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Meet our Research Students

Current Students

Orla Walsh

  • Qualifications: Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Children’s and General Nursing, Trinity College Dublin; Masters of Science in Development Practice, Trinity College Dublin 
  • Name of research project: Strengths-Based & Culturally Sensitive Healthcare Addressing Diversity: A Case Study of Pregnant Women Who Use Substances.
  • Description: The proposed research addresses the critical need for culturally sensitive and strengths-based healthcare for marginalised populations, particularly pregnant women who use substances. These women are among the most vulnerable in society, facing significant barriers to healthcare, such as stigma, cultural misunderstandings, and resource shortages. Through this research a strengths based culturally aware approach to healthcare design and development will be established which will help to promote health equality emphasising the resilience of individuals and their ability to access resources despite the challenges posed by their marginalised status. The study can help dismantle barriers and build systems that are adaptable, supportive, and sustainable for future generations.
  • Supervisors: Dr. Eleanor Hollywood, Prof Catherine Comiskey, Dr. Peter Kelly
  • Funder: School of Nursing and Midwifery PhD Scholarship Award
  • Full time: 2024 - 2028

Catherine Roets

  • Qualifications: B.Cur (RGN); PG Critical Care; MSc in Education and Training Management (Leadership); PG PNE
  • Name of research project: Empowering neurdiverse nursing, midwifery and medical students through immersive technologies to enhance their practice placement experience.
  • Description: This research sets out to investigate the potential to empower neurodiverse nursing, midwifery, and medical students by using immersive technologies to enhance their practice placement experiences. The intention is to bring neurodiverse nursing, midwifery, and medical students together for interdisciplinary learning in a simulated immersive environment in preparation for their practice placement. Empowering the neurodiverse student by giving them a sense of value and ultimately increasing their chances of graduating; allowing for neurodiverse students to enter and potentially be retained in the Irish healthcare workforce.
  • Supervisors: Dr Mary Hughes, Dr Victoria Meihan and Dr Carmel Doyle
  • Funder: School of Nursing and Midwifery PhD Scholarship Award
  • Part time: 2024/2025

Ludan Tang

  • Qualifications: MSc. General Nursing; BSc. General Nursing; RN in Emergency Department
  • Name of Research Project: The impact of concordant and discordant comorbidities on self-management behaviours in patients with type 2 diabetes: A mixed-methods study
  • Description:Almost 410 million people have type 2 diabetes (T2D) globally. More than 95% of patients with T2D have at least one comorbidity, with the number of comorbidities increasing with age. Good self-management is internationally recognized as an effective way to prevent and control diabetes. However, fewer than 20% of patients with T2D adhere to the recommended self-management behaviours. Diabetes-concordant comorbidities share the same pathophysiological features as diabetes and are consistent with the care management plan. Diabetes-discordant comorbidities are those who’s treatments are not consistent with T2D management. Limited knowledge exists regarding how comorbidities influence optimal diabetes self-management, particularly when classified as concordant and discordant. The aim of this study is to explore the influence of comorbidities on patients’ self-management of T2D.
  • Supervisors: Dr Margarita Corry (Primary Supervisor) and Dr Mary Mooney (Co-Supervisor)
  • Funder: Government of Ireland International Education Scholarships (GOI-IES)
  • Full Time: 2023-2027

Edel Carey

  • Qualifications: H-Dip Disability Studies, Cert Addiction Studies, PgD (L9) Behaviour and Cognitive Psychotherapy, MSc Advanced Practice Prescribing Pathway. Registered General Nurse (RGN), Registered Nurse prescriber (RNP), Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner (RANP)
  • Name of Research Project:A Classic Grounded Theory (CGT).
  • Description: To conceptualise how Community Registered General Nurses (CRGN’s) and Public Health Nurses (PHN’s) support older adults living with dementia who experience Non-Cognitive Symptoms of Dementia (NCSD) in the community setting.
  • Supervisors: Dr Louise Daly (Primary supervisor) and Dr Brian Keogh (Co-Supervisor)
  • Funder: 2020-2030 School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin PhD Scholarship - A decade of building capacity in Nursing & Midwifery Research
  • Part Time: 2021-2027

Sadie Lavelle

  • Qualifications: MSc. Addiction Recovery, HDip. Midwifery, BSc. General Nursing, Diploma in Tropical Nursing, RGN, RM
  • Name of Research Project: MSc. Addiction Recovery, HDip. Midwifery, BSc. General Nursing, Diploma in Tropical Nursing, RGN, RM
  • Description: This is a mixed methods study to explore individuals and healthcare professionals access to current addiction services within a rural area in Ireland, and to assess the impact alcohol and substance use has the defined region through a needs analysis. The aim of this PhD is to  develop a nurse-led model of integrated care for rural addiction services, grounded in individuals needs
  • Supervisors: Professor Catherine Comiskey and Professor Fintan Sheerin
  • Funder: 2020-2030 School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin PhD Scholarship - A decade of building capacity in Nursing & Midwifery Research
  • Full Time: 2021-2025

