HRB-TMRN PhD Scholars – Cohort 3 (2021–2026)

Amelia Philips is a SPHeRE PhD Scholar (Structured Population and Health-services Research Education programme, funded by the Health Research Board) and an affiliate PhD scholar of the HRB-TMRN, based in the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Galway. She holds a BA (Hons) in Psychology from South East Technological University and a first-class honours MSc in Health Psychology from the University of Galway.

Since completing her MSc in 2023, Amelia has worked as a research assistant at the University of Galway on several projects, most recently Exploring Consultation Exercises in Scoping Reviews (CESR), where she worked with experts in evidence synthesis, led recruitment, took a lead role in data collection and analysis, and wrote the final research paper.

Her doctoral research, “Using behavioural science to improve recruitment and retention of health policymakers in trials of knowledge translation (KT) interventions”, aims to inform trial evaluations of KT interventions that help policymakers use evidence in public-health decision-making. Specifically, she will explore how public health policymakers and their organisations can be recruited to, and retained in, trials of KT interventions. Amelia is supervised by Dr Elaine Toomey (Centre for Health Research Methodology, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Galway), Prof Molly Byrne (School of Psychology, University of Galway) and Prof Shaun Treweek (Health Services Research Unit, University of Aberdeen).

Éle Quinn is a PhD candidate with Evidence Synthesis Ireland, funded by the Health Research Board (HRB), and an affiliate PhD scholar of the HRB-TMRN, based at the University of Galway. She is a registered occupational therapist. Her PhD focuses on The People’s Review, under the supervision of Dr Sinéad Hynes (University of Galway), Dr Chris Noone (University of Galway) and Dr David Moher (University of Ottawa).

Johanna Pope is a PhD student with Evidence Synthesis Ireland, funded by the Health Research Board (HRB), and an affiliate PhD scholar of the HRB-TMRN. She is based in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Galway. Before coming to Galway, Johanna obtained a first-class Master of Public Health from University College Cork, and worked as a research assistant in the School of Public Health, including under a COVID-19 Emergency Evidence Response Service summer scholarship.

Johanna’s clinical and research experience has focused on public use of health information. Her doctoral research, “Vulnerability to misinformation in the Irish setting”, is supervised by Prof Declan Devane (University of Galway).

Kara McLoughlin is a research fellow and PhD candidate at the University of Limerick and an affiliate PhD scholar of the HRB-TMRN. She graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy from Teesside University in 2012 and worked in the UK and New Zealand before returning to Ireland in 2016. She has taken an active role in promoting occupational therapy in Ireland and sat on the management team of the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland.

Both academically and clinically, Kara has played an active role in the emerging area of geriatric emergency medicine. She completed an MSc in Older Persons Rehabilitation at University College Cork, with research exploring emergency medicine clinicians’ understanding and management of frailty, and was involved in setting up a number of Frailty Intervention Therapy Teams around Ireland before taking up her current post in May 2023.

Kara is the principal investigator on CREAT-ED: Development of a Core Outcome Set for research studies with older adults in the Emergency Department. The study aims to develop an evidence- and consensus-based Core Outcome Set (COS) for research with older adults in the Emergency Department (ED), working with a large international steering group of specialists in the care of older adults in the ED, together with Patient and Public Involvement (PPI). CREAT-ED is funded by the Health Research Board (HRB) and runs from 2023 to 2027. Kara is supervised by Prof Katie Robinson and Prof Rose Galvin (University of Limerick) and Dr Elaine Toomey (University of Galway).

Katarina Medved is a SPHeRE PhD Scholar (Structured Population and Health-services Research Education programme, funded by the Health Research Board) and an affiliate PhD scholar of the HRB-TMRN, based at the School of Public Health, University College Cork. She holds a first-class honours bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Science with Drug Development from IT Sligo and a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Trials from University College Cork.

In 2022, Katarina became a Clinical Trial Data Manager with Cancer Trials Group, University College Cork, where she worked on the LYSA and LIAM Mc randomised clinical trials, writing and reviewing study documentation, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of trial data, and managing the Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) panels.

Katarina’s doctoral research, “Engagement and Retention of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Contributors in Cancer Clinical Trial PPI Activities”, comprises four studies: a scoping review of factors and methods influencing PPI engagement and retention in cancer clinical trial PPI activities; a survey across Ireland and the UK of PPI contributors’ demographics and disparities in participation; qualitative interviews with PPI contributors about their experiences and what affects their engagement; and focus groups with PPI contributors and researchers to identify training needs and preferences for improving PPI engagement. She is supervised by Prof Frances Shiely (HRB Clinical Research Facility, University College Cork), Prof Patricia Kearney (School of Public Health, University College Cork), Dr Laia Raigal (Cancer Research @UCC) and Dr Alice Biggane (Pfizer, UK).

Mengqi Li is a PhD researcher at the University of Galway and an affiliate PhD scholar of the HRB-TMRN. Her doctoral research is part of the Informed Health Choices-Cancer (IHC-Cancer) programme, funded by the Irish Cancer Society and the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Galway. The programme aims to give people affected by cancer the knowledge and skills to think critically about the reliability of health information and claims, and to make well-informed choices.

Mengqi has a background in research on nutrition-related issues in older people, such as anorexia of ageing. She is supervised by Prof Declan Devane and Dr Marie Tierney (University of Galway).

Nirdesh Bakshi is a PhD candidate in Biostatistics at the University of Galway and an affiliate PhD scholar of the HRB-TMRN. He holds an MSc in Statistics from University College Dublin (UCD) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Statistics from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), India, and is a former student member of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA), UK, and the Institute of Actuaries of India (IAI). Professionally, Nirdesh has worked as a Statistical Consultant, Analytics Consultant, Data Scientist and Data Analyst.

While at UCD, Nirdesh undertook a research project with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on improving statistical inference at the upper tails of radon measurement data from Irish homes. Because of its geology, Ireland is vulnerable to abnormally high radon concentrations, and the lognormal model traditionally used for radon measurements is inappropriate in the Irish context; the project developed mixed models based on a comparative pdf approach to improve inference at the upper tails.

His PhD, “Improving Inference in Clinical Trials with Missing Data with a focus on Clustered Randomised Trials”, is supervised by Dr Neil O’Leary (University of Galway). His research interests lie in applied statistics, particularly developing imputation methods that can be tailored to different trial designs.

Sindhu Augustine is a Registered Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland and an affiliate PhD scholar of the HRB-TMRN, based at University College Dublin. She currently works as a Research and Clinical Trials Nurse at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin. Sindhu holds an MSc in Clinical Practice, a Graduate Diploma in Children’s Cancer Nursing and a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Trials from UCD.

Her doctoral research, “Attitudes and Perceptions of Parents of Children with Cancer Regarding Childhood Cancer Clinical Trials”, explores parents’ perceptions of and attitudes towards childhood cancer clinical trials. Sindhu is supervised by Dr Patricia Fox and Prof Eilish McAuliffe (UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems), with guidance from Dr Cormac Owens (CHI at Crumlin).

Xuenan Pang is a PhD scholar with Evidence Synthesis Ireland, funded by the Health Research Board (HRB), and an affiliate PhD scholar of the HRB-TMRN, based at the University of Galway. Her research examines the effectiveness of different ways to communicate summary evidence from systematic reviews to the public, and the use of artificial intelligence in evidence synthesis methods. She is supervised by Prof Declan Devane (University of Galway).