Research Projects 1998-2012:

Bridging the Digital Disconnect Principal Investigator on the project ‘Bridging the Digital Disconnect'.  Using technology to support young people’s mental health needs’ (€202,667) being carried out in collaboration with Inspire Ireland Foundation & Inspire Australia Foundation International Cooperative Research Centre project.

CompHP Principal Investigator on a European Commission three-year project (€659,542) ‘Developing Competencies and Professional Standards for Health Promotion Capacity Building in Europe’.  Project has 22 partners and commenced in September, 2009.

‘Transforming Health Communications for the Prevention and Control of Communicable Disease’ Project Coordinator on three-year project funded by the European Centre for  Disease Prevention and Control (€640,237) . Project commenced in 2009.

SLÁN-07 Principal investigator on the  national health survey.  One of four Consortium partners (with RCSI, ESRI and UCC) who have been awarded the national contract (€1,883,084.0) to complete the Survey of Lifestyles, Attitudes and Nutrition (SLÁN-O7) on behalf of the Department of Health and Children. This survey monitors the health behaviours and attitudes of a representative sample of over 10,000 adults in the Republic of Ireland.  Lead PI on mental health and social wellbeing component of the survey, report published in 2009.

PROMO  Irish partner and work package leader in EC Public Health Agency funded project (€137,688) - Best practice in promoting mental health in socially marginalised people in Europe  2008-2011.

Zippy’s Friends Evaluation of the pilot implementation of mental health promotion programme in primary school settings. Health Service Executive & National Office for Suicide Prevention (€66,240).

MindOut  Evaluation of the mental health promotion programme in out-of-school settings. Health Service Executive West (€50,000).

‘Getting it Together’. Evaluation of the Youth Led Emotional Well-being Project.  This study concerns the evaluation of a cross border initiative (Republic and Northern Ireland) led by the CAWT (Co-operation and Working Together) Mental Health Sub-Group on the promotion of positive mental health among young people aged 16-25 years.

North West Regional Mental Health Promotion Strategy & Action Plan Evaluation (2005-2010). This research supports the development and evaluation of an evidence-based strategy for the delivery of mental health promotion interventions in the North West region.

Interim Review of the National Health Promotion Strategy  (2000-2005)  This review, which was commissioned by the Health Promotion Unit, Department of Health and Children, was undertaken to determine the progress, at national and regional levels, in meeting the aims and objectives of the Strategy and to identify where work is needed over the remaining years of the Strategy.

Monitoring Equity in Health: Implications for Policy and Practice (2004)  Funded by the Public Health Department of the Western Health Board, this project seeks to develop policy oriented monitoring of equity in health and its determinants across the Western Health Board region

Consultative Study on Health Inequalities  This project formed part of a five year programme of research being conducted at the HRB Unit on Health Status and Health Gain at NUI, Galway. The consultative study explored the perceptions of disadvantaged individuals and communities on the nature, extent and causes of health inequalities and examines views on the policy strategies for tackling identified inequalities.  This study was undertaken in collaboration Dr. Michelle Millar, Department of Political Science and Sociology and members of a national Advisory Group (2000-2005).

Rural Mental Health Project. Project Director of the evaluation.  The Rural Mental Health Project was an action research project concerned with promoting positive mental health and well-being in rural communities.  This project, which commenced in 1999, was funded under the EU Peace and Reconciliation Programme (Peace 2) and part-financed by the UK and Irish Governments.  This initiative brought together two rural communities, in Co. Donegal and Co. Londonderry/Derry, in developing a community model of mental health promotion employing cross-border and cross-sectoral strategies.  The project was developed successfully in collaboration with the local communities, health authorities, trusts, local education, farming and rural agencies and groups. The project had a strong focus on developing research methodologies to support community consultation, planning and programme evaluation (1997-2004).

JOBS Evaluation of the  Depression Prevention Programme in Ireland The overall aim of this study, funded by Health Promotion Unit at the Department of Health and Children, was to systematically evaluate the implementation of the JOBs programme in Ireland in conjunction with health and training and employment agencies in the Republic and Northern Ireland.  The evaluation comprised a pre-post controlled design with follow-ups at 2 weeks, 4 and 12 months post training. In collaboration with the programme developers at the University of Michigan, a wide range of measures are employed with both participants and trainers, using quantitative and qualitative methods (2001-2004).