Junyang Song

  • Qualifications: MSN, RN
  • Name of Research Project: Exploring the impact of lifestyle patterns on the cognitive health of older adults with cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM). 
  • Description: The project aims to identify the risk factors associated with cognitive impairment, as well as the barriers and facilitators of behavioural changes. This research aims to contribute to the development of evidence-based lifestyle interventions in the future. I aim to establish a comprehensive theoretical framework to guide caregiving practices and self-care strategies specifically tailored to address both cardiometabolic multimorbidity and cognitive health.
  • Supervisors: Professor Sharon O’Donnell (primary supervisor) and Dr Frances O’Brien (co-supervisor)
  • Funder: China Scholarship Council (CSC)- Trinity College Dublin Joint Scholarship
  • Full Time: 2024-2028

Philip James

  • Qualifications: Registered Psychiatric Nurse, Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing, BSc. In Nursing, MSc. in Nursing, MSc in Addiction Recovery. 
  • Name of Research Project: Improving access and uptake of treatment services for substance using adolescents
  • Description: The majority of people who develop substance use disorders commence use during childhood yet very few access treatment at this time. Consequently, the opportunity for early intervention is lost. This study will use an Explanatory Mixed Methods methodology to explore the barriers and enablers of accessing substance use treatment for under 18s in Ireland.  
  • Supervisors: Professor Catherine Comiskey and Dr Michael Nash
  • Funder: School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin PhD Scholarship - A decade of building capacity in Nursing & Midwifery Research
  • Part Time: 2021 - 2027

Amanda Shovlin

  • Qualifications:RNID, BSc, MSc.
  • Name of Research Project:The experiences of parents and healthcare professionals who support a child with intellectual disabilities using blended diet. 
  • Description:This proposed study aims to explore the lived experiences of parents and health care professionals who support a child with intellectual disabilities using blended diet. Brown (2014) defines blended diet as everyday homemade food blended to a smooth consistency. Currently no standard definition of this method of feeding is available. The prevalence of use of blended diet is currently unknown in Ireland or globally but it is thought to be more prevalent in recent years. The successful effects of blended diet are contributed to by the support and guidance provided by clinicians involved in the child's care. It is envisaged that this proposed PHD study will provide recommendations related to the application of blended diet to practice including a clear identification of a circle of care to ensure success in administering blended diet to a child with ID.
  • Supervisors: Dr Carmel Doyle (Primary supervisor) and Dr Mary Hughes (Co-supervisor)
  • Funder: Non-Funded
  • Part Time: 2024 - 2025

Michelle Cleary

  • Qualifications:RNID, BSc, MSc.
  • Name of Research Project: Parents experiences of disguising prescribed medicines for their child with an intellectual disability.
  • Description: In Ireland, most children with an intellectual disability are cared for at home requiring support from their parents in relation to many day-to-day activities. Due to the presence of chronic conditions, these children often require ongoing medications and therefore medication management is a significant part of the caring role for parents. Parents can experience challenges in relation to administering medications. They often need to employ alternative strategies to administer medications to ease administration when there is resistance from the child due to palatability issues or unavailability of medication in alternative forms to suit the child. In these instances, disguised administration is one strategy employed by parents which is a complex process. There is no formal guidance available for parents experiencing these difficulties and there is limited research that specifically focuses on the experiences of parents administering medications in this way. This study seeks to explore the lived experiences of parents who manage and administer medication in disguised form to their child with an intellectual disability. This understanding will determine the required support needs of parents and subsequently provide recommendations to inform how healthcare professionals can effectively support parents in this role.
  • Supervisors: Dr Carmel Doyle (Primary supervisor) and Dr Cathal Cadogan (Co-supervisor).
  • Funder: School of Nursing and Midwifery, TCD.
  • Part Time: 2024 - 2030

Fen Xie

  • Qualifications: Master in Nursing and RN
  • Name of research project: Unmet care needs and quality of life of older people in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in China
  • Description: The imbalance in the Chinese population in China is producing unanticipated demands for long-term care. This study proposes to inform the development and optimisation of the delivery of care resources for older people. This will be achieved through comprehensive assessment instrument development, care need classification and grading, and exploration of the explanatory factors for unmet care needs.
  • Supervisors: Professor Anne-Marie Brady (primary supervisor) and Dr Louise Daly (co-supervisor)
  • Funder: China Scholarship Council (CSC)- Trinity College Dublin Joint Scholarship.
  • Full time: 2023-2026

Deirdre Mc Guone

  • Qualifications: Registered Advanced Nurse Practioner, Emergency Cardiologogy at St James Hospital, NP of medicinal products and ionising dadiation, MSc in Clinical practice, PGD Emergency Nursing, BNS, DNS
  • Name of research project: Implementation and Evaluation of a commuinity-based ANP-led Cardiovascular Prevention &Screening Clinic (CPSC) and integrated referral pathway.
  • Description: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) stands as a major global cause of mortality, accounting for 20.5 million deaths annually (WHO, 2023). A recent report by the National Institute for Prevention and Cardiovascular Health (NIPC, 2023) and the National CVD Prevention Council reveals substantial deficiencies in Ireland's cardiovascular healthcare. Despite almost 9,000 annual CVD-related deaths, of which 80% are deemed preventable, the report highlights shortcomings in detecting CVD signs within the healthcare system. This study will explore ways to address these issues by investigating ways to enhance preventative care through the development of a cardiac screening program. .
  • Supervisors: Dr Frances O’Brien (primary supervisor) and Prof Sharon O’Donnell (co-supervisor)
  • Funder: 2020-2030 School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin PhD Scholarship - A decade of building capacity in Nursing & Midwifery Research
  • Full time: March 2024 - March 2028

