Home › Research▻People▻Health Sciences

Health Sciences

DR SINÉAD HYNES

BSc. PhD

 
researcher
 

Biography

Sinéad is a lecturer (Above the Bar) in occupational therapy in NUI, Galway. She started in this role in December 2015 following the completion of a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of British Columbia funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (US). In this position she was involved in a number of projects in the area of multiple sclerosis including interventions for cognitive difficulties and intention tremor and the assessment of hand function.  
Prior to this, she worked for the NHS on a large occupational therapy trial for people with dementia (Valuing Active Life in Dementia; VALID).  She completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge, based at the MRC-Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, in 2013. She is a CORU registered occupational therapist Registration number: OT021880.

Is léachtóir í Sinéad i dteiripe shaothair in Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh. Chuir sí fúithi i nGaillimh i mí na Nollag, 2015. Sular tháinig sí go Gaillimh, bhí taighde iardhochtúireachta ar bun aici thall sa University of British Columbia, Ceanada, taighde a bhí maoinithe ag Cumann Náisiúnta na Scléaróise Iolraí (Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá). Bhí sí ag obair ar thionscadal taighde i réimse na scléaróise iolraí, a bhí ag plé le deacrachtaí cognaíocha, le creathanna sa chorp agus leis na bealaí éagsúla le measúnú a dhéanamh ar fheidhm láimhe. Roimhe sin, d’oibrigh sí don NHS i Sasana ar thástáil theiripe shaothair a bhí dírithe ar dhaoine le néaltrú. Bhain sí PhD amach ó Ollscoil Cambridge, Sasana san aonad MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences in 2013. CORU Registration number: OT021880.


Research Interests

Dr Hynes’ research interest lie largely in the area of neurorehabiltation. Her research to date has been with people with multiple sclerosis, older adults, people with brain injury and people with dementia. Dr Hynes has many years of experience working with occupational therapists, people with dementia, multiple sclerosis, acquired brain injury and older adults- with particular expertise in working and research in the area of cognition with multiple sclerosis.
Her current research focuses on the development and testing of an evidence-based, occupation-based programme for people with multiple sclerosis who experience cognitive difficulties (COB-MS).
She is a member of the Expert Panel for MS Ireland and provide support and advise when needed. She is involved in the development of resources for occupational therapists working with people with MS in vocational rehabilitation. She is also a member of their Research Network.

Dr Hynes has experience of managing large research projects. She has worked as a trial manager for £2million community occupational therapy dementia trial (ISRCTN 10748953). This was a multi-centre large-scale dementia trial in the UK, the largest occupational therapy trial to take place in the UK. She has published in peer-reviewed journals on interventions for older adults, people with brain injury and people with dementia, as well as the translation of a popular memory assessment to Irish.

She has gained valuable experience in research leadership as a postdoctoral researcher and has supervised and mentored students at both undergraduate and post-graduate level. She is a collaborator on an Erasmus-funded international study titled “Making Internationalisation a Reality for Occupational Therapy Students.” This is an international study of professional identity in occupational therapy and involves virtual and physical exchange between students at National University of Ireland Galway, University of Southampton and Lund University. 

ORCID: 0000-0002-3199-7355

Research Projects

  Project Start Date End Date
A COGNITIVE OCCUPATION-BASED PROGRAMME FOR PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS- A CLUSTER RANDOMISED PILOT TRIAL TO IMPROVE COGNITION AND DAILY FUNCTIONING FOR PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS 01-JUL-19 31-DEC-21

Contract Researchers

  Researcher Name Project Role Funding Body
Robert Joyce COB-MS Feasibility PPI Research Assistant
Dr Christopher Dwyer COB-MS Feasibility Postdoctoral Researcher
Eimear Bane COB-MS Feasibility Research Assistant
Anusha Moses COB-MS Feasibility Research Assistant

