In 1986 Professor Dolan along with several others started the first needle and syringe program in Australia, the third in the world. She evaluated the needle and syringe program in the UK for six years. Dr Dolan received her PhD from the University of NSW in Sydney in 1997.
In 2003, Kate established the Program of International Research and Training. The Program’s aim is to build capacity among researchers and clinicians in HIV prevention and treatment for drug dependence in developing countries. She has undertaken 34 projects and received $2.7 million in funding.
A key project was the establishment and evaluation of the first methadone clinic for female drug users in Iran; there are now five such clinics in South Tehran. She conducted rapid assessments of HIV transmission and drug use in Indonesian prisons and in the Mongolian community. She supervised a research centre in Myanmar to evaluate HIV prevention programs for drug injectors in the Golden Triangle.
Her areas of research include drug treatment for prisoners, HIV prevention for injecting drug users, drug treatment for women and the transmission and prevention of hepatitis C among prisoners.
She had undertaken consultancies for UNODC, HAARP, WHO, the Centre for Harm Reduction, the International Harm Reduction Association, AusAID and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Canada.
She has over 150 publications and has supervised 7 post graduate students.