2024

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Participatory Health Research Unit team members

Launch of UL Participatory Health Research Unit 

Co-Directors Prof Anne MacFarlane & Prof Helen Phelan are delighted to be joined by Prof Nigel Healey, Vice President Global and Community Engagement to launch our specialist Participatory Health Research Unit research unit. 

The launch on 30th April will start at 1pm and finish at 1.30pm in the School of Medicine foyer. A buffet lunch and refreshments will be available to support networking.


Places are limited so please follow the link below to book asap!

Launch of UL Participatory Health Research Unit (office.com)

PPI workshop: COLLABORATIVE DISSEMINATION PLANNING

DATE: TUESDAY, 2 APRIL 2024

Time: 11h - 13h

GLUCKSMAN LIBRARY - Appellate court room

Facilitated by: Jon Salsberg and Lorna Kerin

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  • Reflect on dissemination goals that include both increasing knowledge and action
  • Identify target audiences
  • Understand how to craft the central messages
  • Understand the importance of the messenger

9th edition Public and Patient Involvement Summer School @ UL 
Save the date 17 and 18 June 2024

More details to follow.

November 2023

North American Primary Care Research Group – NAPCRG 51stAnnual Meeting

The Participatory Health Research (PHR) Unit team recently travelled to San Francisco, USA to disseminate PHR knowledge and best practice at the largest international conference on Primary Care Research, the 51stNAPCRG Annual Meeting. The conference was held from October 30 to November 3, 2023.

Jon Salsberg, Associate Professor of Primary Health Care Research at the School of Medicine (SoM), and Principal Investigator of the HRB/IRC PPI Ignite Network Grant, led the School of Medicine PHR team composed of Professor Anne MacFarlane, Anna Papyan, Dénia Claudino, Lorna Kerin, Dr Megan Gilfoyle, and Miriam McCarthy.

The team presented research about diverse aspects of PHR, links to the abstracts below.

Changing the landscape: Building capacity for patient & community involvement: Experiences from the US & Ireland”.

“Combining participatory health research with implementation science for health equity: A tale of two theories”.

“Knowledge dissemination workshop”,

Participatory health research with refugees and other migrants - partnerships for health equity”.

Do you still trust me? Exploring trust in research partnerships over time”.

“Creating and maintaining participatory space to share organisational decision making with patients in family practice”.

Inaugural RMHP event at DoH

The inaugural Refugee and Migrant Health Partnership (RMHP) event at the Department of Health offered participants the opportunity to discuss research evidence about urgent issues for refugee and migrant health that can inform health policy.

Participants were encouraged through participatory roundtable discussions to consider how the Refugee and Migrant Health Partnership (RMHP) can support their future work to inform Ireland’s public health response to refugee and migrant health.

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Group

Image: Leaders of the Refugee and Migrant Health Partnership (RMHP) at the inaugural event in the Department of Health including (L to R) Ahmed Hassan (Doras); Prof Ailish Hannigan (UL); Mr Jim Walsh (Department of Health); Prof Helen Phelan (UL); Ms Siobhan McArdle (Department of Health); Prof Anne MacFarlane (UL Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Participatory Health Research with Refugees and Migrants)

Publication on data gaps in refugee and migrant health in highly prestigious journal

Despite rising global mobility, the state of migrant and refugee health data in European health systems is a concern according to a new study involving Professor Ailish Hannigan from University of Limerick’s WHO Collaborating Center for Refugee and Migrant Health.

The analysis by an international coalition of universities, UN organizations, government representatives, and European institutions reveals that coverage of migrant and refugee data remains inconsistent and of suboptimal quality.

The research has been published in the highly prestigious medical journal The Lancet Regional Health Europe in a paper called “Integration of migrant and refugee data in health information systems in Europe: advancing evidence, policy and practice”. The article can be accessed here.

October 2023

National PPI Festival 2023

PPI Ignite @UL, the University of Limerick’s Public Patient Involvement Office organised a strong calendar of events as part of the National PPI Festival 2023.  This year’s festival events took place from 1st-31st October with the tagline “PPI: Where WE all matter”.  

