Palliative Care Research on the Island of Ireland

1. Palliative Care Research Network (PCRN)
2. PCRN Strategic Plan (2023-2027)
3. PCRN - Research on the Island of Ireland
4. PCRN Strategic Scientific Committee
5. Members
6. PCRN Members

Palliative Care Research Network (PCRN)

In 2012, AIIHPC established the Palliative Care Research Network (PCRN) to address the need for more collaborative multidisciplinary research in palliative care on the island of Ireland. This network was the first of its kind for palliative care in Ireland. 

The PCRN aims to offer the all-island palliative care research community opportunities to create and engage within a collaborative environment, supporting the development of excellent, high quality, clinically-relevant and innovative research projects that reflect, inform and contribute to the advancement of AIIHPC’s work programmes.

PCRN Members include leading researchers from AIIHPC’s partner organisations on the island of Ireland who focus on palliative care research from medicine, nursing, psychology, allied health, health economics, pharmacy and law disciplines. Our members come from many of the major research institutions including:

Click on each institution for more information.

The Annual PCRN Symposium allows members opportunities to learn from global experts, share knowledge and network.

Benefits of Being a PCRN Member

The PCRN is constantly evolving and expanding and we want even more researchers to join and benefit from this collaborative community of peers.  Membership provides opportunities to:

• Collaborate with senior researchers, clinicians, service users, policy makers and funders in palliative care and other relevant areas on the island of Ireland and internationally
• Gain support for patient-public involvement through the AIIHPC Voices4Care research panel
• Lead, mentor and build research capacity
• Ensure research is relevant to global and national policy and practice priorities
• Access AIIHPC’s proven experience in
• Developing collaborative proposals
• Building partnerships including those with patient-public involvement
• Transfering knowledge to clinicians, educators, policy makers, service users and the wider community including via the palliative hub

Also, PCRN members provide mentoring and support to the Early Career Researcher Forum, a supportive network for early stage researchers in palliative care. If you are a leading researcher from one of our partner organisations with a focus or interest in palliative care research please apply to be considered eligible to become a member of the PCRN.

A yearly report on the activity of the PCRN is available for review within the AIIHPC Annual report on the following links:

• AIIHPC Annual Review 2019
• AIIHPC Annual Review 2018
• AIIHPC Annual Review 2017

Annual reports for the PCRN are available for review at the following links: 

• PCRN Annual Report 2016
• PCRN Annual Report 2015
• PCRN Annual Report 2014
• PCRN Annual Report 2013

To enquire about the PCRN and how to become a member please email the Chair, Professor Joanne Reid (j.reid@qub.ac.uk) or AIIHPC Research Programme Manager, Dr Mary Rabbitte: mrabbitte@aiihpc.org

Download the PCRN Brochure

AIIHPC's Palliative Care Research Network Strategic Plan (2023-2027)

AIIHPC’s Palliative Care Research Network (PCRN) Strategic plan 2023-2027 sets out our core principles and commitments to continue to advance outcomes that have a positive impact on the quality of life and death for people with life-limiting conditions and supports for their families.

Download the document

AIIHPC’s Palliative Care Research Network Strategic Plan 2023-2027

Download link

Our Priorities 2023-2027

Strengthen and expand collaboration
We will work across disciplines on the island of Ireland to extend collaboration including internationally in areas of common interest that can improve the quality of life and death for people with palliative care needs.

Create an academic–clinical environment to foster innovation
We will act to improve the effectiveness of multidisciplinary academic-clinical studies to answer the most important questions by building academic-clinical capability and support structures to foster innovation.

Develop palliative care researchers and support career paths
We will support members to become recognised experts and leaders in palliative care by securing investment, mentoring, structured training, brokering involvement in national/international studies and supporting career paths.

Involve people with life-limiting conditions, family carers, and communities across research cycle
We will grow the level of involvement of people with life-limiting conditions, family carers, and interested citizens across all stages of decision making in palliative care research and evaluate their impact.

Maximise research impact on practice and policy
We will address practice and policy priorities by co-producing and mobilising research evidence with health and social care professionals, palliative care providers, commissioners, policy makers, people with life-limiting conditions and family carers.

PCRN - Research on the Island of Ireland

Between 2012 and 2017 the Health Research Board (HRB) in Ireland and AIIHPC invested €1.26m (£1.11m) in palliative care research. This investment supported senior and early career researchers on the island of Ireland to carry out research on the inequality of palliative care service delivery and measuring and evaluating palliative care outcomes:

Pathways toward Social Justice: Understanding Equality and Inclusion in Palliative Care (Research strand one): is based on the premise that inequality exists in relation to palliative and hospice care access and service delivery across the island of Ireland for people with serious mental illness, intellectual disability, children with non-malignant life-limiting conditions and advanced heart failure.

Watch this short video summarising this body of research by the lead principal investigator Professor Philip Larkin, Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing (Palliative Care), School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, College of Health Sciences, University College Dublin.

Measurement and Evaluation of Outcomes for Palliative Care (Research strand two): explores methodological development for palliative care research with a focus on measurement of needs, measurement of impact and evaluation of service priority and delivery. 

Watch this short video summarising this body of research by the lead principal investigator Professor Charles Normand, Edward Kennedy Professor of Health Policy and Management, Centre for Health Policy and Management, Trinity College Dublin.

Palliative Care Research Network Strategic Scientific Committee

The Palliative Care Research Network Strategic Scientific Committee is responsible for supporting the strategic development of the Network. In collaboration with All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care, the Committee supports the management of proposals for activities and programmes of work for the Network. The Committee’s membership includes representatives from academic institutions, hospices, members of the Voices4Care Research Panel (Voices4Care is AIIHPC’s service user, carer and interested citizen group and within this group there is a Research Panel subgroup) and health funding organisations across the island of Ireland.

The PCRN Strategic Scientific Committee meets four times per year:

Members

Strategic Scientific Committee

• Professor Kevin  Brazil, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queens University Belfast.
• Monica Burns, Voices4Care Member.
• Professor Dympna Casey, School of Nursing and Midwifery, National University of Ireland, Galway.
• Dr Michael Connolly, Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Dublin.   
• Dr Nicola Cornally, Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork.
• Tom Curran, Voices4Care Member.
• Professor Andrew Davies, Professor of Palliative Medicine, Trinity College Dublin/University College Dublin/Our Lady’s Hospice and Care Services (Chair of PCRN).
• Dr Tracey McConnell, Senior Research Fellow, Marie Curie Hospice Belfast .
• Professor Suzanne Guerin, Head of School of Psychology, University College Dublin.
• Dr Geralyn Hynes, Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin.
• Dr Gail Johnston, Programme Manager, HSC R & D Division, Public Health Agency, Belfast.
• Dr Peter May, Research Assistant Professor, Public Health and Primary Care, Trinity College Dublin (Vice Chair of PCRN).
• Professor Sonja McIlfatrick, Head of School of Nursing, Ulster University.
• Dr Deborah Muldrew, Lecturer in Health Sciences, School of Nursing and Paramedic Science, Ulster University
• Professor Charles Normand, Centre for Health Policy and Management,  Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin.
• Dr Martina O'Reilly, Head of Education, Research and Quality, Milford Care Centre, Limerick.          
• Professor Sheila Payne, Chair in Hospice Studies, Director of the International Observatory on End of Life, United Kingdom.
• Professor Joanne Reid, Professor of Cancer and Palliative Care, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University Belfast.
• Professor Anthony Staines,  Professor of Health Systems, School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, Dublin City University.
• Dr Mark White, Vice President Research, Innovation and Graduate Studies, Waterford Institute of Technology.

PCRN Members