Debbie Van Tonder

  • Qualifications:Diploma in Nursing Science (General, Community, Psychiatry) and Midwifery, BA in Nursing Education and Administration, MSc in Cognitive Psychotherapy, MSc in Healthcare Management
  • Name of research project: Evaluating the effectiveness and sustainability of an Adolescent Mental Health Virtual Hospital-at-Home model in a not-for-profit, independent National Mental Health Service in the Republic of Ireland (ROI).
  • Description: The Covid-19 pandemic forced rapid change to deliver mental health services within the restrictions introduced due the pandemic. Mental health services faced challenges by changing the delivery of predominantly face-to-face mental health services to telemental health to ensure accessibility and mitigate risks. An innovative adolescent mental health virtual Hospital-at-Home model was implemented during the pandemic and continues to be a treatment option in the post-peak Covid-era.This study aims to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and sustainability of the adolescent mental health virtual HaH model through a mixed method study.
  • Supervisors: Professor Anne-Marie Brady (Primary Supervisor) and Dr Grainn Donohoe (Sercondary Supervisor)
  • Funder: St Patricks Mental Health Services
  • Part Time: 2023-2026

 

K. Nicki Annunziata

  • Qualifications: BSc in General Nursing, MA in Addiction Studies, Diploma in Expressive Art Therapy
  • Name of research project: The Prevalence of Vicarious Trauma among Nurses working in Addiction Services and the role of Leadership: A Mixed Methods Study.
  • Description: The study is following a mixed methods Sequential Explanatory Design. The aim of this research is to measure the prevalence and risk of vicarious trauma (VT) among nurses who work in addiction services and the association with the role of leadership against VT, and based on this understanding, assess nursing needs and protective factors against VT, and subsequently inform nurse practice leadership. Vicarious trauma is a phenomenon characterised by the negative change of cognitive schemes and belief systems that derives from the empathic involvement of healthcare professionals with the traumatic experiences of others. Nurses who work in addiction services are highly vulnerable to experience VT, as people with substance abuse have experienced one, or more, traumatic event in the past. The literature reviewed highlighted that leadership is of central importance for a supportive and well-organised work environment that mitigates the possible development of vicarious trauma. Research has indicated that it is not sufficient for healthcare professionals to use coping mechanisms, but it is the responsibility of leadership to create a healthy work environment designed to reduce potential vicarious trauma experiences.
  • Supervisors: Professor Catherine Comiskey and Dr Elizabeth Curtis

 

Olayinka Aremu

  • Qualifications: MSc Community Health Nursing, PG Cert Health Service Management, PgD in Education, BSc Nursing, RN, RM, RPHN, Lean Six Sigma for Healthcare (White Belt) Mater Lean Academy MMUH/UCD, Evidence-Based Practice and Research Champion on Discharge Communications, MMUH/UCD.
  • Name of research project: Nursing-led discharge planning communication and transitional care interventions for older people with stroke: A mixed-method study.
  • Description: Gaps have been identified in relation to care transition with stroke patients, with particular importance, also noted internationally regarding the role of nurses in optimizing recovery in the context of robust transition practices. Olayinka is employing a mixed-method design involving an audit tool and a phenomenological approach based on Heidegger's philosophy to identify practices that exist within the nursing care of older stroke patients discharged from the acute hospital and the home setting. The study will focus on care outcomes as well as the enabling contextual factors and constraints. In the context of a primary care based policy, a rising life expectancy, and the potential to enhance patient quality and safety, this study seeks to refine and/or develop future interventions aimed at improving nursing-led discharge planning communication and transitional care of older stroke patients. The study will help develop an understanding of how nurses within different healthcare settings conduct care transitions for older stroke adults.
  • Supervisor: Professor Amanda Phelan
  • Funder: Seeking funding
  • Part time: 2020 - 2026

 

Muluken Basa

  • Qualifications: Diploma in Clinical Nursing (RCN), BSc in Public Health, MSc in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Nursing, MSc in Community Health.
  • Name of research project: The impact of COVID-19 on Non-Communicable Disease patients and in the Health Services and the Role of Community Nurses.
  • Description: A Mixed method of study will be applied to assess the impact of COVID-19 and its prevention measures on community health services for non-communicable disease patients and the role of community nursing. The context of the study will be the developing country, with a view to sharing learning and identifying enablers and barriers to implementing best practice between international models.
  • Supervisor: Professor Catherine Comiskey
  • Funder: Muluken was awarded a 1252 PhD studentship.

