Kenneth L. Kirsh - PH.D.

Dr. Kirsh is an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science. A licensed clinical psychologist, his areas of interest include chronic pain management, pain and its interface with abuse and addiction, and symptom management and palliative care issues in cancer populations.

Dr. Kirsh is a frequent speaker at national symposia, lecturing on chronic pain, cancer, and addiction. Before coming to the UK College of Pharmacy, he was the assistant director for Symptom Management and Palliative Care at the UK Markey Cancer Center. He has been a member of the Kentucky Pain Initiative, the PDQ Supportive Care Advisory Editorial Board, and has chaired both the Clinical Care Research Team for Supportive Care and the Symptom Management and Palliative Care Research Council at the University of Kentucky. Dr Kirsh has published more than 40 articles and a dozen book chapters on assessing and managing pain.

Dr Kirsh completed a psychology internship at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and received his doctorate in Clinical Rehabilitation Psychology from Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis. Currently, he chairs the Hospice of the Bluegrass Research Committee and The Pain Treatment Center of the Bluegrass (PTC) Pain Committee. He also sees patients at the PTC. Most recently, he has been named a Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) Program Scholar.

Selected Publications/Presentations

• Passik SD, Hays L, Eisner N, Kirsh KL. Psychiatric and pain characteristics of prescription drug abusers entering drug rehabilitation. Journal of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy, 2006; 20(2):5-13.
• Passik SD, Kirsh KL, Donaghy K, Portenoy RK. Pain and aberrant drug-related behaviors in medically ill patients with and without histories of substance abuse. Clinical Journal of Pain, 2006 Feb;22(2):173-181.
• Passik SD, Kirsh KL, Whitcomb LA, Schein JR, Kaplan M, Dodd S, Kleinman L, Katz NP, Portenoy RK. Monitoring outcomes during long-term opioid therapy for non-cancer pain: results with the pain assessment and documentation tool. Journal of Opioid Management, 2005 November/December; 1(5):257-266.
• Kirsh KL, Walker R, Snider S, Weisenfluh S, Passik SD. Hospice staff members' views on conducting end-of-life research. Palliative and Supportive Care, 2004; 2(3):273-282.
• Passik SD, Navari R, Jung S, Nagy C, Vinson J, Kirsh KL, Loehrer P. A phase I trial of olanzapine (zyprexa) for the prevention of delayed emesis in cancer patients: a hoosier oncology group study. Cancer Investigation, 2004; 22(3):383-388.
• Hays L, Kirsh KL, Passik SD. Seeking drug treatment for oxycontin abuse: a chart review of consecutive admissions to a substance abuse treatment facility in the bluegrass region of Kentucky. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 2003; 1(3):423-428.
• Passik SD, Kirsh KL, Whitcomb LA, Dickerson P, Theobald DE. Pain clinicians' rankings of aberrant drug-taking behaviors. Journal of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy, 2002; 16(4):39-49.
• Passik SD, Kirsh KL, Theobald D, Donaghy K, Holtsclaw E, Edgerton S, Dugan W. Use of a depression screening tool and a fluoxetine-based algorithm to improve the recognition and treatment of depression in cancer patients: a demonstration project. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 2002; 24(3):318-327.
• Passik SD, Lundberg J, Kirsh KL, Theobald D, Donaghy K, Holtsclaw E, Cooper M, Dugan W. A pilot exploration of the antiemetic activity of olanzapine (zyprexa) for the relief of nausea in patients with advanced pain and cancer. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 2002; 23(6):526-532.
• Theobald DE, Kirsh KL, Holtsclaw E, Donaghy K, Passik SD. An open label crossover trial of mirtazapine (15 and 30mgs) in cancer patients with pain and other distressing symptoms. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 2002; 23:442-447.