‘Mind Out’ The Evaluation of Mental Health Promotion Programmes in Post-primary Schools The ‘Mind Out’ project which was funded from three sources; the Health Promotion Unit at the Department of Health & Children, the National Suicide Review Group and the Western Health Board, was concerned with the implementation and evaluation of a school-based mental health promotion programme for senior cycle students.  Employing a randomised controlled design, the project entailed the evaluation of the implementation and impact of a structured programme for classroom delivery and teacher training, and established curriculum materials for use in the Irish school setting (1999-2001).   

National Speaking Project Evaluation of the Mental Health Association of Ireland’s National Speaking Project An in-depth evaluation of the impact of this national project on the understanding and attitudes towards mental health of participating secondary schools students and teachers (2000).

Promoting Mental Health and Social Well-being: Cross Border Opportunities and Challenges. Funded by the Centre for Cross Border Studies in Armagh, this project examined levels of North South co-operation in the development of mental health promotion strategies and the compatibility of current data sources on population level mental health.  The project aimed to inform the development of collaborative policies and practices in promoting mental health (2000-2001).

Member of Human Impact Research Cluster within the Environmental Change Unit - HEA Cycle 2 funding. This research concerned human impact assessment in small-scale rural communities and involved three strands of work; development and application of an appropriate impact assessment protocol, survey of a representative regional sample and an assessment of the impact of environmental change on young people (1998-2001).

National Unit for Health Status and Health Gain  Associate Director.  This multi-disciplinary unit sited at NUI, Galway and UCD, was commissioned by the Health Research Board to undertake research on the measurement of health status and health gain over time, the analysis of the social determinants of health status and the identification of policy measures to increase equity in health status.  Area of particular responsibility included the development of research methods to support a consultative study on the perspectives of disadvantaged individuals and communities on the nature, extent and causes of health inequality and their views on policy strategies for tackling inequalities at the grassroots level (1999-2003).

SLÁN (1998) Methodological advisor on the assessment of mental health and quality of life components of the SLÁN (1998) National Health and Lifestyles Survey funded by the Department of Health & Children and the Prisoners’ Health survey (1999) funded by the Department of Justice. 

Research Experience 

Director of the Health Promotion Research Centre (HPRC) (2002-2009), which is a multi-disciplinary research centre that undertakes both commissioned and self-initiated research at regional, national and international level.  Up to 30 staff are engaged in research in the HPRC at any one time and projects range from population surveys and needs assessment to programme evaluation, policy and health service research.  The Director has overall responsibility for staff and budget management, including planning and development in support of the Centre’s research priorities. The Centre maintains a strong funding portfolio from a range of external agencies and has been successful in being awarded newly funded innovative projects amounting to circa €16 million since its establishment. The HPRC continues to develop its strong collaborative links with research groups and statutory and voluntary agencies nationally and internationally.

As Head of the WHO Collaborating Centre, I oversee the development and implementation of the agreed five year work programme with WHO. I also lead on establishing collaboration with other Collaborating Centres in Europe and in developing our global and European networks through agencies such as the International Union for Health Promotion and Education, and the European Commission.

Personal research interests include research development and management in the areas of mental health promotion, evidence-based practice and programme evaluation. I have been lead investigator in over 25 large scale national, international and EU funded research initiatives.  Principal Investigator on an EC funded three-year (2009-2012) programme on developing competencies and professional standards for health promotion in the European region (CompHP) and an ECDC funded programme of work on Translating Health Communications in relation to communicable diseases in Europe.  My research work has concentrated on building up the area of mental health promotion as a specialist area of excellence within the Centre.  During the past fifteen years a number of large-scale projects have been undertaken including; cross-border rural mental health promotion initiatives, school-based and community-based mental health promotion programmes in collaboration with policymakers and practitioners and a range of community groups, health services, and training and employment agencies; the synthesis and translation of research into policy and practice.  In collaboration with leading international researchers in the area, new research methods and models of programme implementation and evaluation have been developed in the course of working on these projects. Undertook a WHO review of the evidence for mental health promotion in LMICs. I have also acted as external expert adviser on mental health policy and research development in Scotland, UK, Northern Ireland, New Zealand Australia and Canada. 

International Collaboration:

World Health Organization

The following research activities are undertaken under the WHO Collaborating Centre’s workplan:

• Concrete Activity 1: Benchmarking Implementation of the Bangkok Charter for Health Promotion in a Globalized World (WHO, 2005) and the Nairobi Call to Action (WHO, 2009)
• Concrete Activity 2: Capacity Building for Health Promotion Research through Training and Education
• Concrete Activity 3: Research Supporting Evidence-based Practice and Policy in Health Promotion with Young People and Schools
• Concrete Activity 4: Research Supporting Evidence-based Practice and Policy in Mental Health Promotion
• Concrete Activity 5: Research Supporting Evidence-based Practice and Policy in Health Promotion in the Workplace.