The festival offered a range of online and in-person opportunities to learn about partnering to improve the quality of health research. Many events around the country were open to researchers, healthcare professionals, patients, carers as well to the wider public interested in getting involved in health research. 

On 2nd October, UL President Kerstin Mey launched the partnership between the Department of Health and the WHO Collaborating Centre led by Prof Anne MacFarlane, at the School of Medicine. Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton with responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, sent a message of support for this important collaboration for the DoH. A multi-stakeholder roundtable discussion was prepared to explore how participatory research can facilitate meaningful partnerships on refugee and migrant health policy. 

On 10th October, PPI Ignite @UL offered an in-person Facilitation Skills Workshop, in UL aimed at upskilling researchers and community partners in participatory facilitation tools and techniques. At the end of the workshop, 20 participants were very fulfilled with the level of engagement, the quality and practicality of the tools, and the expertise of the facilitators. When asked if you would recommend this course to others, one participant replied “Absolutely, often we hear Why to do PPI but not so often we are oriented on How to PPI”.

42 participants, including musicians, UL researchers, and migrants from different geographies participated in the Irish World Music Café 26th October that was held on UL City Campus.

According to Professor Helen Phelan, Director of the IWADM and founder of the Irish World Music Café: “The cafe gathering was a wonderfully creative and engaging opportunity to meaningfully involve communities in research. We were very pleased to have a full house today at the café to hear about engaged research”.

Academic researchers and community partners who wish to develop a health research partnership attended a PPI workshop on the 24th of October focused on “Collaborative Research Design”. This online workshop was part of the UL PPI Workshop Series and contributed to the UL Researcher Development Programme digital badge. The workshop was co-facilitated by Professor Anne MacFarlane, Chair of Primary Healthcare Research, School of Medicine, UL, and Alphonse Basogomba, a PPI Community Partner. 

Finally, the PPI Ignite @UL team and community partners presented on various aspects of participatory research and chaired working groups at the largest primary care conference in the world at the end of October at the 51st Annual Working Meeting of the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) in San Francisco. This year’s edition documented a record in attendance, with more than 1000 participants engaged in more than 600 presentations.

We are looking forward to uniting our efforts for the 2024 National PPI Festival!

The Irish World Music Café – All welcome

Workshop Collaborative Research  – registrations are now open

Launch of new Refugee & Migrant Health Partnership (RMHP) with the Department of Health 

In October 2023, UL President Kerstin Mey launched the new ‘Refugee and Migrant Health Partnership’ (RMHP) with the Department of Health and UL’s World Health Organisation Collaborating Center for participatory health research with refugees and migrants, led by Prof Anne MacFarlane (UL School of Medicine).

The Refugee and Migrant Health Partnership is funded by the Department of Health and is designed to involve refugees and migrants directly in the development of public health policy and will also fund bursaries for related teaching programmes and scholarships.

Minister of State, Ms Hilda Naughton addressed the launch opening via video link, affirming the Department of Health’s commitment to the partnership with UL.

Professor Anne MacFarlane, Lead for the UL WHO Collaborating Centre, Professor of Primary Healthcare in UL’s School of Medicine and Co-Director of the Participatory Health Research Unit, said: “This new partnership with the Department of Health is the first of its kind in Ireland. It is designed to create new spaces to bring the voices and experiences of refugees and migrants living in Ireland into policy making processes. This will allow us to learn together about the best ways to adapt services to meet their health needs. Otherwise, there is a disconnect between what refugee and migrants need for their health and what they get. We know that this disconnect leads to negative health outcomes. The ultimate goal of the partnership is to optimise the health of refugees and migrants.”

The event was attended by community partner organisations including Doras, Migrant Health Research Ireland, Ballyhaunis Inclusion Project and Shannon Family Resources Centre, statutory partners including the HSE, Limerick County Council and the Department of Health; and academic colleagues leading research in refugee and migrant health.

