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Contact Details

Email
mira.harrison-woolrych@otago.ac.nz

University Links

Position
Research Coordinator
Department
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Dunedin)
Qualifications
BM (Soton) DM (Soton) DFFP, FRCOG, FISoP
Research summary
Growth factors in uterine fibroids; women’s medicines, contraception; pharmacoepidemiology, nationwide cohort studies of IUDs; international pharmacovigilance; assessment of pre-licensing clinical trials; medical ethics.
Memberships
  • Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
  • International Society of Pharmacovigilance
  • NZ Society of Authors

Research

Mira trained as an obstetrician and gynaecologist in the UK and undertook doctoral research on uterine fibroids at Cambridge University. She subsequently worked in medicines regulation, specialising in contraception and HRT; pharmacovigilance (monitoring the safety of medicines and devices) pharmacoepidemiology and medical ethics.

From 2002 to 2013 Mira was the Director of the NZ Intensive Medicines Monitoring Programme (IMMP) at the University of Otago. She has written and edited two pharmacovigilance text books: Medicines for Women and An Introduction to Pharmacovigilance.

In 2019, Mira was elected as the first female President of the International Society of Pharmacovigilance (ISoP). She continues to chair the ISoP Women’s Medicines Special Interest Group. In Aotearoa New Zealand, Mira has been on several national committees including the Medicines Assessment Advisory Committee (MAAC). She was also a member of the Southern Health and Disability Ethics Committee (HDEC) for nine years.

Mira’s research interests continue to focus women’s health. She organises and chairs the monthly Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research Seminar in Dunedin and supports researchers with interests in women’s health.

Publications

Rowlands, S., & Harrison-Woolrych, M. (2023). Improving access to medicines for early medical abortion: Learning from experiences of medicines licensing and service delivery. BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health, 49, 234, 237. doi: 10.1136/bmjsrh-2023-201949 Journal - Research Other

McCarthy, D., Bahri, P., Barnes, J., Delumeau, J.-C., Edwards, B., & Harrison-Woolrych, M. (2018). An update on ISoP special interest groups (SIGs). Drug Safety, 41(1), 1-6. doi: 10.1007/s40264-017-0603-5 Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles

Barnes, J., Sheridan, J., Harrison-Woolrych, M., Dong, C., Härmark, L., & Vohra, S. (2017). Towards web-based, purchase-event intensive monitoring for pharmacovigilance of natural health products (NHPs): Lessons from development work. Drug Safety, 40(10), (pp. 951-952). doi: 10.1007/s40264-017-0580-8 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Harrison-Woolrych, M. (2015). Mental health effects of varenicline: Results from a new meta-analysis seem at odds with patients' real life experiences. BMJ, 350, h1168. doi: 10.1136/bmj.h1168 Journal - Research Other

Harrison-Woolrych, M. (2015). Medicines for women: Medicines for half the world. In M. Harrison-Woolrych (Ed.), Medicines for women. (pp. 3-40). Springer. Chapter in Book - Research

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