WHO Project on Evidence for Mental Health Promotion

WHO Mainstreaming Health Promotion Initiative As part of the initiative, I am leading on a global review of the evidence on the effectiveness of mental health promotion interventions in LAMICs.  This project undertakes a systematic review of the evidence from LAMICs, working with the Cochrane Public Health Review Group and WHO Task Force, and makes recommendations for future research, policy and practice.

WHO Mental Health Global Action Programme participant  as an invited co-author of a report chapter on the nature and use of evidence in mental health promotion with Professor David McQueen of the Centres for Disease Control, Atlanta. This report, which was co-ordinated by Professor Helen Herrman of the University of Melbourne and Dr. Shekar Saxena, WHO Geneva, examines the application of evidence to low-income countries and explores the issues of bridging the gap between research and effective practice.

Benchmarking progress on the Bangkok Charter on Health Promotion
in association with WHO, Geneva, Ireland participated as one of 10 countries (WHO, 2005). In September 2006, I attended as Irish representative, with senior officials from the Department of Health and Children and the Health Services Executive, and chaired a meeting in Oman of a WHO technical implementation group to progress this benchmarking work. Lead author on a technical paper for WHO to support this work in 2009.

International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE)
In my role as Global Vice President for Capacity Building, Education and Training (2007-2010) I initiated international collaborative work on the development of core competencies for health promotion, including a major initiative in the European region (CompHP) funded by the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers (2009-2012).   In June, 2008 an international consensus meeting was hosted at NUI, Galway, which was jointly organised by the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE), the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Atlanta, with participation from international leaders in the field.  The meeting focused on international collaboration in identifying core competencies and professional standards in health promotion practice, education and training. The Galway Consensus Statement and the proceedings of the meeting were published in special issues of the journals Global Health Promotion and Health Education & Behavior in 2009.

Department of Health, London 
Expert reviewer in 2010 of Public Mental Health Framework Evidence Report and Briefing papers.

Public Health Agency of Canada 
Appointed temporary expert advisor in 2009 to the Healthy Communities Division, Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch on the development of a pan-Canadian mental health promotion strategy.

Ministry of Health in New Zealand
Invited to lead roundtable discussions in 2008 on mental health promotion policy implementation. 

Mental Health Commission of Canada ‘Think Tank’
Invited international expert in 2008 on mental health promotion and development of a National Strategy on Mental Health in Canada.

Victorian Health Foundation, Australia
As visiting Fellow in 2007, engaged in a range of discussions and presentations with health promotion specialists and policymakers throughout Australia.

The Global Review on the Effectiveness of Mental Health Promotion Project  
Together with Professor Clemens Hosman and Dr Eva Jané-Llopis of the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands and Dr Vikram Patel, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, I co-authored a global review on effectiveness of Mental Health Promotion, which was published as a special issue in 2005.

WHO Collaborating Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College, London
As visiting Lecturer in 2002, worked in collaboration with Professor Rachel Jenkins, Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre. 

“Implementing Mental Health Promotion”
 Together with Professor Rachel Jenkins, published a text in 2007 on  providing a practical guide to planning and implementing evidence-based mental health promotion programmes with different population groups across a range of settings.  The book, which includes 15 case studies on practical aspects of programme delivery across different countries such as Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, Finland, Greece, Mexico, UK, USA and Ireland, is distributed world wide and is being used as a core text to support training and education internationally.

European Projects:

CompHP
Project Leader on European Commission Executive Agency for Health and Consumers funded three-year project (€659, 542) ‘Developing Competencies and Professional Standards for Health Promotion Capacity Bulding in Europe’   September 2009- August 2012.

‘Transforming Health Communications for the Prevention and Control of Communicable Disease’ 
Co - Principal Investigator on three-year project funded by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (€640,237)  2009-2012.

ROAMER
Scientific Advisor to the European Commission funded  project which aims to create a road map for the promotion and integration of mental health and wellbeing research across Europe.

PROMO
Irish partner in European Commission Public Health Agency funded project (€137,688) - Best practice in promoting mental health in socially marginalised people in Europe  September 2007-August, 2010.

Consortium member and Irish representative on following EC Funded Projects:

European Masters in Health Promotion (EUMAHP) Phase 2
Community Action Programme on Health Promotion, Information, Education and Training. European Commission Public Health Programme. Project Leader: JK Davies, University of Brighton, UK.

