Dr. Irina Kinchin
Research Assistant Professor, Trinity Inst. of Neurosciences (TCIN)
Research Assistant Professor, Medical Gerontology
Biography
Dr Kinchin is an Assistant Research Professor at the Center for Health Policy and Management at Trinity College Dublin. Dr Kinchin is a health economist by training, and much of her research is dedicated to the study of populations with complex needs, particularly related to their carers and mental health, in the end-of-life and neurodegenerative settings.
Dr Kinchin's current work is focused on researching a 'beyond health' approach to policy and priority setting in dementia and at the end-of-life, supported by the Health Research Board award. She previously held research positions with leading research centres, including the Centre for Health Economics and Evaluation at the University of Technology Sydney, the Centre for Indigenous Health Equity Research at Central Queensland University and the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Centre at James Cook University in Australia.
Dr Kinchin has over ten years of applied health economics research and evaluation experience in Australia and Ireland. Her work has culminated in a prestigious award to become an Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health at the Global Brain Health Institute. She has been recognised as one of the top 12 leading health researchers in Ireland by the Health Research Board award. Her total grant funding to date is >3.5M (over 25 collaborative grants and 4 personal awards). She has published in leading clinical journals (e.g. Alzheimer's and Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, The Lancet, The Lancet Psychiatry) and presented at international conferences in the health economics space. She has served on the scientific review panel for the International Health Economics Association (iHEA) 2017, 2019, 2021; and the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) 2022.
Through the world-leading specialist MSc training in health economics (University of York, UK) and from working in international research centres, Dr Kinchin brings a broad technical skillset, which includes Research Design and Impact Evaluation, Evidence-Based Health Service Research, Outcomes Research, Economic Evaluation and its Critical Appraisal, Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, Health Technology Assessment, Randomised Control Trials, Decision-Analytic Modelling, Systematic Review, Meta-analysis.
Dr Kinchin's international expertise has been recognised by her appointment as a health economist to the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) National Programme Grants for Applied Research (PGfAR) sub-committee in the UK. She also serves as a panel member on the independent grant assessment committee Clinician Researchers Initiative for the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) in Australia.
Committee/panel activities:
Methodologist (Health economics) - NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Health Research Sub-Committee B (2022 to present)
Editorial roles:
Associate Editor - Quality of Life Research (2022 to present)
Associate Editor - International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care (2022 to present)
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Irina Kinchin, Sean Kelley, Elena Meshcheriakova, Rosalie Viney, Jennifer Mann, Fintan Thompson, Edward Strivens, Cost-effectiveness of a community-based integrated care model compared with usual care for older adults with complex needs: a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised trial, Integrated Healthcare Journal, 2022
Anna Brugulat-Serrat and Yaohua Chen and Naiara Demnitz and Aya Ashour and Emily Adrion and Stefania Ilinca and Irina Kinchin and Arianna Almirall-Sanchez and Didem Öz and Wambui Karanja and Maritza Pintado and Nicole Rogers and Anne Browning and Ieva Petkuté, Roadmap for change in sex and gender inequities in brain health: A global perspective, International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 37, (5), 2022
Joseph Clark and Sungwon Chang and Irina Kinchin and Diana Ferreira and Slavica Kochovska and Deidre Morgan and Leanne M. Poulos and Miriam J. Johnson and Magnus Ekström and David C. Currow, Lower workforce participation is associated with more severe persisting breathlessness, BMC Pulmonary Medicine, 22, (1), 2022
Kinchin, I., Mitchell, E., Agar, M., Trépel, D. , The economic cost of delirium: A systematic review and quality assessment, Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2021
