Pictured: Professor Sinéad Ryan, Dean of Research, Professor Jacqueline Whelan, Director of Global Engagement, and Dr Luciana Lolich, Research Impact Officer, at the launch of the report in the School of Nursing & Midwifery.
Four case studies within the report demonstrate how research led by the School of Nursing and Midwifery is improving healthcare and transforming lives far beyond Ireland, examining the global reach of researchers active in the fields of maternal health, addiction and recovery, ageing among people with intellectual disability, and digital health.
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Transforming maternal health services: The MAMMI research project has reshaped understanding of women’s health and wellbeing in the critical period beyond birth. Building on this work, the Women’s Health After Motherhood (WHAM) online course, developed by Professor Deirdre Daly, has reached more than 14,000 participants across 130 countries, supporting evidence‑based maternity care worldwide.
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Supporting vulnerable populations in low‑resource settings: Professor Catherine Comiskey collaborated in the development of a practical toolkit to support healthcare professionals working with pregnant women who use drugs in South Africa’s rural Cape Winelands region, strengthening capacity and improving care in a highly challenging context.
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Advancing equitable ageing for people with intellectual disabilities: Led by Professor Mary McCarron, the Intellectual Disability Supplement to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (IDS‑TILDA) is the first longitudinal study globally to focus exclusively on ageing among people with intellectual disabilities. IDS‑TILDA has fostered international research collaborations, training programmes, and shared resources, helping to inspire a global movement towards inclusive and equitable ageing.
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Scaling digital health solutions across Europe: The SEURO project, led by Dr John Dinsmore, is advancing the digital transformation of healthcare by developing tools to help EU healthcare services and organisations adopt and scale digital health solutions effectively. Innovations arising from SEURO have been recognised through inclusion on the EU Innovation Radar, reflecting their potential for wide‑scale impact.
In addition to these case studies, the report also highlights:
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Research contributions by Professor Imelda Coyne, which are transforming children’s healthcare by advancing children’s rights, strengthening participation, and promoting shared decision‑making in both policy and practice.
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Research led by Professor Agnes Higgins in LGBTQI+ mental health, which has influenced policy and practice internationally and has been instrumental in shaping guidelines addressing equality, health inequality, and legal gender recognition.
Professor Jacqueline Whelan, Director of Global Engagement, School of Nursing & Midwifery, said:
“Access to high-quality healthcare remains fundamental to long and healthy lives. Yet across the world, structural, financial, and systemic barriers continue to limit equitable access to care. These challenges are intensified by persistent and widening disparities in health outcomes and life expectancy across social and economic groups. Addressing such complexity requires more than incremental change. It demands sustained collaboration, interdisciplinary research, and new ways of thinking and working that translate evidence into meaningful action.”