
Professor Dorothy Newbury-Birch
Professor of Alcohol and Public Health Teesside University
- Middlesbrough England
Her research focuses on reducing alcohol related harm in society, particularly young people & those in the criminal justice system.
Areas of Expertise
Biography
Dorothy is co-President of the International Network on Brief Interventions for Alcohol and other Drugs (INEBRIA). She is a member of the expert group for the World Health Organisation which is developing guidelines for screening and brief interventions and is a member of the Crime and Criminal Justice Group for the Campbell Collaboration. Previously she was a topic expert on the England NICE group for alcohol interventions in schools. She has been involved in nearly 100 peer reviewed publications and reports. These include a review of reviews of the harms and benefits of alcohol for young people for the Department of Schools, Children and Families which informed the Guidance on the Consumption of Alcohol by Children and Young People by the CMO in 2016.
Social
Accomplishments
British Medical Association (BMA) Joan Dawkins Award
2000
For research into Young People and Alcohol
Education
Newcastle University
Ph.D.
Behavioural Sciences
2000
Sunderland University
B.A.
Social Science
1996
Affiliations
- Member of the Crime and Criminal Justice Group for Campbell Collaboration
- INEBRIA, co-president Elect
- PORSCH Advisory Group
- Alcohol Research UK, Grant Approval Committee
- Member, FUSE: The Centre for Translational Research in Public Health
Event Appearances
INEBRIA
2019 Germany
Stockholm Criminology Symposium
2019 Stockholm, Sweden
Suicide Surveillance
2019 Manchester, U.K.
Young People and Addiction
2017 ACAMH Malta
INEBRIA
2017 New York, USA
Articles
A qualitative account of young people’s experiences of alcohol screening and brief interventions in schools: SIPS Jr-HIGH trial findings
Journal of Public Health2020
The United Kingdom (UK) has seen a decrease in the number of young people drinking alcohol. However, the UK prevalence of underage drinking still ranks amongst the highest in Western Europe. Whilst there is a wealth of evidence reporting on the effectiveness of both primary, and secondary interventions, there are few reports of the experiences of young people who receive them.
Consistent delivery of healthy weight messages to pregnant and postpartum women: A local resource implementation evaluation commissioned by Public Health England
Teesside University2020
Maternal obesity increases the risk of a number of serious child and maternal complications. Currently 60% of women in England have excess weight, leading to more women entering pregnancy with excess weight: with around 50% of women being overweight when they become pregnant, and 1 in 5 women presenting with obesity at their 12 week booking appointment.
Containment and care? A qualitative interview study exploring police custody staff views about delivering brief alcohol interventions to heavy drinking arrestees
Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy2020
Heavy alcohol use and associated needs are prevalent amongst arrestees. The custody suite offers an opportunity to identify and intervene with this population. However, it is unclear whether functions of care can be effectively delivered within an environment of containment.
Screening and brief interventions for adolescent alcohol use disorders presenting through emergency departments: a research programme including two RCTs
NIHR Journals Library2020
Alcohol consumption and related harm increase steeply from the ages of 12–20 years. Adolescents in the UK are among the heaviest drinkers in Europe. Excessive drinking in adolescents is associated with increased risk of accidents, injuries, self-harm, unprotected or regretted sex, violence and disorder, poisoning and accidental death.
A qualitative exploration of school-based staff’s experiences of delivering an alcohol screening and brief intervention in the high school setting: findings from the SIPS JR-HIGH trial
Journal of Public Health2019
Whilst underage drinking in the UK has been declining in recent years, prevalence is still higher than in most other Western European countries. Therefore, it is important to deliver effective interventions to reduce risk of harm.