European Health Promotion Indicators Development (EUHPID) Project
Programme of Community Action on Health Monitoring within the Framework for Action in the Field of Public Health. European Commission Public Health Programme. Project Leader: JK Davies, University of Brighton, UK.

The Comprehensive Database of Health Promotion Policies, Infrastructures and Practices 
Health promotion, information, education and training in the field of public health.  European Commission Public Health Programme.  Project Leader: Professor Spencer Hagard, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK.

Integrating Mental Health Promotion Interventions into Countries’ Policies, Practice and the Health Care System (IMHPA)
European Commission. Project Leader: Dr Eva Jané-Llopis University of Nijmegen, Netherlands. 

National Collaboration:

Department of Health, Dublin
Established with the support of the Department of Health in 1990, the HPRC works in collaboration with the Health Promotion Policy Unit in providing the research and knowledge base for the development of national policy, programme planning, implementation and evaluation. The HPRC has undertaken a number of commissioned research studies across a range of government departments documenting the changing population health needs in Ireland and developing and evaluating health promotion policies and strategies in line with best international practice. As the only designated health promotion research centre in Ireland, the HPRC has a strategic role in supporting national capacity building and informing best practice and policy.

Health Service Executive and voluntary organizations
Collaboration on the Application of Health Promotion Research into Practice and Policy The Centre has a particular commitment to support the development of best practice and policy in promoting health and accomplishes this through its collaboration with national agencies including the Health Service Executive and voluntary organizations.  The HPRC plays an active role in providing the research base for the initiation and evaluation of health promotion policy and practice and staff in the Centre work in close collaboration with policymakers, practitioners and research partners on the development of evidence-based policy and practice. In addition to this applied focus, theoretical and methodological developments in health promotion research are disseminated through scholarly publications and collaboration with leading research partners in Ireland, Europe and globally.

Concepts and principles of health promotion

Mental health promotion

Psychological determinants of health

Evaluation research methods


  

Teaching Experience

As Head of Discipline, I have overall responsibility for the delivery and development of all taught courses, PhDs and research programmes provided by Health Promotion.

Postgraduate Responsibilities:

Oversee the management and planning of all taught programmes in Health Promotion including the MA/Diploma programme in Health Promotion and the MSc /Higher Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety.  Programmes are delivered on a full-time and part-time basis in Galway and Dublin and at outreach centres nationally.  This role involves the following responsibilities:

·    Curriculum review and developments through the relevant Course Boards and implementation and resourcing of curriculum changes. 

·    Co-ordinating the overall management and planning of the programmes at Certificate, Higher Diploma and Master’s level, liaising with course co-ordinators and outreach tutors across a range of external departments.

·    Teaching the following modules across the various programmes; Foundations of Health Promotion, Psychological Determinants of Health, Evaluation Research Methods, Mental Health Promotion, European Dimension of Health Promotion. 

·    Organising work placements and European placements for students on the programme.

·    Undertaking the supervision of Master’s dissertations.

Supervisor of an average of five masters and three PhD dissertations per year.

Undergraduate Responsibilities:

Oversee the development and planning of the four year part-time BA degree in Social Care; the Health Promotion input onto the BSc in Health & Safety Systems and the undergraduate curriculum in Medicine through the Professionalism and Processes of Health and Disease modules.  Also deliver a range of Specialist Certificates in Health Promotion in collaboration with national and regional agencies.

Curriculum Development

Postgraduate Programmes in Health Promotion

·      The introduction of the European Masters in Health Promotion (EUMAHP) core curriculum at NUI, Galway.  This new re-structured postgraduate programme was first offered in 2004/5.  This includes a new module on the European Dimension of Health Promotion, which offers NUI, Galway students the option of a health promotion placement in another European country.

·      Co-operation with EUMAHP participants from other EU member states in the development of quality assurance, academic and training standards and distance learning mechanisms to support the European Dimension of Health Promotion training.

·      European Summer Schools: Co-ordinator of the 2004 European Summer School on ‘Strategies for Health in Europe’ hosted at NUI, Galway from the 28 June to 8^th July, 2004.  This postgraduate-level Summer School is jointly organised by the European Training Consortium in Public Health and Health Promotion (ETC-PHHP) and the European Masters Programme in Health Promotion (EUMAHP) consortium.  This annual school attracts participants from across Europe and teaching support is provided by a group of leading European professors.

·      Initiate and oversee the development of blended learning delivery methods onto taught programmes.

