Conference Workshops and Social Activities

Workshop Title: Public and Patient Involvement (PPI): Achieving Equitable Change and Collaborative Working in Research with Seldom Heard Voices

Capacity: Max. 25

Room: B006, Health Science Centre (View Programme)

About this workshop

In this workshop, we will examine the value basis of PPI, ways of inclusive working in research, and present support tools to facilitate PPI. We will draw on case examples from areas such as homelessness, disability and ethnic minority health to exemplify modes of engagement throughout the research cycle. These examples will be taken from different health- and social care settings from in and outside Ireland. The work will illustrate the potential for tangible practice and policy change.

This workshop will be hosted on behalf of the PPI Ignite National Network at UCD https://www.ucd.ie/ppi/. It is part of a national effort to implement PPI in all of health and social care research in Ireland https://ppinetwork.ie/.

Public and patient involvement in health research has gained momentum in Europe and North America over the past 15 years, and in many social science disciplines, participatory action and engaged research has had a much longer tradition. There is some criticism that many PPI initiatives and research projects claiming PPI leave out key stakeholder voices. We will introduce some practical planning instruments that facilitate working and also discuss how institutional barriers may be overcome. Finally, we use codesign techniques to provide participants with a first-hand experience of how creative solutions to can be found to tackle complex challenges in partnership.

The workshop is open to:

• Health and social care researchers who wish to learn more about PPI
• Graduate students and early career researchers
• Members of support and advocacy organisations involved in research
• Research administrators
• Health and social care professionals and managers involved in research

Workshop Title: Driving Change Using Health Systems Research Methods 

Capacity: Max. 25

Room: A003 Health Science Centre (View Programme)

About this workshop

This workshop will be hosted by the UCD Centre for Interdisciplinary Research Education and Innovation in Health Systems (UCD IRIS), based in the UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems. Attendees at this pre-conference workshop will be introduced to a range of innovative quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and approaches including realist evaluation, content analysis, social network analysis, co-design of serious games and discrete choice experiments.

Brief presentations during this workshop will feature an overview of some key health systems research approaches and real-world examples of how they have been deployed to drive change and to improve healthcare delivery, outcomes and experiences of care and of the healthcare work environment. We will also highlight how our research has been effectively disseminated to impact practice and policy.

This workshop is suitable for:

• Healthcare staff interested to learn more about health systems research methods
• Graduate students and early career researchers
• Health system leaders and operational managers responsible for service innovation, quality improvement and reform

Workshop Title: Using the New MRC Framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions

Capacity: Max. 25

About this workshop

The workshop will be led by ProfessorLaurenceMoore, who was senior author on the 2021 MRC/NIHR Framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions: 

(https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n2061)

The workshop will provide participants with an understanding of the complex intervention research process. The workshop will cover the main challenges in complex intervention research and motivations for the update of the previous MRC guidance. It will focus on the overarching considerations required to develop complex intervention research projects, rather than the details of study design, and enable researchers to conduct research that will provide the most useful evidence for decision making. The workshop will provide various examples of research that takes different perspectives, and in particular go into further detail on theory-based and systems perspectives. We will introduce and discuss a checklist, developed alongside the 2021 Framework, which is designed to support people to write, interpret, and communicate research proposals.

The workshop is open to:

• Anyone from academic, research, policy, practice, voluntary sector or other backgrounds with an interest in developing, evaluating and/or implementing complex interventions.

Workshop Title: Writing for Publication for Novice and Beginning Authors 

Capacity: Max. 35

Duration: 1 hour

About this workshop

This workshop will be delivered by Professor Calvin Moorley, assisted by Xabi Chathala, Associate Divisional Lead for Adult Nursing and Senior Lecturer at City, University of London.

A number of people are scared of writing for academic publication, this fear stems from various experiences and exposure over time. In this workshop, novice and beginning authors will learn how to refine their scientific writing skills in order to meet current standards for acceptance in academic journals.

In this session we will cover:

• Explore why we write developing confidence and motivation
• Identify publishable material from practice/research
• Understand the different requirements for different types of publication
• Be aware of the different abstracts format and how to craft an abstract
• Develop a writing plan to include how to structure an article.
• A note on predatory publishers

This workshop is open to:

This workshop is open to all health and social care professionals from academic or clinical backgrounds, with an interest in writing for publication. Those seeking to publish from their, Masters dissertation, doctoral work and or practice are invited to attend. This session is open to those aiming to publish their first paper or who have started navigating publishing.

Workshop Title: A Clinical Academic Career Pathway That Would Work for Ireland

Capacity: Max. 30

Duration: 1 hour

About this workshop

This workshop will be delivered by Professor Vivien Kent and Professor Bridie Coates.

It is acknowledged that there is a growing need to integrate clinical, academic and research roles of nurses and midwives for the advancement of patient care. Such integration will help advance innovation and enhance the rapid translation of evidence into practice within health services. An effective approach to develop and integrate research into practice is through the implementation of clinical academic roles. Clinical academics are clinical leaders whose aim is to inform and improve the effectiveness, quality, and safety of healthcare. To date, there is no structured clinical academic pathway for nurses and midwives in Ireland; however, the Report of the Expert Review Body on Nursing and Midwifery (Department of Health 2022) and the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce Report for Northern Ireland (Department of Health 2020) has recommended that such roles be developed within a nationally agreed clinical academic framework for nurses and midwives. This workshop, facilitated by experts in the implementation of clinical academic careers, will discuss the development of clinical academic career pathways on the island of Ireland. The workshop seeks participation from across all grades of nursing and midwifery staff and will be interactive including, presentations, discussion, and contributions from the delegates.

This workshop is open to:

Nurses, midwives and health and social care professionals of all grades.

Title: Yoga by the lake

Capacity: 20 max. per session

About this activitity

You are invited to attend a yoga class suitable for all levels, a gentle introduction to breath work and basic postures. Please wear loose clothing. Yoga mats will be provided. Session will move indoors if the weather is unsuitable.

The activity is open to:

• Delegates of the conference of all abilities.

Please inform the instructor if you have any health issues which may affect your participation.

Title: Woodland Walk

Capacity: 30 per tour

About this activity

Since the 1930s, when University College Dublin’s Belfield campus was formed through the purchase of some of Dublin’s finest period houses and estates, the campus has provided an important amenity to students, staff and the local community. Today UCD is known for its parkland setting and mature landscaping.

Now over 8km of woodland paths have been created and a series of walks developed to open up the beautiful 133 hectare campus to a wider community. Each walk has its own unique characteristics. Along the meandering paths, walkers will pass many mature trees dating from the 18th and early 19th centuries, which complement areas of new woodland planted as part of UCD’s programme to maintain and enhance the ecological diversity of the campus for the benefit of all.

View Woodland Walk Map and Guide for further reading.