Image
University of Limerick Research and Education Alliance in General Practice, Primary Healthcare and Public Health
Sláinte is an Irish word which translates as 'Health'.
Vision: Health and well-being optimised for all in regional, national and international community settings.
Mission: To build capacity for research and education in general practice, primary healthcare and public health that has regional, national and international impact.
Aim: To promote inter-disciplinary collaboration in our research and education activities.
Our specific objectives are to:
- Create a vibrant network of students and staff focused on health and well-being in community settings.
- Build a culture that supports each other’s research through collaboration, discussion and mentoring.
- Develop and disseminate (journal articles AND public facing online resources) impactful community-based research and research-led teaching.
- Meaningfully involve community and health sector partners in our research and teaching.
We are an enthusiastic and ambitious group of clinicians, researchers and teachers who want to contribute to the development of general practice, primary care and public health in Ireland and internationally with research of international standing. We are proud of the fact that our research impacts not only on individual patient care but also on regional and national health policy. We have a highly successfully funding and publication track record nationally and internationally and have numerous research awards including Health Equity Research Award for Oral Presentation at the Association of University Departments of General Practice in Ireland (AUDGPI) & Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) Joint Scientific Meeting 2022; Best e-Poster (video) Irish Association of Emergency Medicine (IAEM) Annual Scientific Meeting 2021; Dr Jim Slein Research Bursary in Substance Misuse or Health Inequalities (ICGP) 2021; International Research Award BJGP Research Conference (2019); University of Limerick Award for Excellence in Service to the Community (2019); Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland (RAMI) General Practice Research Award (2018); HSE Open Access Research Awards Mental Health Research (2018); and WONCA Europe Vasco da Gama Junior Researcher Award (2018),
Executive Summary of Research Outcomes for Academic Year 2022/2023
- 74 Peer-Reviewed Publications
- 3 National Research Awards
- 18 Peer-Reviewed Articles Under Review
- 29 National and International Conference Presentations
- 51 Successful Funding Applications As PI, Co-Applicant or Collaborator (Total Value = € 8,854,142.62)
- 14 Current Funding Applications Awaiting Outcome (Total Value = € 7,057,073.15)
- 29 Ongoing Research Projects
Ireland’s newest medical school, the University of Limerick School of Medicine was established in 2007. A core component of clinical training for all medical students on the programme is an 18-week Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship in general practice which is unique on the island of Ireland. It is an extended placement that facilitates continuity of curriculum, setting and mentorship, as outlined by the Consortium of Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships. This presents an unprecedented opportunity for the teaching practices involved to work closely with a medical school over a continuous period in time. It provides unique educational benefits for students and the relationship with a wide network of GP tutors has far reaching research and education potential.
The LIC is founded on its network of GP tutors, known as the University of Limerick General Practice Education and Research Network for General Practice (ULEARN-GP). It currently consists of approximately 150 general practices distributed across the Republic of Ireland. The map below outlines the geographic distribution of the practices in the ULEARN-GP network which is now a national network. The ULEARN-GP practices are located in all four of
Ireland’s Health Service Regions. The network is organised into eight regions. These are: Limerick/North Tipperary, Clare, Kerry, Cork/South Tipperary, Dublin, North West, South East and Midlands. Each is led by a GP Network Co-ordinator, with students attending a local teaching ‘hub’ for one day of formal teaching for each week of their 18-week LIC placement in general practice. The core teaching activity of this placement is ‘parallel consulting’, whereby students assess patients initially on their own followed by the opportunity to present, examine, diagnose and treat under the supervision of their GP tutor. Students are also encouraged to engage in all the routine clinical activity of the practice as well as research and audit. The school had its first intake of medical students in 2007 and this class graduated in 2011.
Read more about ULEARN-GP in our BMC Family Practice article.