Jacups, S.P., Kinchin, I. , A rapid review of evidence to inform an ear, nose and throat service delivery model in remote Australia, Rural and Remote Health, 21, (1), 2021, p5611-
Disalvo, D., Agar, M., Caplan, G., Murtagh, F., Luckett, T., Heneka, N., Hickman, L., Kinchin, I., Trethewie, S., Sheehan, C., Urban, K., Cohen, J., Harlum, J., Long, B., Parker, T., Schaefer, I., Phillips, J. , Virtual models of care for people with palliative care needs living in their own home: a systematic meta-review and narrative synthesis, Palliative Medicine , 2021
Jacups, S.P., Kinchin, I., and Edwards, L., Participatory Action Research Applied to an Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialty Service Redesign in Remote Australia: A Mixed-Methods Study of Key Stakeholder Perspectives, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, (1), 2020, p167
Currow, D., Chang, S., Grande, E.D., Ferreira, D., Kochovska, S., Kinchin, I., Johnson, M., and Ekström, M., Quality of Life Changes With Duration of Chronic Breathlessness: A Random Sample of Community-Dwelling People, Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 2020
Onnis, LA., Kinchin, I., Pryce, J., Ennals, P., Petrucci, J., and Tsey, K. , Evaluating the implementation of a mental health referral service 'Connect to Wellbeing': a quality improvement approach, Frontiers in Public Health , 2020
Doran, C. and Kinchin, I., Economics of mental health: providing a platform for efficient mental health policy, Applied Health Economics and Health Policy , (18), 2020, p143 - 145
Currow, D., Chang, S., Reddel, H.K., Kochovska, S., Ferreira, D., Kinchin, I., Johnson, M., and Ekström, M. , Breathlessness, Anxiety, Depression, and Function-The BAD-F Study: A Cross-Sectional and Population Prevalence Study in Adults, Journal of Pain and Symptom Management , 2020
Kinchin, I., Russell, A.M., Byrnes, J., McCalman, J., Doran, C., and Hunter, E., The cost of hospitalisation for youth self-harm: differences across age groups, sex, Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 55, (4), 2020, p425--434
Doran, C. and Kinchin, I., Economic and epidemiological impact of youth suicide in countries with the highest human development index, PLOS ONE , 2020
Kinchin, I., Russell, A.M., Petrie, D., Mifsud, A., Manning, L., and Doran, C. , Program Evaluation and Decision Analytic Modelling of Universal Suicide Prevention Training (safeTALK) in Secondary Schools, Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, 18, (2), 2020, p311--324
Carrington, A., Dewar, S., Kinchin, I., Cadet-James, Y., and Tsey, K. , A police lead community response to youth sexual violence and abuse in Indigenous communities in far north Queensland: Speak up be strong be heard, Child Abuse and Neglect, 98, 2019
Redman-Maclaren, M., Benveniste, T., McCalman, J., Rutherford, K., Britton, A., Langham, E., Stewart, R., Saunders, P., Kinchin, I., Bainbridge, R., Through the eyes of students: The satisfaction of remote Indigenous boarding students' with a transition support service in Queensland, Australia, Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 2019, p1 - 12
Kinchin, I., Russell, A.M., Tsey, K., Wintzloff, T., Jago, J., Meurk, C., and Doran, C.M., Psychiatric inpatient cost of care before and after admission at a residential subacute step-up/step-down mental health facility, Journal of Medical Economics, 2019
Doran, C.M., Kinchin, I., A review of the economic impact of mental illness, Australian Health Review, 43, (1), 2019, p43-48
Tsey, K., Onnis, L.-A., Whiteside, M., McCalman, J., Williams, M., Heyeres, M., Lui, S.M.C., Klieve, H., Cadet-James, Y., Baird, L., Brown, C., Watkin Lui, F., Grainger, D., Gabriel, Z., Millgate, N., Cheniart, B., Hunter, T., Liu, H.-B., Yinghong, Y., Yan, L., Lovett, R., Chong, A., Kinchin, I., Assessing research impact: Australian Research Council criteria and the case of Family Wellbeing research, Evaluation and Program Planning, 73, 2019, p176-186
Campbell, S., Jongen, C., Kinchin, I., Doran, C., and McCalman, J. , Transition of primary healthcare services in Yarrabah to community control. Project Report for Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service and Queensland Health. Centre for Indigenous Health Equity Research, Central Queensland University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia, 2019
Kinchin, I., Jacups, S., Mann, J., Quigley, R., Harvey, D., Doran, C.M., and Strivens, E., Efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a community-based model of care for older patients with complex needs: a study protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial using a stepped wedge cluster design, Trials, 19, (1), 2018