 

 

Vanessa Boland

  • Qualifications: Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Nursing (General), Dublin City University
  • Name of research project: A mixed-methods investigation of the unmet needs of Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma survivors in Ireland
  • Description: The needs and challenges associated with haematological malignancies are distinct from those of solid tumours. People living with haematological malignancies experience distinct and complex needs which may affect their quality of life. This study will explore the quality of life and unmet needs of lymphoma survivors in Ireland. This study will begin to address the need for haematological-specific research to better understand the needs and outcome of this population clearly using a registry-based sample.
  • Supervisors: Professor Anne-Marie Brady (primary supervisor) and Dr Amanda Drury (co-supervisor)
  • Funder: 2020-2030 School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin PhD Scholarship - A decade of building capacity in Nursing & Midwifery Research
  • Research Theme: Healthcare Innovation & Integration (HII)
  • Full time: March 2020 - March 2023

 

Carita Bramhill

  • Qualifications: Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Nursing (General), Trinity College Dublin; Master's in Public Health and Epidemiology, University College Cork; Postgraduate Higher Diploma in Health Promotion, University College Galway; Postgraduate Higher Diploma in Psychology, Dublin Business School.
  • Name of research project: Living beyond a diagnosis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A mixed method exploration of patient related experience and unmet health care needs.
  • Description: This research aims to investigate the unmet needs and quality of life outcomes of patients living with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. This study will be carried out in order to enhance the knowledge base of those working directly with IPF patients and policy makers to be better informed of the unmet needs of this population and how they might contribute to quality of life for individuals living with IPF and finally to target health outcomes.
  • Supervisors: Professor Anne-Marie Brady (primary supervisor) and Dr Anne-Marie Russell (co-supervisor)
  • Funder: Carita was awarded a Trinity College Dublin PhD Ussher scholarship
  • Research Theme: Healthcare Innovation & Integration (HII)
  • Full time: September 2021 - September 2024

 

Grainne Clarke

  • Qualifications: BA (Hons) Psychology
  • Name of research project: Stigma, health inequality and service access for women in drug and alcohol treatment and recovery.
  • Description: Stigma is a significant challenge for women in drug and alcohol treatment and recovery. This research aims to advance understanding of the stigma experienced by women with substance issues, the implications of stigma and its link to possible health inequalities when accessing health services. Additionally, the study aims to understand the experiences of these women in engaging with other services. The opportunities from the findings of the study will inform policy makers, educators and service providers to support improved outcomes for women and families affected by substance use.
  • Supervisors: Professor Catherine Comiskey and Dr Pauline Hyland
  • Part time: This study commenced in March 2021

 

Ann-Marie Duff

  • Qualifications: DipHe in Adult Nursing (University of West England), P. Grad. Dip Specialist nursing Intensive Care strand (Trinity College Dublin), P. Grad. Cert Specialist nursing Paediatric Intensive Care strand (London South Bank University)
  • Name of research project: Does the implementation of an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery pathway influence the goals of increasing quality of care, improve efficiency and decrease post operative complications post thoracotomy for cancer resection.
  • Description: In conjunction with Professor John Reynolds on the St. James' campus the focus will be on oesophagectomy patients undergoing tumour resection for curative intent. Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) programme came into focus in 2001 primarily in the colorectal field. The area of ERAS has been further implemented in other surgical areas. Guidelines in oesophagectomy patients were only introduced in 2018 with many areas highlighted for further study/review. Ann-Marie plans to introduce an integrated care pathway for oesophageal resection on the St. James' campus. St. James' Hospital is the national Upper GI Centre & has recently attained OCEI accreditation. Pain management will be a large focus of this study.
  • Supervisor: Professor Anne-Marie Brady
  • Funder: RCDHT (formally known as Baggot Street)
  • Full time: 2019 - 2023

 

Lisa Glynn

  • Qualifications: BSc General Nursing, MSc in Specialist Nursing, Post Graduate Diploma in Specialist Nursing, Post Graduate Diploma, Advanced Practice, Respiratory Medicine
  • Name of research project: A single site feasibility randomised control trial investigating the effectiveness of an electronic health journal as a prognostic indicator of clinical health outcomes in participants with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
  • Description: The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of an electronic health journal that incorporates a self-management plan using a smartphone application (app) in participants with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
  • Supervisors: Professor Catherine McCabe, Dr Margaret McCann & Professor Eddie Moloney, Respiratory Consultant, Tallaght University Hospital
  • Funder: This study is funded by Tallaght University Hospital. PhD scholarship sponsored by Trinity College Dublin.
  • Part-time: Six years from 2020.

