The Kirby Institute’s Dr Yumi Sheehan has been named a finalist in the 2025 Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI) Rising Star Awards for her nationally leading and globally impactful work on hepatitis C point-of-care testing and models of care in prisons.
Dr Sheehan is a Senior Research Fellow in the Viral Immunology Systems Program (VISP) at the Kirby Institute, and her work spans from hepatitis C advocacy to testing, treatment, models of care, education and prevention, surveillance and epidemiology, modelling, and health economics in prisons.
Having led a growing portfolio of prison-focused research at the Kirby Institute, she has become widely recognised as an expert on hepatitis C point-of-care testing and its linkage to effective and efficient models of care for the prisons. From 2019-2023 Dr Sheehan led the PIVOT study, which became the subject of her PhD research and is the study for which she is being recognised by AAMRI.
With people in prison experiencing some of the highest rates of hepatitis C globally, Dr Sheehan designed and implemented the PIVOT study to evaluate the effectiveness of the ‘one-stop-shop’ method of hepatitis C testing, assessment, and treatment delivery in prisons. This heavily simplified and streamlined model of care allows for point-of-care hepatitis C testing and screening, delivery of results, and fast-tracked treatment prescription to take place within a single clinic visit. The PIVOT study demonstrated a dramatic improvement in the efficacy and effectiveness of hepatitis C testing and treatment uptake in prison.
“People in prison often belong to society's most marginalised groups, and prisons are recognised as critical settings for hepatitis C elimination efforts, due to high infection prevalence, but also the opportunity to reach individuals who typically do not engage with mainstream healthcare in the community,” says Dr Sheehan. “Hepatitis C is curable, but there are a number of challenges to achieving effective hepatitis C care, such as complex, multi-step testing and treatment processes, brief incarceration periods, difficulties with venous access for testing, and stigma toward people who inject drugs and those with hepatitis C. Addressing these barriers is essential to optimise hepatitis C testing and treatment uptake, and to improve health outcomes for people in prison.”
The impressive results from PIVOT led to a range of publications in high-impact journals, and evidence from the study directly informed current national and international best practice recommendations for hepatitis care delivery in prisons.
Dr Sheehan is also one of a limited group of experts globally on hepatitis C health literacy and education for prisons, having led the National Prisons Hepatitis Education Project (HepPEd) study, which developed a whole-of-sector, prison-focused hepatitis C education program (the HepPEd Program). This program is now being implemented in prisons across Australia and has gained interest internationally. More recently, Dr Sheehan co-led the development of Global Guidelines for the Management of Viral Hepatitis in Prisons and broadened her interests beyond hepatitis C to other infectious diseases, leading to the establishment and her leadership of the Global Prisons Infectious Diseases Network.
“As an early-career researcher not even one year post-PhD conferral, Yumi has already demonstrated exceptional scientific acumen, leadership, and dedication to advancing access to hepatitis C care in prisons – a World Health Organization priority setting for hepatitis C elimination,” says Kirby Institute Director, Professor Anthony Kelleher. “Yumi’s innovative research, collaborative spirit, and commitment to excellence have already made a significant impact across the broader research community both nationally and internationally, and she is richly deserving of this recognition by AAMRI.”
The AAMRI Rising Star Awards celebrate Australia’s leading early- to mid-career medical researchers. The winner will be announced by Health Minister Hon Mark Butler MP at the 2025 AAMRI Dinner at the Australian Parliament House on Tuesday 4 November.