Palliative Care Research on the Island of Ireland
- Palliative Care Research Network (PCRN)
- PCRN Strategic Plan (2017-2022)
- PCRN - Research on the Island of Ireland
- PCRN Strategic Scientific Committee
- Members
- 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.
Hospice and Palliative Care Providers
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:
Annual reports for the PCRN are available for review at the following links:
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
Palliative Care Research Network Strategic Plan (2017-2022)
In 2017 the Palliative Care Research Network (PCRN) launched a five year strategic plan. This strategic plan sets out a direction for the PCRN network, building and strengthening our research community and ensuring that research impacts at the local, national and international levels. The PCRN Strategic Plan (2017-2022) provides a framework for all those seeking to undertake palliative care research, from early career researchers to those leading and shaping international projects. Through this strategy the PCRN demonstrates its commitment to work collaboratively to strengthen palliative research, education, policy and practice on the island of Ireland and further afield. The plan has identified five strategic activity areas and actions that will be implemented over the 5 years to improve Quality of Life (QoL) for people with life limiting conditions through research that changes practice and informs policy. The five strategic activity areas are:

To learn more about the Palliative Care Research Network Strategic Plan (2017-2022) download the full document or to learn how the Strategic Plan was developed click on the Poster available at the following link: Developing the All-Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) Palliative Care Research Network Strategic Plan 2017 – 2022.
To view the implementation plan for 2020 download: Palliative Care Research Network Strategic Plan (2017-2022): 2020 Implementation Plan
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.
- 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.
- Dr Deborah Muldrew, Lecturer School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ulster University (Early Career Researcher Forum Chair).
- 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
Name |
Role |
Affiliation |
Professor of Palliative Care |
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast |
|
Professor in Children’s Nursing / Head of Discipline for Children's Nursing |
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin |
|
Lecturer |
School of Pharmacy, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland |
|
Dr Gillian Carter | Lecturer | School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast |
Professor of Nursing |
School of Nursing and Midwifery, National University of Ireland, Galway |
|
Lecturer/Associate Professor |
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin |
|
Lecturer Practitioner |
School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork |
|
Professor Consultant of Palliative Medicine |
School of Medicine Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin University College Dublin, and Our Lady's Hospice and Care Services |
|
Senior Lecturer |
School of Nursing and Midwifery, National University of Ireland Galway |
|
Dean of Nursing and Head of School |
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin |
|
Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery |
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast |
|
Established Professor / Director |
School of Law / Centre for Disability Law and Policy (CDLP), National University of Ireland Galway |
|
Assistant Professor |
Occupational Therapy, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin |
|
Senior Lecturer and GP |
Department of General Practice, University College Cork |
|
Postdoctoral Researcher / Lecturer |
Centre for Gerontology and Rehabilitation, University College Cork |
|
Lecturer |
School of Psychology, Queen’s University Belfast |
|
Associate Professor in Research Design and Analysis / Head of School |
School of Psychology, University College Dublin |
|
Assistant Professor |
School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin |
|
Lecturer |
School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork |
|
Senior Lecturer |
School of Nursing, Ulster University |
|
Lecturer |
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast |
|
Associate Professor in Palliative Care/ Director of Research |
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin |
|
Research Assistant Professor |
Centre for Health Policy and Management, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin |
|
Professor of Health Research |
Institute of Nursing and Health Research, Ulster University |
|
Senior Lecturer |
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast |
|
Lecturer |
School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, Dublin City University |
|
Professor of Palliative Care and Academic Director / Visiting Professor |
Institute for Training and Research, The University of Lausanne, Switzerland /School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin |
|
Director of the Bamford Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing |
School of Psychology, Ulster University |
|
Consultant in Palliative Medicine |
Milford Hospice, Castletroy, Limerick, and St John’s Hospital, Limerick. |
|
Adjunct Full Professor | School of Education, University College Dublin | |
Research Assistant Professor in Health Economics |
Centre for Health Policy and Management, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin |
|
Dean of Faculty of Health Sciences / Chair of Ageing and Intellectual Disability |
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin |
|
Marie Curie Senior Research Fellow |
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University Belfast |
|
Lecturer |
School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast |
|
Principal Clinical Psychologist (Specialist) and Clinical Lead for Research / Adjunct Assistant Professor |
LauraLynn / School of Psychology, University College Dublin |
|
Head of School of Nursing |
Institute of Nursing and Health Research, Ulster University |
|
Lecturer (Retired) |
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast |
|
Consultant in Palliative Medicine |
St Francis Hospice |
|
Head of Speech and Hearing Sciences |
School of Clinical Therapies, University College Cork |
|
Senior Lecturer |
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast |
|
Assistant Professor |
School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, Dublin City University |
|
Professor of the Economics of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation / Emeritus Professor |
Cicely Saunders Institute, King's College London / Centre for Health Policy and Management, Trinity College, University of Dublin |
|
Senior Lecturer |
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast |
|
Personal Professor |
School of Business and Economics, National University of Ireland, Galway |
|
Senior Lecturer |
School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast |
|
Professor |
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast |
|
Professor of Ageing and Health |
School of Nursing, Ulster University |
|
UCD Clinical Professor / Consultant in Palliative Medicine |
University College Dublin / St Francis Hospice |
|
Assistant Professor |
School of Nursing Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin |
|
Professor of Health Systems |
School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, Dublin City University |
|
Associate Professor |
Centre for Gerontology and Rehabilitation, University College Cork |