#NPA0400115 ‘SelfCare’ - Utilising technology for self-management of health and wellbeing in rural areas (2023-2024)
Collaborators: Liam Glynn, UL School of Medicine Ireland, Sweden, Denmark,
Faroe Islands, Iceland
Funding: EU Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme €53,719.36
“Populations in Isolation and Populations on the Move”: population cohorts that are disconnected groups who are trying to self-manage their own health and connect in an equitable way with a healthcare system that is understandable, culturally appropriate, manageable and very quickly generates high level of trust:
• Ukrainian Refugees in Ireland
• SAMI people who arrive in a locality not normally resident
• Fisherman in the North Atlantic in transit for long periods
• Remote rural or island populations and older island dwellers in the Icelandic Archipelago who need to travel to access healthcare services
The common thread is one of marginalisation, disconnection, disempowerment and low levels of trust and understanding so the challenges are the same. The aim of this project therefore is to create a system to improve self-care and self-management and create equitable access to the health care system, which is easy to navigate, manageable and engenders high levels of trust and familiarity from the outset.
Transitions of care in advanced chronic kidney disease (2019-2024)
PI: Austin Stack
Co-Applicants: L Glynn, C Walsh
Collaborators: L Browne, R Saran, L Plant, H Mahdi, H Johnson, J Salsberg,
National Renal Office, A MacFarlane, P O’Hara, L Casserly, M Gaffney,
C Cronin, NRO clinical director HSE, N Rios Burrows
Funding: HRB Investigator Led Project Population Health Research €369,212
IMPlementation of osteoarthritis Clinical guidelines Together (2019-2024)
Principal Investigator: Clodagh Toomey
Co-Applicants: L Glynn, A MacFarlane, N Kennedy, J Forbes
Funding: HRB Emerging Investigator Awards for Health 2019 €750,000
Funding for the establishment of a sustainable general practice network structure for research in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, coordinated by the Institute of General Practice in Düsseldorf. Part of the ‘Masterplan Studying Medicine 2020’ (2019-2024)
Principal Investigator: D Kotz
Collaborator: L Glynn
Funding: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research €1.5 million
Health Research Board Primary Care Clinical Trials Network Award (2015-2027)
Principal Investigator: Andrew Murphy
Collaborators: L Glynn, P Bower, M Byrne, C Collins, D Devane, R Galvin,
P Gillespie, N Hart, P Kearney, S McHugh, P Murphy, J Newell,
M O’Donnell, D Stewart, A Vellinga
Funding: Health Research Board €1,500,000
Fellowship in physical activity for chronic conditions (2023-2024)
Lead Applicant: Andrew O’Regan
Co-Applicants: L Glynn, A Hannigan, P O’Dwyer, P Hayes
Funding: Post CSCT fellowship
Refugee and Migrant Health Partnership (2023-2027)
PI: Anne MacFarlane
Funding: Irish Department of Health €636,000
A Review of Clinical Care at Mass Gathering Events (2024)
Co-PI: Niamh Cummins
Funding: Pre-hospital Emergency Care Council €4,950
Qualitative consultation exercise with stakeholders other than paramedicine professionals to inform the research priorities for the future of paramedicine research in Ireland (2023-2024)
Co-PI: Niamh Cummins
Funding: Pre-hospital Emergency Care Council €24,587
A review of interventions in the emergency department to reduce ambulance offload delays (2023-2024)
PI: Niamh Cummins
Funding: Pre-hospital Emergency Care Council €9,600
Ambulance clinicians – capturing those public health conversations (2023-2024)
Co-Investigator: Niamh Cummins et al
Funding: College of Paramedics (UK) Small Grant Scheme €1,400
A Review of Emergency Ambulance Crewing Models (2023-2024)
Co-PI: Niamh Cummins et al
Funding: Pre-hospital Emergency Care Council €5,122
Inquiry iNto ServIce usage, Gerontological Health and MulTi-Morbidity in GP INSIGHT-GP (2023-2025)
PI: Peter Hayes
Co-PI: P O’Donnell, A O’Regan
Collaborators: L Glynn, A Hannigan, M Casey
Funding: ICGP €6,000