 

Ciara Henderson

  • Qualifications: MSc Social Science, MSc Marketing, BA Journalism, Diploma Public Relations
  • Name of research project: The Hidden Mothers Project: A Qualitative study of Maternal Mourning following perinatal death.
  • Description: This project is interested in learning what happened after a baby died, at or around the time of birth, a long time ago. There has been little study of women's experiences of pregnancy loss and virtually none on how women memorialised and remembered their children and the extent of any social rituals that accompanied their death and burial. This study uses qualitative and historical research methods to explore the role of social rituals and burial practices after perinatal death and the impact this has on mother's long term grief.
  • Supervisors: Professor Joan Lalor and Dr Georgina Laragy
  • Funder: 1252 Studentship Award, Trinity College Dublin
  • Full time: Commenced September 2018, finish date September 2021

 

Marie Hyland

  • Qualifications: BA (Hons) Degree in Psychology
  • Name of research project: Alcohol use, health related quality of life and related harms: Exploring the risk and protective factors for young people living in urban disadvantage
  • Description: A cross-sectional survey study exploring the risk and protective factors of alcohol use under the broad domains of health-related quality of life, including physical well-being, psychological well-being, autonomy and parent relation, social supports and peers, schools environment, leisure activities and depression. The study has employed a quantitative approach using self-reporting measures from a sample of 15-17 year old students, living in urban disadvantage.  
  • Supervisor: Professor Catherine Comiskey, Ms Eleanor Hollywood and Dr Sonam Banka
  • Funder: Tallaght Children's Hospital / Children's Hospital Group
  • Full time: This study commenced in October 2018

 

Sarah Jackson

  • Qualifications: MSc. Infectious Diseases, BSc. Zoology
  • Name of research project: A retrospective analysis of the effects of migration on the epidemiology of TB among low to medium incidence countries, using routine surveillance data
  • Description: The long-term vision of the World Health Organization's (WHO) post-2015 global TB strategy is a world free of TB while the strategy goal is to end the global TB epidemic by 2035, defined as a global incidence of fewer than 10 cases per 100,000 population. To reach elimination of TB in Ireland by 2035, an annual rate of decline of 19% is required, or an annual decline of 12% to achieve elimination by 2050. To achieve and sustain such a decline will require the disruption of transmission chains both at a national and international level. The overall aim of this study is to examine the effect of migration on changing patterns within the epidemiology of tuberculosis in Ireland by achieving the following objectives:
  1. To conduct a systematic review of the literature on the impact of migration on the epidemiology of tuberculosis in low to medium incidence countries
  2. To describe and analyse the comparative clinical and molecular epidemiology of tuberculosis among native TB cases and migrant TB cases
  3. To investigate factors affecting treatment success of tuberculosis cases and whether the factors have remained stable over time
  • Supervisor: Professor Catherine Comiskey and Zubair Kabir (UCC)
  • Funder: HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre
  • Part time: 2017 - 2023

 

Veena Janith Lasrado

  • Qualifications: MSc (Nursing), Grad Cert (Nursing Education), Post Cert (BSN), Dip (GNM), RGN, RNT, FFNMRCSI
  • Name of research project: Open Disclosure Training for Nurses and Midwives within the context of national policy and clinical practice in Ireland: Explore the needs, barriers and impact of training and its influence on delivery of quality-safe health service 
  • Description: Open disclosure is defined by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care as “an open, consistent approach to communicating with patients when things go wrong in healthcare. This includes expressing regret for what has happened, keeping the patient informed, providing feedback on investigations and the steps taken to prevent a recurrence of the adverse event.” The proposed study aims to evaluate the impact of Open Disclosure programmes on practitioners’ knowledge, skills and practice within the context of National Open Disclosure policy & Guidelines from the perspectives of HCPs including nurses, midwives, educators & Policy makers.
  • Supervisor: Professor Anne-Marie Brady
  • Funder: HSE, NMPDU, Dublin North
  • Part time: Commenced in September 2018

 

Isobel Mahon

  • Qualifications: Dual qualified RNID/RCN with an MSc in caring for children with complex medical needs
  • Name of research project: Evaluating the Experiences, Coping Mechanisms and Supports of Fathers who have a Child with a Rare Chromosomal Abnormality
  • Description: Children with a rare chromosomal abnormality can have multi-domain disabilities. In addition, compared to the general population, there is a higher frequency of child mortality within the first year of life. There are many chromosomal abnormalities and over 100 reported chromosomal syndromes associated with these abnormalities. Individually many of these are rare, but together they make a large contribution to child morbidity and mortality. The developments in healthcare services have resulted in changes in care for children with a chromosomal abnormality, with nearly all of these children living in Ireland are cared for within the family home. The experiences of mothers caring for a child with a rare chromosomal abnormality is well documented, but there is a significant lack of research around fathers' experiences of having a child with a chromosomal abnormality. Additionally, the roles of fathers have also gone through a rapid reform in the last few decades, meaning there is now a social expectation that they take on more responsibility when caring for their children than ever before. This study aims to explore the experiences, coping mechanisms and supports of fathers of a child with a rare chromosomal abnormality. The purpose of this study is to provide a greater understanding of their experiences, to explore their views of the level of support they receive and to provide a foundation for further research.
  • Supervisory team: Dr Carmel Doyle / Dr Mary Hughes
  • Theme: Child and Family Health
  • Full time: Commenced in September 2020

 

