SPHeRE Blog

The Benefits of Collaboration during a PhD – by James Larkin

A PhD is often thought of as a solitary pursuit. What is underestimated is the key role that collaboration plays in the PhD process. In this blog, I will explore how collaboration can enrich a PhD experience, help broaden one’s perspectives, and improve the quality of PhD research. My PhD […]

Enhancing Collaboration: Using a Design Sprint to maximise stakeholder engagement at a Symposium – by Geraldine O’Callaghan, Patricia Hall, Deirdre McCartan, Clare Fitzgerald, PhD Scholars, iPASTAR CDA

The annual iPASTAR (improving Pathways for Acute Stroke and Rehabilitation) Symposium offers the iPASTAR CDA scholars and their supervisors the opportunity to learn from field leaders in Irish stroke research while also showcasing the scholars’ research outputs and future research goals to interdisciplinary colleagues similarly interested in improving patient care, […]

Developing Guidance for Patient and Public Involvement in the Collaborative Doctoral Programme for Chronic Disease Prevention (CDP-CDP)

Developing Guidance for Patient and Public Involvement in the Collaborative Doctoral Programme for Chronic Disease Prevention (CDP-CDP)

What is the CDP-CDP? The Collaborative Doctoral Programme in Chronic Disease Prevention (CDP-CDP) is a structured doctoral programme training six SPHeRE scholars to become future leaders in chronic disease research, implementation, and policy development. We are Eanna (Health Psychologist), Pauline (Dietitian), Irene (Nurse), Márcia (Health Psychologist), Clair (Physiotherapist), and Edel […]

Networking at the European Stroke Organisation Conference

Geraldine O’Callaghan, Clare Fitzgerald and Patricia Hall, three second year SPHeRE PhD scholars, who are part of the iPASTAR  (improving pathways for acute stroke and rehabilitation) CDA, were delighted to represent Irish Stroke Research at this year’s European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC) in beautiful Lyon, France. This was a hybrid […]

A Pharmacist Amongst Paramedics – by Edel Burton

An account of a SPHeRE national placement in the National Ambulance Service Clinical Directorate Edel Burton is a second year SPHeRE Scholar and Clinical Pharmacist who carried out her SPHeRE national placement in the National Ambulance Service (NAS) Clinical Directorate, in Dooradoyle, Limerick from March-May 2022. Edel’s placement supervisor was […]