Background

Amy has over 10 years experience in public and community health spanning direct service delivery, project management, research and policy.

Amy’s research interests include prisons and injecting drug use. She manages outreach fieldworkers collecting data on drug and alcohol and justice health projects.

Qualifications

• MSW, RMIT
• MSocSci (Policy and Human Services), RMIT
• BA (Hons), University of Melbourne

Projects (9)

• Centre for Research Excellence into Injecting Drug Use
  Improving the health of PWID through new research to inform public health policy and practice.
• Cohort study of ex-prisoners with a history of injecting drug use
  The largest ever prospective study of ex-prisoners with a history of injecting drug use in Australia.
• Ecstasy and related Drugs Reporting System (EDRS)
  EDRS aims to examine trends in the use of ecstasy and other drugs among regular users.
• Evaluation of a condom distribution trial in Victorian prisons
  The evaluation of a pilot program introducing condoms and dental dams into Victorian Prisons.
• Hit & Miss: Health needs of ex-prisoners with an IDU history
  Assessing drug use and health needs for six months post-release.
• Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS)
  The aim is to serve as a strategic early warning system, identifying emerging trends related to the use, price, purity and availability of illicit drugs such as heroin, methamphetamines, cocaine and cannabis.
• PATH Cohort Study
  A cohort study of the trajectories of prisoners with a history of injecting drug use after release from prison
• The Melbourne Injecting Drug User Cohort Study (SuperMIX)
  A five-year study of the dynamics of cessation of injecting drug use and any subsequent relapse.
• VicMeth: Understanding methamphetamine use in metropolitan and regional Victoria
  Aims to determine the nature and extent of methamphetamine use in Melbourne and three regional Victorian areas: Bendigo, Shepparton and Latrobe.

Publications (5)

2016 (1)

• Take-home naloxone programs and calls to emergency services.
  Kirwan A, Curtis M, van Beek IA, Cantwell K, Dietze PM
  Med J Aust. 2016 Mar; 204(4):143

2015 (2)

• Modelling the Impact of Condom Distribution on the Incidence and Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections in an Adult Male Prison System.
  Scott N, McBryde E, Kirwan A, Stoové M
  PLoS One. 2015 Dec; 10(12):e0144869
• Correlates of property crime in a cohort of recently released prisoners with a history of injecting drug use.
  Kirwan A, Quinn B, Winter R, Kinner SA, Dietze P, Stoové M
  Harm Reduct J. 2015 Aug; 12(1):23

2014 (1)

• Prevalence and associations of quetiapine fumarate misuse among an Australian national city sample of people who regularly inject drugs
  Reddel SE, Bruno R, Burns L, Kirwan A, Lokuge K, Dietze P
  Addiction. 2014 Feb; 109(2):295-302

2013 (1)

• Evaluation of the Introduction of Condoms and Dental Dams into Victorian Prisons, Stage Two and Three – Final Report.
  Kirwan A, Scott N, McBryde E, Stoové M
  Technical Report for Centre for Population Health, Burnet Institute: Melbourne, Australia.. 2013 Jul