UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems

My areas of research interest are: Organisation Development, Networks , collaborative Practice, Management of change, Action Research, Leadership, Management and Clinical leadership, Telecare, Telehealth and Curriculum evaluation and

My areas of interest and expertise is in the area of action research, networks, inter-organisational partnerships, telecare and telehealth in the community. In 2006, I co-founded the first Action Research Interest Group to support PhD students and practitioners in all disciplines who are undertaking any action research initiatives. This group meets monthly and has a regular membership of 8 ¿ 10 people from a broad range of experience such as An Garda Siochana, Prison Service, National Teachers, Nurses, Midwives, Social Workers, Psychologists, and Academics. As a result of my interest in networks and partnership, I have been invited by a Biobusiness enterprise venture to give a plenary session on collaborative action in the community in the context of telehealth, which draws on all national and international IT companies interested in the health and technology space.

PhD supervision

I currently supervise 5 PhD students, The first of the students that I supervise registered in 2008, explaining why none has yet completed.

I have supervised many students undertaking a Master¿s Degree in Nursing.  Some of these students are now well established academics currently undertaking their PhD in both UCD and in other Irish Universities.  At least one of these students has received funding of ¿200,000 as support and to extend the study within the health service.    I developed the first management module at master¿s level in Nursing in 1998 and in 2005 I developed the first multidisciplinary module Collaborative Practice for senior managers in the health service.  This module later became Leadership and Health Systems Dynamics Module which  is now a core module for the suite of Graduate Diploma Programmes in the School. I co founded an Action Research Interest Group in 2007) which draws on membership of practitoners and PhD and Master's students from TCD, RCSI and DCU.  I facilitate PhD Seminars at the School of Business, Trinity College, Dublin, the Smurfit Business School, University College Dublin.    I have gained extensive experience in supervising graduate students to master¿s levels and I have also co-supervised students undertaking an MBA in the Smurfit Business School, University College Dublin and I supervise 1 full time phD student  and 4 part- time PhD students.