For further details, please see https://www.ul.ie/ehs/medicine/news/university-of-limerick-and-department-of-health-to-collaborate-on-migrant-and

August 2023

Micro-credentials Course - Communication and Interpreting in the Irish Healthcare System – applications are open

This course provides specialist knowledge for interpreting in healthcare settings. The purpose of this micro-credential course is to upskill people who interpret, advocate or mediate for refugees and migrants, as well as clinicians and healthcare managers/planners. The course focuses on the role of an interpreter in a healthcare setting and the specifics of the Irish healthcare system with attention to refugee and migrants' entitlements to healthcare. The importance of doctor-patient communication will be covered with a focus on the role of interpreters to support communication between them. The interpreter’s wellbeing will also be discussed.

The deadline for applications is 10th September. For additional details please follow this link.

June 2023

8th PPI Summer School @ UL

The PPI Research Unit at the University of Limerick (UL) held their 8th successful annual UL PPI Summer School from 15th to 16th June 23, which was a sold out event!

110 national and international participants were warmly welcomed by UL’s Prof Anne MacFarlane, Dr Jon Salsberg and Lorna Kerin.

The keynote addresses on PPI were delivered by Prof Payam Sheikhattair (Morgan State University, USA) and Alison Johnson, PPI contributor (Fairfield House, Limerick).

Participants could choose from different interactive workshops led by academics, community professionals as well as patient advocates and PPI leaders.

Some of the workshop topics included: Creative research methods; Co-creating information with health professionals working with Ukrainian Family Carers; Incorporating PPI in an HRB grant application; Research Partnerships with Charities; a Dilemma Café to explore key PPI questions; or an Arts based research with refugees and migrants.

Truly remarkable to have a variety of backgrounds among the group of participants: 36% were PPI contributors and community organisations; 28 % students; 25% academic and 11% policy-makers, funding agencies, and partners from PPI Ignite Network.

At the end of the programme, participants shared their visible enthusiasm to the organisation team: “It was an excellent 2 day event. It was even better than last year. Looking forward to next year already. It was great to be in a place where everyone was interested in PPI and can see the value in all of us working together.”, “Excellent conference. Really enjoyed the relaxed friendly environment. Good opportunity to meet peers also. Would love the networking part to expand the ability to brainstorm with some of the speakers and attendees. Will definitely be going next year and bringing colleagues. Thank you, most enjoyable and beneficial to my research studies” testimonies of PPI Summer School attendees, June 2023.

Follow this link for more info.

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pPI PROFESSIONAL DIPLOMA

PPI-RU launches a new Professional Diploma in Public & Patient Involvement in Health Research

 

In response to the ever-growing demand for high-level training in Public & Patient Involvement (PPI) in health research, the University of Limerick School of Medicine has developed a new Professional Diploma in PPI.

This new programme is a 1-year, part-time, Level-9, 30-ECTS qualification. It will be a blended delivery course with most interaction taking place online, both synchronous and asynchronous, and punctuated with face-to-face practical training blocks in each semester. Its Course Director is Dr Jon Salsberg, Senior Lecturer in Primary Health Care Research, SoM; with major contributions from Prof Anne MacFarlane, Chair in Primary Health Care Research and Director of the PPI Research Unit. Applications are open here.

PPI Ignite Network@UL bursary scheme 2023/24 – Launch of the call

Part of the PPI Ignite Network grant includes funding for short-term bursaries to support Public and Patient Involvement in health research.

This year the bursaries are aimed at all researchers. Please read below information sheet for detailed information.

Registrations are now closed for the call 2023/2024. Keep an eye on our website for next year’s round of applications.

If you have any queries, please email PPI-ignite@ul.ie

May 2023

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Poster for PPI Workshop: Ethics, governance and partner agreements 5th May 9:30am to 11:30am online, contact ppi-ignite@ul.ie to register

PPI Workshop 3 of 6: PPI: Ethics, Governance and Partner Agreements 5th May 9:30am to 11:30am online. 