Barry McBrien

  • Qualifications: MSc (Hons), BSc (Hons), PG Diploma (Emergency), PG Cert (Education), RANP, RNP, RN.
  • Name of research project: The integration needs of Indian Migrant Nurses (IMNs) in Ireland: A Mixed Methods Study
  • Description: The international migration of nurses has continued in an effort to address the global shortage of nurses in the healthcare arena (Montayre et al. 2018). Ireland is more reliant upon international nurse recruitment than New Zealand, Australia or United Kingdom (Humphries et al. 2012). Research regarding the challenges that migrant nurses encounter during their integration into the Irish healthcare setting is scarce while studies on IMNs, are missing. Generating new knowledge could provide a platform to optimise IMNs' transition process and ultimately improve the retention of IMNs.
  • Supervisory team: Dr Gobnait Byrne, Dr Frances O'Brien and Dr Shoba Rani ((co-supervisor and cultural advisor and remove PPI)
  • Funder: This study is funded by a PhD scholarship sponsored by Trinity College Dublin.
  • Duration: Part-time 2020-2026

 

Louise McCulloch

  • Qualifications: BSocSc Social Policy and Sociology, Masters in Sociology, Masters in Health Promotion, PgCert in Health Economics.
  • Name of research project: Advancing the system with mothers in addiction recovery: an action research project
  • Description: There are a number of research studies that describe the experiences of mothers in addiction recovery and the challenges of balancing recovery activities and parenting. However, there is less research that helps us understand what might be the 'way forward' while drawing on the current strengths in the system. This research seeks to increase understanding about what happens as we try to create desired change. It will be a participatory process led by mothers while embracing their strengths and experience of the system.
  • Supervisors: Professor Catherine Comiskey and Dr Vivienne Brady
  • Part-time: commenced in September 2020.

 

Siobhán O'Connor

  • Qualifications: Registered General Nurse, Registered Children's Nurse, MSc (Education & Training Management)
  • Name of research project: Care for hospitalised children and adolescents: The child's, adolescent's and parent's experience of involvement in care in hospital - A grounded theory study.
  • Description: The aim of this research is to explore children's, adolescents' and parents' experiences and expectations of their roles in hospital. The research will take a qualitative approach, using grounded theory methodology. Grounded theory research is a systematic and flexible method for collecting and analysing qualitative data with the ultimate goal of developing theory to describe a particular social process (Charmaz, 2014). It is an inductive approach to research where theory emerges from the participants' data; emerging theory is said to be 'grounded' in the data (Parahoo, 2014). Data will be collected through focused semi-structured interviews with pre-teenage children and adolescents who are in-patients. Parents of hospitalised children will also be interviewed. Participants will be allowed to express their views and insights in a safe and non-threatening space. This study will develop advanced knowledge of care for children as in-patients in the acute hospital setting, beyond what is currently known. A theory to explain the involvement of the child, adolescent and parent in care in hospital will be developed, which will provide a framework for a model of nursing care in inform how care will be delivered, leading to improved healthcare for children, nationally and internationally.
  • Supervisors: Professor Imelda Coyne and Professor Maria Brenner
  • Funder: The National Children's Hospital Foundation, based at Children's Hospital Ireland at Tallaght.
  • Full time: This study commenced in October 2017.

 

Sinéad Plunkett

  • Qualifications: BSc (Hons) in Nursing, PGDip in Emergency Nursing, MSc in Emergency Nursing, Grad Cert in Healthcare Education, RGN, RNT, FFRNMRCSI.
  • Name of research project: Developing Online Learning - Using an integrated approach to inform the development of a structured programme in asthma education.
  • Methodology: A mixed method sequential exploratory design.
  • Description: Uncontrolled asthma is fast becoming an epidemic in Ireland. Current figures suggest that 60% of people living with asthma are uncontrolled in managing their chronic disease. Education plays a central tenant to gold standard guidelines in effective management and improved asthma outcomes. In Ireland, structured education programmes have been successfully developed and implemented throughout chronic disease care pathways. However there is no structured educational programme for people self-managing their asthma and little is known about their educational needs. This research aims to investigate the unmet needs of individuals self-managing their asthma and align their needs with an effective educational approach.
  • Supervisors: Professor Anne-Marie Brady
  • Funder: Self-funded
  • Part-time: This study commenced in September 2021

 

Natalie Tham

  • Qualifications: BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Applied Psychology and Economic Behaviour
  • Name of research project: Application of behavioural change theory to the design, development, and implementation of camera systems to support home-based multiple chronic disease (multimorbidity) self-management.
  • Description: The reality of demographic change poses significant social and economic implications, particularly concerning care for the elderly. To this end, technological advances in vision-enabled ambient assisted living (AAL) systems offer a putative mechanism to alleviate the burdens of eldercare, particularly for older adults with multimorbidity. Specifically, by proactively assisting older multimorbid patients in their daily living and self-management activities, visual AAL technologies can potentially enable older adults to live at home for longer, thus circumventing the costs of institutionalised care. However, although technically feasible, the privacy and ethical implications of home-based visual monitoring systems are poorly understood, which may hinder the eventual uptake of such solutions among the techno-pessimistic elderly. This project aims to uncover the determinants of visual AAL (non-)acceptance and ground these in established psychological (i.e. behaviour change) theory. Such an understanding will inform the development of acceptable and effective visual AAL solutions for home-based multimorbidity care.
  • Supervisors: Dr John Dinsmore and Professor Anne-Marie Brady
  • Funder: European Union Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Innovative Training Network
  • Full time: June 2021 to June 2024

