2020 on the role of peer support and mutual aid in reducing harm from addictive behaviors, featuring 13 articles. Notable publications include 'Patient-centred care in substance dependence treatment' in Substance Abuse (2020), 'Physical health problems in residential drug and alcohol treatment' in Journal of Dual Diagnosis (2020), 'Cognitive-behavioral skill utilization, social networks, and psychological distress in SMART Recovery' in Substance Use & Misuse (2019), and the protocol for the N-ICE study on N-acetylcysteine for methamphetamine dependence in Trials (2019). His work has attracted funding from NSW Health and contributed to NHMRC grants, including a $2.5 million award in 2021 to improve alcohol and drug treatment. Kelly collaborates with organizations like the Network of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies, NEAMI National, and St Vincent de Paul Society, leading trials of recovery apps and programs that enhance evidence-based practices in health psychology and clinical care.