April 2023

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Using Participatory and Arts-Based Methods in Migrant Health Research

 

Professors Anne MacFarlane, Ailish Hannigan, Helen Phelan, and Dr Fran Garry co-facilitated the workshop “Using Participatory and Arts-Based Methods in Migrant Health Research”, an event that was part of the Research Week UL 2023.

 

The goal of the session was to offer an experiential sharing of a research model based on a commitment to inclusion in our promotion of health equity; innovation in our use of creative, whole-person methodologies; and the provision of global leadership through this distinctive, University of Limerick approach to participatory research. This one-hour workshop featured a showcase of current research projects with practical examples of how to use this model in migrant health research and beyond.

March 2023

Professors Anne McFarlane and Ailish Hannigan from the Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) Research Unit, School of Medicine were invited by the HSE to present their Health Research Board study findings regarding best practices in Ethnic Equality Monitoring. This HSE-based webinar took place on the 8th of March 2023

Promoting the health of refugees and migrants: experiences from around the world

Professor Anne MacFarlane, Dr Kathleen Markey and Dr Molly Manning contributed to a WHO report that showcases positive examples in refugee and migrant health. The report called “Promoting the health of refugees and migrants: experiences from around the world” was developed by the WHO Health and Migration Programme to highlight best practice examples taken in countries towards better health outcomes for the one billion migrants.

IRC New Foundations award – PPI Includes

Prof Anne MacFarlane, School of Medicine, UL has been awarded an IRC New Foundations Award for a new project called PPI INCLUDES.

This is based on a collaboration between the HRB and IRC funded national PPI Ignite Network led by University of Galway, UL’s HRI research cluster Participatory and arts based methods for involving migrants in health research (PART-IM) and UL’s WHO Collaborating Centre for Migrants’ Involvement in Health Research. Limerick-based NGO Doras are the community partner.

PPI INCLUDES will build capacity for refugee and migrants’ involvement in health research in Ireland. This is important because, currently, their involvement is rare, ad hoc and less than other population groups. This project aims to promote migrants’ inclusion in Irish research. It is innovative, inter-disciplinary project that will explore the use of music and singing to build relationships and networks for new participatory research partnerships about refugee and migrant health. It is the result of the combined expertise and global leadership of UL’s School and Medicine and the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance.

February 2023

Training course for researchers, community activists and organisations, health professionals and health policymakers

Offered by the World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Migrant's Involvement in Health Research, Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) Research Unit, University of Limerick

Date: 22-24 February 2023 (in person) – Cost: Free
This training covered key issues in participatory health research with migrants. It prepared participants to develop participatory health research projects with meaningful, rather than tokenistic, involvement of migrant communities. The training focused on real-life scenarios and hands-on learning. Guided by the extensive experience of the facilitators, participants gained confidence in developing, conducting and implementing participatory health research with migrants.

For further questions, contact Susann.Huschke@ul.ie

January 2023

The aim of MAMA SING was to support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of mothers living in refugee accommodation. The project explored the use of arts-based participatory methods. We utilised singing and music as tools for self-care, empowerment and community building. The project was co-developed and co-facilitated by mothers living in Direct Provision, thereby increasing participation, ownership and inclusion. Link to the project booklet

WHO launches a UL report on participatory research to build ‘migrant-sensitive health systems’. A new report from University of Limerick and the World Health Organisation has shown that participatory research is essential in building migrant-sensitive health systems. The new WHO/Europe report, launched by the WHO on International Migrants Day 2022, 18th  December, shows that involving migrants in health research improves migrant-sensitive service delivery and fosters empowerment.

The report was developed by the Migration and Health Programme of WHO/Europe together with the WHO Collaborating Centre for Migrants’ Involvement in Health Research at University of Limerick, led by Professor Anne MacFarlane.

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R&M seminar Dec 2022 planning team

The Arts-based seminar on Refugee and Migrant Health Research – 9th December, the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance hosted the inaugural Refugee and Migrant Health Research Seminar. The first in Ireland focused on making Ireland’s health system more inclusive for people from different cultural backgrounds.Follow this link for more information

Photographed is the Planning Committee composed of several PPI Research Unit members. Pictured from left to right: Mr Ahmed Hassan Mohamed, Dr Hala Jaber, Prof Helen Phelan, Ms Anna Papyan, Dr Brid O’Brien, Ms Janique Oudbier, Dr Fran Garry, Prof Anne MacFarlane, Dr Molly Manning and Dr Kathleen Markey (Chair). 

