HRB-TMRN Research Associates

Dr. Tom Conway received a BA in Psychology, a MSc in Health Psychology and a PhD in Developmental Psychology all from NUI Galway. After completing his PhD, Tom was appointed as a post-doctoral qualitative researcher with the HRB-TMRN to evaluate the HRB-TMRN Schools Teaching Awareness of Randomised Trials (START) Competition for which Tom is now an ambassador. Tom was also appointed as Acting Programme Manager of the HRB-TMRN. Recently, Tom has been appointed as a Trial Co-ordinator at the Clinical Research Facility Galway. In this role he will also be the CRFG liaison for the HRB-TMRN.

Sebastian Vencken received a BSc in Biochemistry from University College Dublin and a PhD in Molecular Biology from Trinity College Dublin. As a post-doctoral fellow in Prof Catherine Greene’s and Prof Noel McElvaney’s lab at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Sebastian conducted research in genetics and nanomedicines. After an SFI Industry Fellowship at the genetic diagnostics firm, GenePlanet, in Ljubljana, Sebastian started the role of Biostatistician at the UCD Clinical Research Centre. His duties at the UCD CRC involve designing and analysing clinical trials and observational studies and teaching statistics at the UCD teaching hospitals. Sebastian is a board member of the UCD CRC management committee and is the UCD liaison for the HRB-TMRN. In these roles, he is responsible for the identification and implementation of trial methodology research opportunities in UCD CRC studies, and for communicating and contributing to HRB-TMRN events within UCD.

Damian has extensive experience as a Clinical Research Project Manager, with over 15 years’ experience coordinating and implementing complex and critical projects. He has previously worked as a Research Analyst in Health Research Board, Researcher Officer (Quality/Risk Management) at Cork University Hospital and Research Project Manager at the National Cancer Registry, Ireland, where he spent 6 years as project manager on two HRB funded national population based cancer research studies (PanCAM and CaRE).At the HRB CRF-C Damian has worked as Clinical Trial Manager on a number of clinical trials including, the Irish Omega-3 study. He currently manages a portfolio of academic and investigator led clinical investigations/clinical trials. Damian completed an undergraduate in Sociology and Social Research from the University of Limerick. He later completed a Higher Diploma in Statistics from Trinity College Dublin and a Masters in Sociology from University College Cork. He recently completed a Higher Diploma in Project Management from Cork Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI). He is currently completing an Organisational Development and Transformation Diploma with the IMI.

Louisa Conlon is a Senior Research Pharmacist at the Wellcome – HRB Clinical Research Facility at St James’s Hospital Dublin. Louisa qualified with a B.Sc. (Pharm) from Trinity College Dublin in 2013 and with an MPharm from Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 2014 before taking up a Clinical Trials Pharmacist position at the National Children’s Research Centre (NCRC) at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin. She worked on a variety of clinical trials in specialities such as Haematology, Respiratory, Neurology, Dermatology, Allergy and Emergency Medicine. Since taking on her current role in 2017, she has also been involved with trials and research studies for Infectious Diseases, ICU, Gastroenterology, Rheumatology, Mental Health, and Hepatology in addition to the previous specialities. Louisa has an active role in providing and encouraging ongoing training and education. Since January 2018, she is a co-coordinator of the NERD group (Nurses and Non-Nurses Engaged in Research and Development) at St James’s Hospital and is responsible for organising bi-monthly lunchtime education sessions. She also provides regular GCP training and annual presentations to the Intercalated M.Sc. Biomedical Science and M.Sc. in Hospital Pharmacy classes.

Elaine Finucane is a Midwife, a Cochrane Fellow and Research Associate in the Centre for Health Evaluation, Methodology Research and Evidence Synthesis (CHEMRES), located in the National University of Ireland Galway. Elaine received a BSc in Midwifery Science from NUI Galway and is currently a PhD Fellow in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, NUI Galway. Elaine is working on a variety of clinical trials. Her current projects include a HRB funded multi-site feasibility study and a HRB funded innovative, virtual trial aimed at enhancing the public’s understanding of randomised trials. Elaine is also an ambassador for the START (Schools Teaching Awareness of Randomised Trials) outreach competition in NUI Galway. In addition, Elaine is on the teaching faculty of Evidence Synthesis Ireland, an all-Ireland initiative funded by the Health Research Board and the Health and Social Care, Research and Development (HSC R&D) Division of the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland.