·      Oversee the development of the new four year, part-time BA degree in Social Care, delivered through blended learning on a national basis.

Undergraduate Medical Programme

Within the context of the Core Curriculum Review of medical undergraduate training in 2000-2002, I was responsible, with the Behavioural Science Steering Committee, for developing an expanded curriculum for the Behavioural Science programme based on a review of international courses and consultation with contributing departments.  This expanded Behavioural Science curriculum, which was approved by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, involves input across all five years, with horizontal and vertical integration within the overall undergraduate medical programme.  The implementation of this expanded programme is currently underway.

Cross College Programmes

Contributed to the development of Health Promotion curricula on the following new degree programmes:

Evening BA (Health Studies)

BSc in Health & Safety Systems

MSc in Social Work

MSc in Family Support

Outreach Programmes

Responsibility for expanding the delivery of the Higher Diploma in Health Promotion programme to continuing professional education students outside of the hinterland of NUI, Galway.  The following innovative developments have been undertaken over the past six years:

·    Establishment  of an annual Summer School in Health Promotion (1997 - 2001)

This constituted a three week intensive programme where four modules from the taught Diploma course were delivered.  Credits towards the Diploma were available on completion of assessment and examination requirements.  Over a four-year cycle successful candidates received the award of the full Higher Diploma in Health Promotion.

·    Setting up of outreach Higher Diploma programmes at regional centres in St. Angela’s College, Sligo (1998 - 2002) and the Marino Institute, Dublin (2000- present).

These programmes are delivered on a part-time basis over two years.  All students are registered with NUI, Galway and course recruitment, examination and programme delivery are organised by the Health Promotion staff.

·    Development of Specialist Certificates in Health Promotion (Oral Health, Breastfeeding, Health Education Tutor Training, and Youth Work) in 1999.

These introductory programmes, which are delivered at outreach centres, provide education and training in the principles and practice of health promotion for those working in designated areas of practice. The Certificate programmes comprise two generic health promotion modules and two specialist modules in the specified area. The specialist modules have been developed in collaboration with the relevant professional agencies such as the Dental Health Foundation and the National Youth Council of Ireland.  The courses are delivered employing a combination of traditional teaching methods and distance education formats. Credits in the form of exemptions are offered to course participants who which to proceed to Diploma level.

·    Development of distance education and support materials for the delivery of programmes on an outreach basis.

With funding from the Damascus project and the Programme Innovation Fund, NUI, Galway, web-based, written and video material together with tutor handbooks have been produced to support the delivery of modules from the Higher Diploma programme.

These teaching developments have involved adapting curricula and support materials from the existing menu of Higher Diploma modules and drawing up an agreed system for admission, examination, credits and progression routes for the different levels of the programme on offer.  These courses have now been successfully established and their organisation and delivery is overseen by lecturing staff in Health Promotion.

School of Health Sciences
Teaching and Research collaboration within the School (Podiatry, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy),    

Colleges of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies  
Teaching and Research collaboration across the Disciplines (Social Work. Family Support, Psychology, BA Connect Children’s Studies), 

Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Teaching and Research collaboration (Medical undergraduate programme, Primary Care, Psychiatry).

College of Science
Teaching and Research collaboration (Occupational Health and Safety) 

WHO Geneva and WHO Europe

European Commission (2011-2012) 


External Evaluator for the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers 

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm (2009-2012)

CompHP
EU/ IUHPE Project - 22 partners from across the EU region; global International Expert Advisory Group.

Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
Expert advisor on the development of a pan-Canadian policy framework for mental   health promotion (September - December 2009). 

Mental Health Commission of Canada
Strategy Framework document (October, 2009).

Department of Health, London
Expert reviewer on the development of a Public Mental Health Framework report as a part of the New Horizons mental health policy - including peer review of the Public Mental Health Framework Evidence report and set of briefing papers (January - May 2010).

NHS Health Scotland
Expert reviewer of the Outcomes Framework for Scotland’s Mental Health Improvement Strategy, November 2009.

Department of Health, London
External Advisor on the implementation of the Public Mental Health Framework in England, working with the University of Central Lancashire on the development of Commissioning Guides for Local Authorities (May - July, 2010).

UK Foresight Project
Review author for the Office of Science & Innovation Mental Capital and Wellbeing project (2008-2009). 
 
Department of Health, Dublin
Research on national survey of health and health related behaviours (SLÁN 2007)
 
HSE Ireland
Evaluation of Health Promotion policies and interventions