Welcome to our web site which is dedicated to dependency treatments, research and education. On this site you will find summaries of research articles, lectures and conferences from Dr Andrew Byrne and his colleagues as well as links to other related information.
The surgery is a medical practice which is committed to improving the outlook for drug / alcohol users and their families by using a variety of treatments including prescribed and other approaches. Our medical practice delivers opioid maintenance treatments including methadone and buprenorphine. Treatment is also provided for associated medical disorders in conjunction with referring general practitioners.
The Byrne Surgery cares for up to 180 patients with the aid of dedicated nursing staff headed by Anne Love RN. Dr Richard Hallinan specialises in research within the practice as well as working part-time doing clinical work.
Harm reduction with quality medical care
Dr Byrne and his associates also advocate for better policies which are proven to reduce risks for drug users and the general community under a framework in parallel with Australia's official policy of harm minimization. The findings of the New South Wales Drug Summit recommend better access to methadone, detoxification and other dependency treatments. It also advised investigating alternative services such as supervised injecting centres, leading to the opening of the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in 2001.
Dr Andrew Byrne has been involved in opioid treatments from a primary care background for 20 years at the same site in Redfern, an inner suburb of Sydney. He is recognised worldwide as a specialist in the addiction field and was involved in the seminal stages of the Chapter of Addiction Medicine, Royal Australasian College of Physicians. He received the Dole-Nyswander award from the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence in April 2006.
Dr Richard Hallinan has also had an interest in addiction medicine for about 20 years. Since joining the practice in 2000 he has published several key papers on subjects including hepatitis C and optimising methadone dose levels. He also has performed studies on hormones, mood disorders and related matters in dependency patients. Dr Hallinan also worked for years as a professional violinist in both Australia and in Austria.
About Redfern
Redfern is an inner city suburb of Sydney close to Central Terminal Railway Station and about half way between Sydney Airport and the Circular Quay. Redfern is a socially disadvantaged area with a significant proportion of Aboriginal and Lebanese residents. Like many similar inner city precincts elsewhere, there has been a move to recent gentrification in some areas. Thus is it a colourful, if sometimes volatile population.
Please feel free to explore our site. We would value any feedback to andrew.byrne@redfernclinic.com.
Latest News
Dr. Andrew's Opinions moved to a new home at http://methadone-research.blogspot.com/ in late April 2010.
Below is a snippet of his most recent post.
You can still find and search on old posts here but you will find all these and more in the new location.
http://methadone-research.blogspot.com/
Disclaimer
On this web site, Dr Byrne and colleagues have written summaries of many research articles, conferences and other events. These have been written largely to draw attention to peer-reviewed studies which may be relevant to clinical practice and public policy. While all care has been taken to be fair and accurate, readers are strongly advised to read the original publications before acting upon the information for clinical decisions.
Due to this brief form of communication, no responsibility can be taken for errors, mistakes or omissions.
Reputable sources of health information for the general public:
- http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/ (opens in a new window)
HealthInsite, a search site for reliable health information, Australian Department of Health. - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ (opens in a new window)
MedlinePlus, a search site for reliable health information, US National Library of Medicine.