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PART-IM Research Cluster Resource Pack Launch

Music, Arts and Migrant Health Research: A Resource Pack, developed by the HRI, PART-IM (Participatory and Arts-Based Methods for Involving Migrants in Health Research) cluster at UL, was officially launched at the ‘Refugee and Migrant Health Research Seminar: An Arts-Based Event’ at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance on December 9th.

The resource pack is for academics, musicians, migrants and people working in the NGO and health sector who are interested in learning more about how the arts, particularly music, can be used to support meaningful, participatory engagement with migrant communities in the context of health research. The pack includes examples of publications from the PART-IM research cluster and international groups, audio-visual resources, websites and online resources, policy documents, links to Irish support networks for immigrants, Irish and international reports and links of interest, and suggestions for further reading on the topics of arts-based research and migrant health, and singing and social inclusion. The pack also shares material from a number of key events organised by the PART-IM cluster over the last three years, including keynote addresses, symposia and workshops. 
Web link: Music, Arts and Migrant Health Research Resource Pack – Irish World Academy

Professor Helen Phelan, Principal Investigator of the Health Research Institute Research Cluster - Participatory and Arts-based methods for Involving Migrants  (PART-IM) presented the resource at the conference.

The last edition of the NAPCRG Annual Meeting took place in Phoenix – from 18th to 22nd November. Professor Anne MacFarlane, Dr Jon Salsberg and PhD Candidate Meghan Gilfoyle represented the PPI Research Unit in several events of the programme, e.g. the workshops “What does Person Centred Care look like when the System doesn’t work?” and “When Love Breaks Down: Navigating relationship breakdown in Participatory Health Research, a CASFM-PHR workshop”Pictured in the photo, Meghan Gilfoyle presented her posters “Exploring the multidimensionality of trust in participatory health partnerships - a network approach” and “Exploring how patients and the public are recruited to advisory boards, groups, and panels in collaborative health research”

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MAMA Sing

MAMA SING - IRC New Foundations award. The project aimed to support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of mothers living in refugee accommodation. The project explored the use of arts-based participatory methods. We utilised singing and music as tools for self-care, empowerment and community building. The project was co-developed and co-facilitated by mothers living in Direct Provision, thereby increasing participation, ownership and inclusion. The work programme consisted of an online pilot, followed by three in-person workshops in different locations in Limerick. The participants were mothers from different countries, including Sudan, Nigeria, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Ireland and Brazil. 
For more information click here

In the picture some participants of the programme are featured with the Lead coordinator Dr Susann Huschke.

Follow this link to watch a video that summarises this collaboration.

RTÉ Brainstorm: "Refugees and migrants often encounter problems if they do not share the same language and cultural background as the healthcare provider". Article by Prof Anne MacFarlane. Full article here: www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2022/1102/1332817-interpreters-healthcare-refugees-migrants/

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PPI This semester, the University of Limerick is offering the first HEI accredited training opportunity in the field of healthcare interpreting. Coordinated by Prof Anne MacFarlane and Dr Susann Huschke, the course is the first of a number of micro-credential courses to be developed at the University of Limerick and Dublin City University which will be stackable towards a planned graduate diploma in Healthcare Interpreting.    The UL micro-credential course on Communication and Interpreting in the Irish Hea

This semester, the University of Limerick is offering the first HEI accredited training opportunity in the field of healthcare interpreting. Coordinated by Prof Anne MacFarlane and Dr Susann Huschke, the course is the first of a number of micro-credential courses to be developed at the University of Limerick and Dublin City University which will be stackable towards a planned graduate diploma in Healthcare Interpreting. 
 