Semaglutide for people with obesity and resistant hypertension trial (SUPPORT): a pilot randomised, double blind, parallel group, integrated, multicentre clinical trial (2023-2026)
PI: Cormac Kennedy, Martina Hennessy
Co-Applicant: M Dennedy, P Hayes, C Kennedy, A Murphy
Funding: DIFA HRB- DIFA-PA-2023-011 €399,359
Community-based exercise for older adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain: a randomised controlled feasibility trial (2023-2026)
Lead Applicant: Karen McCreesh
Co-Applicants: L Glynn, K O’Sullivan, V O’Sullivan, K Robinson, A Sheikhi,
F Shiely, C Woods
Funding: Definitive Intervention and Feasibility Awards 2023
DIFA-2023-024 €385,299.11
Peer physical examination today: student and tutor perceptions of peer physical examination at an Irish graduate entry medical school (2023-2024)
PI: Elaine Kolshus
Partner: C Kennedy
Funding: Medical Council of Ireland/Irish Network of Healthcare €5,000
MiHealth Strengthening health information systems for refugee and migrant health policy and practice in Ireland. Secondary data analysis projects from HRB (2023-2026)
PI: Ailish Hannigan
Co-Applicants: R Armstrong, A Basogomba, A MacFarlane, P O'Donnell,
SJ Puthoopparambil, J Walsh
Funding: HRB €249,983.00
‘Exercise is Medicine in the Mid-West’ (EIM): A pragmatic evaluation of the efficacy and sustainability of a community-based exercise programme for individuals living with chronic disease in CHO3. (2022-2025)
PI: Catherine Woods, Raymond O’Connor
Funding: Community Health Office 3 €200,000
ULMedX (2022-2024)
Co-Applicants: Catherine Woods, Liam Glynn
Partners: B Casey, M Herring, B Carson
Associate Partner: R O’Connor
Funding: CHO3 €400K
Irish Rugby Football Union Injury Surveillance And Prevention Programme: Irish Rugby Injury Surveillance (IRIS) (2022-2030)
PI: Tom Comyns, Ian Kenny
Partners: R Cahalan, M Campbell, R Clancy, P Dolan, D Harrison,
L Glynn, A Griffin, T Leahy, M Lyons, J Mulvihill,
K O’Sullivan, H Purtill, G Warrington
Funding agency: Irish Research Council €319,573.00
Development and evaluation of an adaptive mobile health physical activity intervention post-stroke: a sequential multiple assignment randomised trial (2019-2024)
PI: Sarah Waters
Co-Applicant: L Glynn and colleagues from University of Galway
Funding: HRB DIFA €699,789
Awards
2024
Image
Dr Mohamed Elhassan Elsayed, Associate Professor of Medical Education, has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 AFMC Charles Boelen International Social Accountability Award given by the Association of Faculties of Medicine Canada (AFMC). This award, named after Dr Charles Boelen, a world leader in Social Accountability of Medical Schools, celebrates individuals, groups of people or organizations whose professional accomplishments reflect the principles of social accountability as defined in the Global Consensus for Social Accountability of Medical Schools. It is the top award for social accountability given to individuals who make an impact on the development of social accountability.
Image
‘Best International Scientific Paper’ prize at the British Journal of General Practice Research and Publication conference, held in London on 22nd March 2024. The study is entitled “Is Pay for Performance Promoting Inverse Inequality?”. It is a joint venture between the Mid-West Specialist Training Scheme in General Practice and the University of Limerick School of Medicine.
Team members (left to right): Dr John Fallon, Dr Sarah Linnane, Dr Maeve Healy (GP Registrars Mid-West GP Training Scheme), Prof Ray O’Connor with the trophy (assistant scheme director Mid-West GP Training Scheme), Dr Sarah Mullarkey, Dr Eoin Kyne (GP Registrars, Mid-West GP Training Scheme), Dr Santosh Sharma (Post Doctoral researcher, Biostatistics, University of Limerick School of Medicine).
Also part of the team are Prof Ailish Hannigan, Associate Professor of Biomedical Statistics and Prof Andrew O’Regan, Associate Professor of General Practice.
2023
Image
Social Impact and Legacy Award Fáilte Ireland: ‘WONCA World Rural Health Conference 2022’
Led by Professor Liam Glynn in collaboration with the ICGP and Rural, Island Dispensing Doctors of Ireland.
