Douglas Kirby

Douglas Bernard Kirby, Ph.D. (October 9, 1943 − December 22, 2012) was senior research scientist for ETR Associates in Scotts Valley, California, and one of the world’s leading experts on the effectiveness of school and community programs in the reduction of adolescent sexual risk-taking behaviors. In recent years he had also undertaken research and analysis on the impact of HIV/AIDS prevention programs in Uganda under the auspices of the World Health Organization, USAID, and other organizations.

Kirby authored over 100 articles, chapters and monographs on these programs including the widely acclaimed Emerging Answers 2007: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases which he produced for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. It is a comprehensive review of 115 program evaluations to help determine the most effective approaches to preventing teen pregnancy and STDs. It paints a detailed picture of the protective factors associated with adolescent risk taking behavior and identifies important characteristics of effective sexuality and HIV education programs. His recent research has shown strong evidence for the effectiveness of comprehensive sex and STD/HIV programs and limited evidence for the effectiveness of sexual abstinence programs.

Douglas Kirby was born in Walla Walla, Washington. He did his undergraduate education at the University of Chicago and UC Berkeley, receiving his Bachelor of Arts in 1966. After a stint as a Vista volunteer in Appalachia, Kirby attended UCLA where he received his Ph.D. in Sociology in 1975. From 1977 to 1983 he worked as Director of the Social Science Group for Mathtech, Inc. in Washington D.C.. While at Mathtech he directed a research project to analyze the state of sex education in the United States. From 1983 to 1988 he worked with The Center for Population Options (now Advocates for Youth) and did a national study on the impact of school health programs on teen sexual behavior. In 1988, Dr. Kirby went to work for ETR Associates in Scotts Valley, CA. where he served as Senior Research Scientist and director of many projects on adolescent health and risk taking behavior. His father, Bernard C. Kirby, was a sociology professor at San Diego State University (1954–1975), and his brother Robion Kirby, is a professor of mathematics at UC Berkeley. Dr. Kirby died of a heart attack at the age of 69 on December 22, 2012, while climbing Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador.

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