The UL micro-credential course on Communication and Interpreting in the Irish Health Care System started in the autumn 2022 with a class of 33 participants. The course results in 6 ECTS and aims to upskill those working in multi-lingual/cross-cultural healthcare settings. The course focuses on real life scenarios and experiential, practice-based learning in a diverse student group. It is run as one in-person workshop followed by six online sessions.

In the picture some students of this first edition are featured.

National PPI Festival - Public & patient involvement: connecting communities: 
The first National PPI Festival is happening on 10 – 23 October 2022, offering events all over the country. The PPI Research Unit at the University of Limerick is organising and promoting some events for this year’s calendar:

  • 13th October - Webinar “Experiences of co-designing and co-facilitating the ‘What young people want from school mental health and suicide prevention’ video”   The main focus of this presentation is to discuss the co-design and co-facilitation of a MYSTORY study video sharing young people’s asks for school mental health and suicide prevention, This presentation will also overview the community partnership between SCY-LAB and Limerick Youth Service and the MYSTORY study. Join the webinar here!
  • 14th October – Launch of the UL PPI-Ignite Bursaries call 2022-2023
    These bursaries are aimed to support UL researchers and UL PhD candidates in public and patient involvement in health research.  Applications are invited from researchers to support partnerships with community and/or patient organisations. Please consult the information sheet for further details and the application form to apply
  • 17th October - Facilitation Skills Workshop
    During facilitation activities, the facilitator is the enabler of the articulation and sharing of participants’ expertise. In this workshop, participants will learn to use his/her presence and skills to enable dialogue and disclosure of the group, so they can feel confident to share their real, personal experiences, opinions, and suggestions/recommendations.

Register on Eventbrite here 

  • Professor Ailish Hannigan and Professor Anne MacFarlane were invited by WHO Geneva to participate in a consultation about WHO’s Global Research Agenda on Health and Migration. Professor Hannigan was invited to be working group rapporteur, reporting back to the plenary session.
  • The HRI PART-IM research cluster is delighted to announce that the Irish World Music Café is back live in the UL City Campus. The café was created in 2015 in Limerick, in the context of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme. The Café hosts music-based social gatherings which aim to create spaces of hospitality with new migrants in Ireland. Since 2019, cluster PI Prof. Helen Phelan has been working closely with Prof. Anne MacFarlane in integrating the Café model into migrant health research initiatives. In 2020, the café moved online and cluster member Dr Hala Jaber coordinates a vibrant cafe facebook page. From 26 September 2022 onwards, the café will meet on a weekly basis on Mondays, 11.30-1pm in the city campus, coordinated by cluster member Ewa Zak-Dyndal, in association with our community partner, Doras, represented by Ahmed Hassan and Serhii Korobstov
  • Editorial ‘Disrupting patterns of exclusion in participatory spaces: Involving people from vulnerable populations’ co-authored by Anne MacFarlane and Joe LeMaster now published in Health Expectations’ What’s Up With Everyone? issue
  • Prof Helen Phelan, with STEM co-PI Prof Ailish Hannigan, was selected as one of 21 recipients to receive a total investment of €4.9 million under the Collaborative Alliances for Societal Challenges (COALESCE) programme. The awards are being made as part of the fourth cycle of COALESCE, which funds excellent research addressing national and European-global challenges.
     
    The interdisciplinary, participatory project titled “The Arts, Data literacy and Diversity (ADD)” explores how the arts can be used to develop data literacy. This research will develop a project that shares songs and data, in partnership with communities from different cultural backgrounds and will combine the arts and statistics to explore the impact of musical sharing on how data is understood and interpreted. The project addresses the UN sustainable development goal of reducing inequality, as many people are excluded from the new world of data by language, poverty, lack of education, and discrimination.

 

7th Public and Patient Involvement Annual Summer School 

The PPI Research Unit organised the 7th PPI Annual Summer School, hosted in person on the 23rd and 24th of June. UL welcomed 87 participants from various backgrounds: community organisations, PPI contributors, Academia, policy makers and students. 

The keynote addresses were given by Professor Séan Dinneen, from NUI Galway, and Dr Anne Drabczyk, Fulbright Commission USA & UL. 

