Professor Kirwan trained in Rheumatology at The Royal London Hospital, where he also undertook his MD thesis working on assessment techniques in rheumatoid arthritis. Professor Kirwan coordinated the team that first showed unequivocally that glucocorticoids (often called “steroids”) are able to hold back the progress of rheumatoid arthritis. He was Head of the Academic Unit in Bristol from 1995 to 2014, and his research interests continue to centre on glucocorticoids (and new types of glucocorticoid treatment) and methods to engage patients as partners in research

Rheumatology

Almeida, CJ, Choy, EH, Hewlett, SE, Kirwan, JR, Cramp, F, Chalder, T, Pollock, J & Christensen, R, 2016, ‘Biologic interventions for fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis’. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Gunasekera, WMA & Kirwan, JR, 2016, ‘Rheumatoid arthritis: previously untreated early disease’. Clinical Evidence, vol 2016. Hewlett, S, Nicklin, J, Bode, C, Carmona, L, Dures, E, Engelbrecht, M, Hagel, S, Kirwan, J, Molto, A, Redondo, M & Gossec, L, 2016, ‘Translating patient reported outcome measures: methodological issues explored using cognitive interviewing with three rheumatoid arthritis measures in six European languages’. Rheumatology, vol 55., pp. 1009-1016 Flurey, CA, Hewlett, S, Rodham, K, White, A, Noddings, R & Kirwan, JR, 2016, ‘"You obviously just have to put on a brave face": A qualitative study of the experiences and coping styles of men with rheumatoid arthritis’. Arthritis Care and Research. Kirwan, JR, Wit, Md, Bingham, CO, Leong, A, Richards, P, Tugwell, P, Voshaar, M, Gossec, L & , 2016, ‘Patients as partners: Building on the experience of Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT)’. Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.). Hewlett, S, Ambler, N, Almeida, C, Blair, PS, Choy, E, Dures, E, Hammond, A, Hollingworth, W, Kirwan, J, Plummer, Z, Rooke, C, Thorn, J, Tomkinson, K & Pollock, J, 2015, ‘Protocol for a randomised controlled trial for Reducing Arthritis Fatigue by clinical Teams (RAFT) using cognitive-behavioural approaches’. BMJ Open, vol 5. Mercieca, C, Zakout, S, Kirwan, J, Sharif, M & Smith, E, 2015, ‘Early changes in fatigue and cytokine concentration following etanercept treatment in rheumatoid arthritis’. International Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, vol 10., pp. 79-84 Boers, M, Buttgereit, F, Saag, K, Alten, R, Grahn, A, Storey, D, Rice, P & Kirwan, J, 2015, ‘What is the relationship between morning symptoms and measures of disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis?’. Arthritis Care and Research, vol 67., pp. 1202-1209 Mackie, SL, Hughes, R, Walsh, M, Day, J, Newton, M, Pease, C, Kirwan, J & Morris, M, 2015, ‘"An impediment to living life": why and how should we measure stiffness in polymyalgia rheumatica?’. PloS one, vol 10., pp. e0126758 Sanderson, T, Kirwan, J, Almeida, C, Morris, M, Noddings, R & Hewlett, S, 2015, ‘Item Development and Face Validity of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient Priorities in Pharmacological Interventions Outcome Measures’. The Patient - patient-centered outcomes research, vol 9., pp. 103-115