 

 

Completed Studies

Yvonne Muldowney

  • Qualifications: Masters in Nursing, Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Health Science Education, BSc Adult Nursing, Diploma in Adult Nursing, RGN, RTN.
  • Name of research project: The adaptation and testing of the palliative care pathway (PAL.M.ED) for the ICU environment.
  • Description: Yvonne is using a quasi-experimental mixed method to adapt and test the PAL.M.ED (a palliative care pathway) for integrating palliative care into the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The last couple of decades has seen rapid medical advancements and an exponential ageing population. The ICU now deals with sicker patients, an increased elderly population and an increased percentage of patients with cancer. As a result, patients in ICU often have life-limiting illnesses, chronic diseases, multimorbidity and are complex cases. While, increasingly it is being recognised that survivors of this population suffer from post-traumatic distress, have a poor quality of life and have a high mortality. The Irish National Clinical Programme for Palliative Care, the World Health Organisation and the European Association of Palliative Care all advocate for integrated palliative care for older adults, those with chronic illnesses; those with life-limiting illnesses and those at high risk of death. More recently, they recommend that palliative care is stated early and in combination with treatment in all care environments. Evidence shows that patients in ICU have unmet needs such as untreated pain, thirst and hunger. While, their families' unmet needs involve not fully comprehending patients' prognoses, inadequate communication and family-clinical conflicts. There are palliative care services available to the ICU. However, these services are under-utilised in Irish ICUs. This innovative project will adapt and test PAL.M.ED, an integrative care pathway developed to integrate palliative care into the emergency department. This is a collaborative project with Dr Eoin Tiernan, Consultant in Palliative Medicine in St. Vincent's University Hospital.
  • Supervisory team: Professor Anne-Marie Brady, TCD (primary supervisor) and Professor Peter May, Health Economics, TCD.
  • Funder: Irish Research Council
  • Full time: September 2020 to September 2024

Sinéad Plunkett

  • Qualifications: BSc (Hons) in Nursing, PGDip in Emergency Nursing, MSc in Emergency Nursing, Grad Cert in Healthcare Education, RGN, RNT, FFRNMRCSI.
  • Name of research project: Developing Online Learning - Using an integrated approach to inform the development of a structured programme in asthma education.
  • Methodology: A mixed method sequential exploratory design.
  • Description: Uncontrolled asthma is fast becoming an epidemic in Ireland. Current figures suggest that 60% of people living with asthma are uncontrolled in managing their chronic disease. Education plays a central tenant to gold standard guidelines in effective management and improved asthma outcomes. In Ireland, structured education programmes have been successfully developed and implemented throughout chronic disease care pathways. However there is no structured educational programme for people self-managing their asthma and little is known about their educational needs. This research aims to investigate the unmet needs of individuals self-managing their asthma and align their needs with an effective educational approach.
  • Supervisors: Professor Anne-Marie Brady
  • Funder: Self-funded
  • Part-time: This study commenced in September 2021

 

Fatimah Alsaggaf

  • Qualifications: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, King AbdulAzizi University, Master of Nursing, Dalhousie University
  • Name of research project: Impact of chronic pain on adolescents' school functioning and pain management interventions in the school setting.
  • Description: Chronic pain is a significant health problem among children and adolescents. It has a definitive and wide-ranging impact on the daily activities of children and adolescents including school functioning. The World Health Organisation (2018) emphasized the significance of pain management among children and adolescents, stating that pain should be appropriately managed in any setting. The aim of the proposed study is to explore the impact of pain on adolescents' (aged 12 to 18 years) school functioning and to identify interventions for managing adolescents' pain in school settings in Saudi Arabia (SA).
  • Supervisors: Professor Imelda Coyne
  • Funder: King AbdulAziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
  • Full time: September 2018 - September 2022

Zainab Al Kindi

  • Qualifications: Master in Advance Practice Public Health Nursing
  • Name of research project: Impact of asthma education program on school nurses knowledge level and children absenteeism rate
  • Description: It is a quasi experimental study that will take place in primary schools in Oman. As part of community healthcare system in the country, managing chronic conditions is among the top priorities. School nurses are the first line health professional available for children with chronic conditions. Despite the pressing need of a health professional in primary schools, nurses are recruited as part time only. Asthma is the top leading cause of student absenteeism. The management of asthma in schools requires effective asthma education programs for nurses to stay current with up-to-date practice. The project aims to investigate the effect of asthma education programs on school nurses knowledge level and children absenteeism rate.
  • Supervisors: Dr Catherine McCabe and Dr Margaret McCann
  • Funder: This study is funded by the Government of Sultanate of Oman
  • Full time: 2019 - 2022