During the two days, the participants were divided into smaller groups to attend 8 dynamic workshops. 

For more information, see the full programme and bios.

We hosted the Community Interpreting Conference 2022, May 13th, organised by the PPI Research Unit with Keynote Speaker Dr Théophile Munyangeyo and Prof. Anne MacFarlane as Conference Chair.

Programme and map to the event here

Professor Anne MacFarlane and Professor Ailish Hannigan's completed research about ethnicity data collection has been featured in the HRB Your Health Research in Action publication. The Ethnic Minority Health in Ireland project was co-designed by academic, community and health sector partners. It mapped where information about ethnicity and culture was already being collected in relation to health. It also focused on what enables or stops ethnicity data collection in primary care settings from the point of view of Irish Travellers, refugees and immigrants, as well as GPs. You may read about it more here.

Professor Anne MacFarlane was invited to speak at a Plenary session of the WHO European Region, a High-Level Meeting on Health and Migration, March 17th 2022. Professor MacFarlane was representing the Region’s network of migrant health Collaborating Centres.  

The participation provided an opportunity to summarise research findings from her national and international research programme about the importance of trained interpreters in healthcare consultations for Ministries of Health from the 53 Member States. The relevance of the issue was very clear and poignant at this time given the crises in Ukraine and the rising numbers of refugees displaced in Europe because of that conflict.

Join us for this special Irish World Music Café to celebrate International Human Rights Day with songs and stories, and to launch a new action plan for migrant health research, supported by the HRI, UL and IRC. Link here.

  • The PPI-RU and HRI PART IM research cluster leading an arts-based workshop @ NAPCRG Annual Meeting 2021. Breathing exercises for everyone for whole body engagement in our discussions!
  • The launch of the PPI Ignite Network was such a positive event, with great enthusiasm and good will evident, even online. Our own Dr. Jon Salsberg presented on Embedding PPI in education/training and PPI Manager, Úna McInerney, aided Martha Killilea with the hearing from the audience section. Launch video available: here.
  • Professor Anne MacFarlane was invited by WHO Euro to present the PPI Research Unit, WHO Collaborating Centre for Migrants’ Involvement in Health Research as a case study at a WHO Collaborating Centres Regional Webinar, November 2-3 2021.
  • ‘What helps people with aphasia to live well?’ Presenting the findings of Molly Manning’s interview study with people with aphasia in Ireland.  This interview study and dissemination format was informed by consultation with PPI contributors with aphasia.
  • Resuscitating our Culture Experience through the Arts"  Webinar Event for Black History Month Curated by John Nutekpor in association with Microsoft, Limerick
  • Dr. Molly Manning’s PhD paper is one of the top 10% most cited papers in PLOS ONE for 2019. Dr. Molly Manning is lecturer in Speech & Language Therapy. Her research focus includes participatory implementation approaches to improving stroke care for living well with aphasia.
  • Welcome to Dénia Claudino who has joined us as Project Officer at the PPI Research Unit. She comes with both research and NGO experience and will be supporting all of our projects.
  • The opinion paper ‘Optimising individual and community involvement in health decision-making in general practice consultations and primary care settings: A way forward’ by Dr. Anne MacFarlane was selected by the Editors as one of the most valued articles published in European Journal of General Practice in 2020.
  • The PPI Summer School took place online again in 2021. With over 160 people registered, we had lots of lively discussion and information-sharing.
  • Professor Anne MacFarlane presented at the European Medical Students Association Talking with Patients workshop about communication with refugees and migrants.
  • Welcome to Anna Papyan who has joined the PPI Research Unit as research assistant for the HRI-funded Participatory arts-based research for involving migrants in health research cluster (PART-IM). The cluster is led by Research Unit member Professor Helen Phelan of the Irish World Academy of Music and Research.

  • Congratulations to Dr Jon Salsberg who received a Research Recognition Awards 2020/21 from UL Faculty of Education and Health Sciences. Jon’s award was in the Research Culture category for his work in promoting public and patient involvement in health research.