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2020) 'Practical Tips for Supporting Clinicians Undertaking a Part-time PhD'
Sinéad M. Hynes (2020) 'Practical Tips for Supporting Clinicians Undertaking a Part-time PhD'. MedEdPublish, 9 (1) [DOI] [Details]
(2020) 'Occupational therapy interventions for multiple sclerosis: A scoping review'
Éle Quinn & Sinéad M. Hynes (2020) 'Occupational therapy interventions for multiple sclerosis: A scoping review'. Scandinavian journal of occupational therapy, [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2020) 'A Phenomenological Study of Occupational Participation for People Who Identify as Transgender'
Vivienne Daly & Sinéad M Hynes (2020) 'A Phenomenological Study of Occupational Participation for People Who Identify as Transgender'. Annals of International Occupational Therapy, 3 [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2020) 'Evaluating the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a Cognitive Occupation-Based programme for people with Multiple Sclerosis (COB-MS): protocol for a feasibility cluster-randomised controlled trial'
Dwyer, C., Alverez-Iglesias, A., Joyce, R., Counihan, T.J., Casey, D. & Hynes, S.M. (2020) 'Evaluating the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a Cognitive Occupation-Based programme for people with Multiple Sclerosis (COB-MS): protocol for a feasibility cluster-randomised controlled trial'. Trials, 21 (269):1-12 [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2020) 'An examination of the effects of a patient-designed-and-informed participant information sheet in comparison with a standard, researcher-designed information sheet on recruitment, retention and understanding: Protocol for a study-within-a-trial'
Christopher P. Dwyer, Robert A. Joyce, Eimear M. Bane, Anusha Moses, Alberto Alvarez-Iglesias, Sinéad M. Hynes (2020) 'An examination of the effects of a patient-designed-and-informed participant information sheet in comparison with a standard, researcher-designed information sheet on recruitment, retention and understanding: Protocol for a study-within-a-trial'. HRB Open Research, [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2019) 'The Impact of Cognitive Functioning on Daily Occupations for People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Qualitative Study'
Aoife Mc Auliffe & Sinéad M. Hynes (2019) 'The Impact of Cognitive Functioning on Daily Occupations for People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Qualitative Study'. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 7 (3):1-12 [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2019) 'A cognitive occupation-based programme for people with multiple sclerosis: A new occupational therapy cognitive rehabilitation intervention'
Sinead M Hynes & Susan Forwell (2019) 'A cognitive occupation-based programme for people with multiple sclerosis: A new occupational therapy cognitive rehabilitation intervention'. Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy, ONLINE First :0-13 [DOI] [Details]
(2019) '“Waiting for Science to Catch up with Practice”: an examination of 10-year YouTube trends in discussions of chronic cerebral spinal venous insufficiency treatment for multiple sclerosis'
Sinéad M. Hynes, Setareh Ghahari and Susan J. Forwell (2019) '“Waiting for Science to Catch up with Practice”: an examination of 10-year YouTube trends in discussions of chronic cerebral spinal venous insufficiency treatment for multiple sclerosis'. Informatics For Health & Social Care, [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2018) 'A Cognitive Occupation-Based Programme for People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Study to Test Feasibility and Clinical Outcomes'
Reilly, S;Hynes, SM (2018) 'A Cognitive Occupation-Based Programme for People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Study to Test Feasibility and Clinical Outcomes'. Occupational Therapy International, [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2017) 'Enablers and challenges to occupational therapists’ research engagement: A qualitative study'
Di Bona, L., Wenborn, J., Field, B., Hynes, S. M., Ledgerd, R., Mountain, G., & Swinson, T. (2017) 'Enablers and challenges to occupational therapists’ research engagement: A qualitative study'. British Journal Of Occupational Therapy, Online First :1-9 [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2016) 'Community Occupational Therapy for people with dementia and family carers (COTiD-UK) versus treatment as usual: study protocol for the Valuing Active Life in Dementia (VALID) multi-centre, pragmatic randomised trial'
Wenborn, J. Hynes, S.M, Moniz-Cook, E.,Mountain, G., Poland, F. King, M. Omar, R. Morris, S., Vernooij-Dassen, M., Challis, D. Michie, S., Russell, I., Sackley, C. Graff, M., O’Keeffe, A., Crellin, N. & Orrell, M. (2016) 'Community Occupational Therapy for people with dementia and family carers (COTiD-UK) versus treatment as usual: study protocol for the Valuing Active Life in Dementia (VALID) multi-centre, pragmatic randomised trial'. Trials, [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2016) 'Community Occupational Therapy for People with Dementia and their Family Carers: A National Survey of Current Occupational Therapy Practice'
Swinson, T., Wenborn, J., Hynes, S. M., Orrell, M., Rutherford, J., Rooks, S. & Ledgerd, R. (2016) 'Community Occupational Therapy for People with Dementia and their Family Carers: A National Survey of Current Occupational Therapy Practice'. British Journal Of Occupational Therapy, [DOI] [Details]
(2015) 'Intensive training but no benefits to everyday life: computerised cognitive training'
Hynes, S.M (2015) 'Intensive training but no benefits to everyday life: computerised cognitive training'. Scandinavian journal of occupational therapy, [DOI] [Details]
(2015) 'Is it possible to have both standardised and person-centred care?'
Hynes, S.M (2015) 'Is it possible to have both standardised and person-centred care?'. International Journal Of Geriatric Psychiatry, 30 (4):431-435 [DOI] [Details]
(2015) 'Internet, home-based cognitive and strategy training with older adults: a study to assess gains to daily life'
Hynes, S.M (2015) 'Internet, home-based cognitive and strategy training with older adults: a study to assess gains to daily life'. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, [DOI] [Details]
(2015) 'Exploring the need for a new UK occupational therapy intervention for people with dementia and family carers: Community Occupational Therapy in Dementia (COTiD). A focus group study'
Hynes, S.M., Field, B., Ledgerd, R., Swinson, T., Wenborn, J., di Bona, L., Moniz-Cook, E., Poland, F. & Orrell, M. (2015) 'Exploring the need for a new UK occupational therapy intervention for people with dementia and family carers: Community Occupational Therapy in Dementia (COTiD). A focus group study'. Aging & Mental Health, [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2015) 'Developing a Computerised Multiple Elements Test for Organisational Difficulties'
Hynes, S.M., Fish, J., Evans, J.J & Manly, T. (2015) 'Developing a Computerised Multiple Elements Test for Organisational Difficulties'. International Journal of Developmental Science, 9 :85-94 [DOI] [Details]
(2014) 'Validating an Irish-language version of the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test – Second Edition'
Hynes, S.M. & Shiel, A (2014) 'Validating an Irish-language version of the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test – Second Edition'. British Journal Of Occupational Therapy, 77 (4) [DOI] [Details]
(2014) 'Using video ratings to assess multitasking performance in a naturalistic paradigm'
Hynes, S.M., Fish, J. & Manly, T. (2014) 'Using video ratings to assess multitasking performance in a naturalistic paradigm'. NeuroRehabilitation, 35 :553-562 [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2014) 'Intensive working memory training: A single case experimental design in a patient following hypoxic brain damage'
Hynes, S.M., Fish, J. & Manly, T. (2014) 'Intensive working memory training: A single case experimental design in a patient following hypoxic brain damage'. Brain Injury, [DOI] [Details]

Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
2017 Millennium Fund NUI Galway
2016 Millennium Fund NUI Galway
2015 Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy Research Initiative Fund University of British Columbia
2015 Western Pacific endMS Regional Research and Training Centre Travel Award Western Pacific endMS Network
2015 EndMS Summer School Scholarship Canadian MS Society
2008 Cambridge European Trust University of Cambridge

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
CORU- Health & Social Care Professionals Council Member /
Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland Member /
World Federation of Occupational Therapists Member /
Consortium of Multiple Scelerosis Centres Member /

Committees

  Committee Function From / To
College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Widening Diversity Committee Member 01-SEP-18 /
QUESTS Research in Trials Centre Member 01-NOV-17 /
College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science Civic Engagement Committee Member 01-SEP-17 /
NUI Galway Athena Swan Self-Assessment Committee Member 01-SEP-16 / 31-AUG-17
College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Graduate Studies Committee Member 01-JAN-16 /
Discipline of Occupational Therapy Programme Board Member 01-DEC-15 /
Multiple Sclerosis Ireland Expert Panel Member 01-DEC-15 /

Employment

  Employer Position From / To
University of British Columbia Postdoctoral Research Fellow 01-NOV-14 / 30-NOV-15
North East London NHS Trust Band 7 Occupational Therapist Trial Manager 01-SEP-12 / 31-OCT-14
National University of Ireland Galway Lecturer in Occupational Therapy 01-DEC-15 /
National University of Ireland Galway Teaching Assistant 01-JAN-12 / 31-AUG-12

Education

  Year Institution Qualification Subject
2013 University of Cambridge PhD Biological Science
2005 National University of Ireland Galway Diploma in Arts Gaeilge
2018 National University of Ireland Galway Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching & Learning in Higher Education Teaching and Learning
2007 National University of Ireland Galway BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy

Languages

  Language
Irish

Community Engagement

  Title Type From / To
Teaching (e.g. Service learning / comunity based learning) Community Engagement 01-DEC-15 /
Consultancy (Pro-bono) Transgender Girl Guide Working Group 01-MAY-17 / 01-JUN-17
Consultancy (Pro-bono) MS Ireland Advisory Panel 01-DEC-15 /
Outreach Training for Ugandan Occupational Therapists 16-OCT-17 / 20-OCT-17

Reviews

  Journal Role
Ageing & Mental Health Reviewer
The American journal of occupational therapy. : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association Reviewer
British Journal Of Occupational Therapy Reviewer
Neuropsychological Rehabilitation Reviewer

Modules Taught

  Term/Year Module Title Module Code Subject / Desc
Semester 1/ Year 3 Evidence Based Practice OY306
Semester 1/ Year 3 Enabling Occupation- Older Adults OY312
Semester 1 and 2/ Year 3 Community Engagement OY315
Semester 2/ Year 3 Enabling Occupation- Community Practice OY311
Semester 1/ Year 2 Fundamentals of Occupational Therapy OY212