Bainbridge, R., McCalman, J., Jongen, C., Campbell, S., Kinchin, I., and Doran, C. , Improving social and emotional wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: an Evidence Check rapid review brokered by the Sax Institute (www.saxinstitute.org.au) for Beyond Blue , 2018
Jacups, S., Rogerson, B., Kinchin, I., An innovative approach to address homelessness in regional Australia: Participant evaluation of a co-payment model, Public Health, 156, 2018, p26-33
Jacups, S., Kinchin, I., and McConnon, K. , Ear, nose, and throat surgical access for remote living Indigenous children: What is the least costly model?, Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 2018
Kinchin, I. and Doran, C. , The cost of youth suicide in Australia, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15, (4), 2018, p672-
Lasen, M., Evans, S., Tsey, K., Campbell, C., and Kinchin, I., Quality of WIL assessment design in higher education: a systematic literature review, Higher Education Research & Development, 37, (4), 2018, p788--804
Yinghong, Y., Yan, L., Lui, S.M., Kinchin, I., Heyeres, M., and Tsey, K. , County development and sustainability in China: A systematic scoping of the literature, OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development , 11, (2), 2018
Vincent, G.E., Kinchin, I., Ferguson, S.A., and Jay, S.M. , The cost of inadequate sleep among on-call workers in Australia: a workplace perspective, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 15, (3), 2018, p398-
Heyeres, M., Kinchin, I., Whatley, E., Brophy, L., Jago, J., Wintzloff, T., Morton, S., Mosby, V., Gopalkrishnan, N., Tsey, K., Evaluation of a residential mental health recovery service in North Queensland, Frontiers in Public Health, 6, 2018
Kinchin, I. and Doran, C. , Correction: Kinchin, I.; Doran, C.M. The Cost of Youth Suicide in Australia. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 672, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15, (9), 2018, p1940
Kitau, R., Whiteside, M., Kinchin, I., Hane-Nou, G., and Tsey, K. , Transferring the Aboriginal Australian Family Wellbeing empowerment program from a Papua New Guinea university context to broader community settings: a feasibility study, Pacific Journal of Medical Sciences, 17, (1), 2017
Kinchin, I., Doran, C.M., McCalman, J., Jacups, S., Tsey, K., Lines, K., Smith, K., Searles, A., Delivering an empowerment intervention to a remote Indigenous child safety workforce: Its economic cost from an agency perspective, Evaluation and Program Planning, 64, 2017, p85-89
Doran, C.M., Kinchin, I., Bainbridge, R., McCalman, J., and Shakeshaft, A.P. , Effectiveness of alcohol and other drug interventions in at-risk Aboriginal youth: an Evidence Check rapid review brokered by the Sax Institute (www.saxinstitute.org.au) for the NSW Ministry of Health, 2017
Kinchin, I., Doran, C.M., Hall, W.D., Meurk, C., Understanding the true economic impact of self-harming behaviour, The Lancet Psychiatry, 4, (12), 2017, p900-901
Langham, E., McCalman, J., Matthews, V., Bainbridge, R.G., Nattabi, B., Kinchin, I., Bailie, R., Social and emotional wellbeing screening for aboriginal and torres strait islanders within primary health care: A series of missed opportunities?, Frontiers in Public Health, 5, 2017
Kinchin, I., McCalman, J., Bainbridge R., Tsey, K., and Watkin Lui, F., Does Indigenous health research have impact? A systematic review of reviews, International Journal for Equity in Health, 16, (1), 2017
Kinchin, I. and Doran, C. , The economic cost of suicide and non-fatal suicide behavior in the Australian workforce and the potential impact of a workplace suicide prevention strategy, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14, (4), 2017, p347-
Browne, M., Greer, N., Armstrong, T., Doran, C., Kinchin, I., Langham, E., and Rockloff, M., The social cost of gambling to Victoria prepared for the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, 2017
Doran C.M., Ling R., Milner A., and Kinchin I. , The economic cost of suicide and non-fatal suicidal behaviour in the Australian construction industry, International Journal of Mental Health and Psychiatry , 2, (4), 2016
Kitau, R., Kinchin, I., Whiteside, M., Hane-Nou, G., and Tsey, K. , Effectiveness of the uptake and implementation of an Aboriginal Australian empowerment program in the context of public health training in Papua New Guinea, Pacific Journal of Medical Sciences, 16, (2), 2016, p16 - 34
McCalman, J., Bainbridge R., Kinchin, I., Tsey K., and Lawson, K., Indigenous and tribal people's health: Improving the value of research, The Lancet, 388, 2016