Dr Karen Matvienko-Sikar is a Health Psychologist and HRB Research Fellow in the School of Public Health, University College Cork. She obtained her PhD, MA and BA from the School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork. Karen’s research interests are in the area of maternal and child health, particularly perinatal stress and health outcomes. Karen has experience and expertise in developing, implementing and evaluating interventions for maternal and child health in antenatal and primary care settings in pilot and feasibility trials. Karen has experience and a keen interest in development of core outcome sets. She recently led on the development of a core outcome set for infant feeding interventions to prevent childhood obesity, which was supported by the HRB-TMRN and the Irish Research Council. Karen also collaborates with the COMET initiative on their annual updates of core outcome sets for comparative effectiveness research. Karen is currently leading on a Study Within a Trial (SWAT) in the area of core outcome sets and questionnaire response rates.

Dr Hannah Delaney is a Post-Doctoral researcher with the HRB-TMRN, based in NUI Galway and Trinity College Dublin. She is an experienced mixed-methods researcher with expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methods in a variety of health-related fields. Hannah obtained her PhD from the University of the West of England in 2016, her research in active travel behaviours explored the experiences and sharing practices of cyclists and pedestrians on shared-use paths; through in-depth interviews, video ethnographies and on-site surveys. She then worked as a Senior Researcher on the health policy team at the Scottish Centre for Social Research in Edinburgh; where she led multiple studies relating to health behaviour, alcohol and tobacco control, and research with children and young people. Hannah is currently working on a 3-year HRB funded study where she is applying her health research skills and mixed-methods experience to trial methodology, specifically trial recruitment. The TRAIN study (Training Recruiters-An educational Intervention) will develop and evaluate an education and training intervention for recruiters to randomised trials.

Catherine Houghton, RN, RCN, BN, MHSC, PhD, is a lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at NUI Galway. Catherine’s primary research expertise is in qualitative methodology, qualitative evidence synthesis (QES), and dementia research. She has extensive experience in, and has published on, qualitative case study methodology, qualitative evidence synthesis methodology, data collection, ethics, rigour, paradigms and analysis in qualitative research. This interest in research methodology led to her current focus on QES and trial methodology. In 2015, Catherine was awarded funding from the HRB-TMRN to develop staff expertise in QES. This led to the registration of a QES in the Cochrane Methodology Review Group exploring the factors that impact on recruitment to trials. This review is currently being prepared for submission. Catherine was subsequently awarded funding from the Irish Research Council New Foundations Scheme for the purpose of developing a clearly articulated pathway between QES and trial methodology and further developing QES expertise in Ireland. Catherine is currently collaborating on a number of qualitative evidence syntheses, for example in: Personhood in dementia, infant feeding, pulmonary rehabilitation and trial recruitment, two of which are registered in Cochrane. Catherine is Co-Chair for QUESTS (Qualitative Research in Trials Centre), established in 2016 and embedded within HRB-TMRN. The mission of QUESTS is to maximise the integration of qualitative research in randomised trials In addition to collaboration on successful bids, QUESTS has delivered training on qualitative approaches that can be used in trials and Studies Within A Trial (SWAT).

Valerie Smith is a Professor in Midwifery at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin. Valerie’s research interests extend to all areas of maternity care and healthcare research methods, with specific topic expertise in the areas of fetal wellbeing (fetal heart rate monitoring and fetal movements) and intrapartum care. Her methodological expertise includes systematic reviews of varying types, randomised trials, and survey research. Valerie is also active in trial methodology activity including core outcome set development, and conducting Study Within A Trial (SWAT) research. Valerie is a senior Cochrane Ireland systematic review trainer and a member of Evidence Synthesis Ireland’s Steering Committee.