Professor Liam Glynn, receiving the Social Impact & Legacy spotlight award at Fáilte Ireland’s Conference Ambassador Recognition Awards November 23, 2023
The ‘WONCA World Rural Health Conference, 2022’ was recognised for incorporating a social impact initiative into its event planning process, creating a potential legacy that extended far beyond the conference centre. The conference, organised by Professor Liam Glynn of UL’s School of Medicine, was themed ‘Improving Health, Empowering Communities’, and served as a global platform for diverse stakeholders in healthcare, promoting positive changes for rural communities worldwide.
Karen Brosnahan, General Manager, The Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau said: “I’m delighted that the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau were able to support our regional ambassadors in their journey to win conferences for Limerick and Clare. The social, cultural and economic impact of these events cannot be underestimated. “We were especially thrilled that Dr Liam Glynn won the Social Impact & Legacy Award. Conferences have a unique ability to encourage collaboration, generate new ideas and contribute to new policy changes that benefit our citizens. Dr Glynn’s WONCA conference did just that.”
Image
Congratulations to Dr Niamh Cummins, member of the EMerge Team (Dr Jennifer McMahon, Dr Elaine Kinsella, Dr Niamh Cummins), who received one of the EHS Research Recognition Awards 2021-2023. These awards were created by the EHS Research Committee with the intent of formally acknowledging and celebrating the research-related achievements of EHS colleagues. The EMerge Team received the Research Mentor Award at an award ceremony in April 2023 for their work in supporting the research of their colleagues in the Early and Mid-career Academic Peer Support Network at UL.
Prof. Anne MacFarlane - Chair of Primary Healthcare Research (UL) co-chair
Prof. Liam Glynn - Professor of General Practice (UL) co-chair
Prof. Niamh Cummins - Associate Professor in Public Health (UL) co-chair
Prof. Peter Hayes - Associate Professor of Rural General Practice (UL)
Prof. Pat O'Dwyer - Adjunct Associate Clinical Professor of General Practice (UL)
Prof. Aidan Culhane - Adjunct Associate Clinical Professor of General Practice (UL)
Dr Griphin Baxter Chirambo - Head, Department of Nursing & Midwifery and Senior Lecturer (Mzuzu University, Malawi)
Prof. Louise Crowley - Associate Professor in Clinical Skills (UL)
Prof. Mohamed Elhassan Abdalla Elsayed - Associate Professor in Medical Education (UL)
Prof. Sarah Harney - Associate Professor in Medical Education (UL)
Prof. Sarah Hyde - Associate Professor in Clinical Education (UL)
Prof. Lisa Moran - Associate Professor in Clinical Skills (UL)
Prof. Patrick O'Donnell - Associate Professor in General Practice (UL)
Prof. Andrew O'Regan - Associate Professor in General Practice (UL)
Dr Róisín Doogue - Associate Professor in General Practice (UL)
Prof. Joe Gallagher - Adjunct Senior Clinical Lecturer (UL)
Prof. Peter Harrington - Adjunct Senior Clinical Lecturer (UL)
Prof. Nuha Ibrahim - Assistant Professor in Public Health (UL)
Prof. Dervla Kelly - Associate Professor in Medical Education (UL)
Prof. Steve Macdonald - Course Director MSc in Public Health (UL)
Prof. Siobhán Neville - Associate Professor in Paediatrics (UL)
Prof. Ray O'Connor - Associate Professor, Senior Research Fellow (UL)
Prof. Maria Roura - Associate Professor in Public Health (UL)
Prof. Jon Salsberg - Associate Professor in Primary Healthcare Research (UL)
Dr Elaine Kolshus - Clinical Skills Tutor (UL)
Dr Mike O'Callaghan - Clinical Lead ICGP Research Hub
Dr Marese Mannion - Problem Based Learning Tutor (UL)
Monica Casey - Senior Administrator, ULEARN-GP Network (UL)
Dénia Claudino - PPI Projects Officer (UL)
Stephanie Daly - PPI Project Administrator (UL)
Karen Lyons - Senior Administrator, MSc in Public Health (UL)
Sonika Raj Goel - Research Assistant (UL)
Yaa Duopah - PhD Candidate (UL)
Aisha Shalash - PhD Candidate (UL)