Heyeres, M., McCalman, J., Tsey, K., Kinchin, I., The complexity of health service integration: A review of reviews, Frontiers in Public Health, 4, (OCT), 2016
Tsey, K., Lawson, K., Kinchin, I., Bainbridge, R., McCalman, J., Watkin, F., Cadet-James, Y., Rossetto, A., Evaluating research impact: The development of a research for impact tool, Frontiers in Public Health, 4, 2016
Kinchin, I., Jacups, S., Hunter, G., Rogerson, B., Economic evaluation of 'Return to Country': A remote Australian initiative to address indigenous homelessness, Evaluation and Program Planning, 56, 2016, p69-75
Kinchin, I., Tsey, K., Heyeres, M., Cadet-James, Y., Systematic review of youth mental health service integration research, Australian Journal of Primary Health, 22, (4), 2016, p304-315
Kinchin, I., Jacups, S., Tsey, K., and Lines, K., An empowerment intervention for Indigenous communities: an outcome assessment, BMC Psychology, 2015
Bainbridge, R., Tsey, K., McCalman, J., Kinchin, I., Saunders, V., Watkin Lui, F., Cadet-James, Y., Miller, A., Lawson, K., No one's discussing the elephant in the room: Contemplating questions of research impact and benefit in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian health research, BMC Public Health, 15, (1), 2015
Research Expertise
Projects
- Title
- Setting research priorities for Lewy Body Dementia in Ireland (Principal Investigator)
- Summary
- Despite being the second most common dementia type, Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) is under-recognized and under-researched in Ireland. This project seeks to highlight LBD by determining key research needs, promoting improved care strategies for LBD patients and caregivers. Using the reputable 'Priority Setting Partnership' (PSP) technique aligned with James Lind Alliance (JLA) methodologies, we will identify crucial LBD research gaps. This will directly foster future trial development within DTI. Setting these research priorities will guide the range of dementia trials for LBD and offer dementia patients and caregivers a chance to influence their care's priorities. This will enable a more personalized, value-driven research strategy that informs healthcare planning.
- Funding Agency
- Dementia Trials Ireland
- Date From
- 2023
- Date To
- Ongoing
- Title
- Measures of wellbeing for use in economic evaluation: valuing and assessing health outcomes in Ireland (Principal Investigator)
- Summary
- In Ireland, healthcare decisions primarily concentrate on maximising health gain. However, with more integrated social care, there is growing recognition that this perspective is too narrow. Health maximisation is unlikely to be the only relevant objective, particularly where demand for social care is high. This project explores a 'beyond health' approach to policy and priority setting in dementia and at the end-of-life.
- Funding Agency
- Health Research Board
- Date From
- 2020
- Date To
- Ongoing
- Title
- Is Ireland prepared for the new disease-modifying therapies (DMT) for Alzheimer's? Scoping perspectives and attitudes of lay stakeholders (Academic Partner)
- Summary
- There hadn't been a new Alzheimer's drug treatment for two decades until 2021, when the first disease-modifying therapy (DMT) was introduced in the USA, providing hope for slowing or even reversing Alzheimer's. The anticipation of more DMTs is high. However, integrating DMTs into Ireland's health system requires substantial changes in Memory Clinics due to the high costs of these drugs and the necessity for careful monitoring. Notably, DMTs are effective only in early-stage Alzheimer's, a phase often undetected in Ireland. To ensure our health system is prepared for DMTs, this project will seek public perspectives on DMTs through a survey of Irish residents, recognizing that public opinion plays a significant role in healthcare advancements.
- Funding Agency
- Irish Research Council
- Date From
- 2023
- Date To
- Ongoing
- Title
- Developing tool to assess needs of dementia carers for economic evaluation (Principal Investigator)
- Summary
- This project is pioneering the development of a self-assessment instrument to holistically assess impacts on informal caregivers of people living with dementia to inform policy and research. Community-based caregivers have been particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Social isolation, closure of care facilities and lack of carer support due to the pandemic has left many caregivers lonely, burnt-out, physically vulnerable and at risk of short, medium and longer-term negative outcomes.
