Tayla Degan

Dr. Tayla Degan is a Research Fellow at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), University of New South Wales, and a registered Clinical Psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology) and a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) from the University of Wollongong.

• Current roles: Postdoctoral Research Fellow (NDARC), Adjunct Lecturer (University of Wollongong/Charles Darwin University)
• Specializations: Substance use disorder treatment, mental health services, health literacy, and stimulant research
• Key projects: The Tina Trial (mirtazapine for methamphetamine use), Continuing Care Project (telephone-based interventions)

Research Focus: Tayla's work bridges clinical psychology and public health, examining how health literacy impacts treatment outcomes, developing technology-driven interventions for substance use, and evaluating continuing care models post-residential treatment. Her methodologies include randomised controlled trials, latent profile analysis, and systematic reviews.

Publication Trends: Her recent articles (2025-2019) emphasize:

• Testing pharmacotherapies like mirtazapine for stimulant dependence
• Improving health literacy in dual-diagnosis populations
• Implementing telehealth interventions post-residential care
• Evaluating longitudinal recovery trajectories via statistical modeling

Scientific Recognition:

• Australian Psychological Society Student Prize (2022)
• Publication of the Month Award (Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, 2022)
• University of Wollongong and Salvation Army Matching Scholarship (2018-2022)

Education & Advocacy: Tayla's PhD (2020) focused on health literacy in mental health services. She has lectured at the University of Wollongong and Charles Darwin University, and contributed to health literacy policy, indigenous health initiatives, and prison mental health care.