Thelma Begley

  • Qualifications: MSc Nursing, BNS (Hons), RGN, RCN, RNT
  • Name of research project: Information Needs and Sources of Information of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Questioning (LGBQ) Adolescents in relation to sexuality and sexual health.
  • Description: A goal of the Irish National Sexual Health Strategy 2015-2020 is that everyone in Ireland should receive age appropriate and comprehensive information in order to develop a healthy sexuality and optimum sexual health. However, little research has examined what sexual health information LGBQ adolescents seek, what sources of information are available, those currently being used and if their information needs are being met. This quantitative study is investigating LGBQ adolescents' information sources and information needs about sexuality and sexual health using a cross sectional survey.
  • Supervisors: Professor Agnes Higgins and Dr Gabrielle McKee
  • Part time: 2015 - 2022

Sarah Delaney

  • Qualifications: BA (Anthropology) MSc
  • Name of research project: Power and agency in the self-management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) 
  • Description: Sarah is using a narrative inquiry methodology to explore how people with COPD exercise agency and power in the self-management of their illness. She has conducted up to three unstructured interviews with 31 people who have COPD in which they have told their stories of living with and managing COPD. Thematic analysis is being used to analyse their stories and identify how participants have exercised agency within the constraints of wider relations of power.  
  • Supervisor: Dr Patricia Cronin and Sylvia Huntley-Moore
  • Funder: This study is funded by a Trinity College Dublin funded stipend which terminates on 29 February 2020
  • Full time: March 2016 to 2020

 

Debra O'Neill

  • Qualifications: MBA Master of Business Administration (First Class/ Student of the Year), Certified EQ-i / EQ Emotional Intelligence, Certificate in Mediation.
  • Name of research project: Diagnosing Culture; A Mixed Methods Exploration of Organisational Culture in Community Health Care Reform, a review to identify and measure the dominant organisational culture in the participating community health care area during a period of reform and investigating the preferred future culture identified to deliver transformational change.
  • Description: Transformation of community care is key to achieving effective integrated care. Moving the delivery of service to the lowest point of acuity in an integrated, multidisciplinary community health care model requires a strong congruent organisational culture. With the growing demands on the healthcare system, fuelled by the economic and resource constraints, calls for change and reform have resulted in incremental initiatives which at best have resulted in weak and situation dependent results. Research suggests that a positive organisational culture is consistently associated with positive patient outcomes such as quality of life, reduced hospital admissions, decreased falls and mortality rates. However two thirds of all change programmes fail because of the organisational culture, yet culture in health care remains unnamed, unmeasured and unmanaged.
  • Supervisor: Dr Jan de Vries (primary supervisor) and Professor Catherine Comiskey (co-supervisor)
  • Funder: Trinity College 1252 Scholarship 
  • Full time: September 2017-2020

 

Aliona Vilinsky-Redmond

  • Qualifications: BSc in Midwifery, MSc in Nursing and Midwifery Education
  • Name of research project: Intraoperative active warming versus no active warming during caesarean section for preventing neonatal hypothermia in women performing skin-to-skin contact: a randomized controlled trial
  • Description: The initiation of at birth skin-to-skin contact (SSC) and early breastfeeding is a well-established practice after vaginal birth, not only in Ireland but in many developed countries, with many health benefits for both newborns and their mothers. However, this practice is trying to be implemented in the recent years during Caesarean Section (CS). Due to the increased frequency of maternal and neonatal hypothermia during CS, this patient population are at an increased risk of health complications associated with hypothermia and also they have higher chance of maternal/newborn separation due to the need of managing postoperative hypothermia, something that would minimize the amount of SSC and breastfeeding in this population. Preventing perioperative neonatal and maternal hypothermia is key not only in keeping mother/newborn dyads safe but also in promoting early and longer duration of SSC and breastfeeding during/after CS. The perioperative use of warm IV fluids on mothers undergoing CS is a well-established practice used in the prevention of inadvertent perioperative hypothermia (IPH) in the general population undergoing an operation, however it is not widely researched on pregnant women undergoing CS. A Systematic Review (SR) was undertaken as part of this thesis to identify the lack of randomised controlled trials, which would provide sufficient evidence about the effectiveness and safety of maternal active warming during CS as a method to prevent maternal and neonatal hypothermia during CS on newborns who perform at birth SSC. The critical analysis of the existent RCT evidence, found only three RCTs that directly compared different methods of maternal active warming versus no active warming, while SSC was performed. However, these three studies were of low quality and used different methods of active warming, different equipment and different body sites for measuring maternal and neonatal temperatures, something that suggests that the findings of the SR need to be interpreted with caution and that a new robust RCT with sufficient sample size needs to be undertaken. The aim of this was to compare the effectiveness of perioperative active warming by administering warmed IV fluids in women undergoing elective CS and performing SSC, at term, versus room temperature IV fluids, on neonatal and maternal outcomes.
  • Supervisors: Dr Margaret McCann and Professor Maria Brenner
  • Funder: 1252 TCD stipend
  • Full time: 2016 - 2020