- Funding Agency
- Global Brain Health Institute, Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Society
- Date From
- 2022
- Date To
- Ongoing
- Title
- Do EQ-5D valuations differ in palliative care settings? A discrete choice experiment (Principal Investigator)
- Summary
- This research aims to understand if the general public's attitudes to health are different when considered in the context of palliative care. This study proposes to contribute to the growing literature on the prioritization of health care by exploring the valuation of EQ-5D-5L in palliative situations using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). Palliative situations will be described and contextualized using a vignette model of presentation, developed by a 3-stage iterative process, including exploratory qualitative work with PPI/PPV, expert panel discussion, and pilot testing. This study is being carried out among the general public in Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
- Funding Agency
- EuroQol Research Foundation
- Date From
- 2021
- Date To
- Ongoing
- Title
- Investigating COVID-19-related loneliness and social isolation in carers of people with brain health challenges in Ireland (Co-Investigator)
- Summary
- This project aims to address the negative impact of COVID-19-related mental health outcomes (including loneliness and social isolation) in carers of people with brain health challenges in Ireland.
- Funding Agency
- Irish Research Council
- Date From
- 2021
- Title
- Phase II, double blind, placebo controlled, parallel arm, fixed dose, multi-site study to evaluate the safety, feasibility and desirability of conducting a fully powered phase III study of anamorelin for anorexia in people with small cell lung cancer (Health Economist)
- Summary
- This study is a Phase II trial to determine the safety, feasibility and desirability of a fully powered phase III trial of anamorelin HCl (100 mg) /placebo for treating anorexia in patients with SCLC. The trial design includes optimal measurable endpoints that will allow the most informative and clinically significant data to be obtained and inform the design of an effectiveness trial. In addition, a mixed-methods sub-study will help address patient's and carer's unmet needs as it will improve understanding of the conversations that occur during patient-clinician consultations regarding clinical history taking of anorexia, its burden and impact.
- Funding Agency
- Helsinn
- Date From
- 2021
- Date To
- Ongoing
- Title
- Identifying the mental health effects and support needs of people bereaved during and following COVID-19: A Mixed Methods Project (Co-Investigator)
- Summary
- The potential for significant mental health distress following bereavement has been recognised by the World Health Organisation. Bereavement is linked with mental health conditions such as major depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. Many of the risk factors for poor mental health have been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on gatherings and physical contact. This project will quantify the mental health outcomes and support needs of bereaved individuals impacted by COVID-19.
- Funding Agency
- Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF)
- Date From
- 2020
- Date To
- Ongoing
- Title
- Strengthening access to best evidence-based care for people with palliative care needs in Australian prisons: a national co-design and capacity building project (Co-Investigator)
- Summary
- The project will work to understand how palliative care is provided in Australian prisons, identify the barriers to and facilitators of palliative and end of life care, and to co-design a National Framework for Provision of Palliative Care in Australian Prisons with key stakeholders using a collaborative and solution-oriented approach.
- Funding Agency
- Australian Government, Department of Health
- Date From
- 2020
- Date To
- Ongoing
- Title
- Defining a new model of care that supports people with palliative care needs to spend more time in their preferred place of care: a co-design project (Co-Investigator)
- Summary
- This co-design project is designed to define the key elements required to deliver optimal 24-hour, seven day per week care to people with palliative care needs who wish to spend as many days as possible at home.
- Funding Agency
- Sydney Partnership for Health, Education, Research and Enterprise (SPHERE)
- Date From
- 2019
- Date To
- Ongoing
Recognition
Awards and Honours
Aurora Women in Leadership Award, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Health Research Board Fellowship 'Applying Research into Policy & Practice', Health Research Board, Ireland
Atlantic Fellowship, Global Brain Health Institute, The Atlantic Philanthropies
Vice-Chancellor's Research Publication Recognition Award, Central Queensland University, Australia
Vice-Chancellor's Teaching Award for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, James Cook University, Australia
Memberships
Founding member, Economics of Dementia and Brain Health special interest group, Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI)
Member, INTERDEM Taskforce: Inequalities in Dementia Care, pan-European network on Early detection and timely INTERvention in DEMentia
Member, Dementia Trials' Ireland Advisory Team (D-TAG)
Member, Family Carer Research Group, Care Alliance Ireland
Member, Trials Methodology Research (TMRP) Outcomes Working Group
Member, Trials Methodology Research (TMRP) Health Economics Working Group
Member, Early Career Researcher Forum, Palliative Care Research Network (PCRN)
Member, Sex and Gender Differences in Brain Health Interest Group, Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI)
Member, UK Health Economists' Study Group (HESG)
Member, International Health Economics Association (iHEA)