16.04.2024

Congratulations to SCOPE Research Assistant Eibhlín Looney, who was recently awarded a prestigious Membership Bursary for the Psychological Society of Ireland Division of Health Psychology (PSI DHP)! PSI DHP membership bursaries are competitively awarded to support membership of the Division. As part of her award Eibhlín outlined the importance of health psychology in Ireland as follows:

“Exploring impacts of behavioural, social, & psychological factors on physical & mental health, Health Psychology in Ireland is a driving force behind a healthier & happier society. From mental health interventions to chronic disease management, it’s pivotal to everyday wellbeing.”

15.01.2024

Welcome to Eibhlin Looney!

Eibhlin Looney recently joined SCOPE as a research assistant. She has a background in psychology and completed her degree in Applied Psychology in UCC, followed by a Masters in Forensic Psychology from University of Kent. She has experience conducting research on women’s experiences of perinatal stress and anxiety, the integration of refugee and migrant children in the education system, along with literacy intervention programmes for infants and their parents. She has also worked as an Assistant Psychologist with the Health Service Executive and a research intern for the Irish Penal Reform Trust. Eibhlín is particularly interested in early intervention research and the impact of parent-child relationships on health outcomes.

25.11.23

Welcome to Moira Duffy!

Moira Duffy has recently joined the SCOPE Project as a research assistant. Moira’s background is in nursing, with specific experience in the areas of obstetric and maternal-child nursing. She completed her Masters in Public Health at UCC in the Autumn of 2023, during which time she worked as a research assistant through UCC’s School of Nursing and Midwifery and School of Pharmacy. She has particular interest in infant feeding, newborn nutrition, and maternal-infant health and looks forward to contributing these interests and experiences to the SCOPE Project.

Welcome to Dr Reindolf Anokye!

Dr. Reindolf Anokye has recently joined SCOPE as a postdoctoral researcher. His research is centred around exploring psychological and behavioural processes in health, illness and healthcare. As a behavioural scientist, he is particularly interested in how psychological, behavioural and socio-cultural factors contribute to physical health, mental health and illness. Dr. Anokye is actively involved in developing, testing, and evaluating diverse interventions to improve health behaviours. His expertise extends to various domains, including mental health, biometric health measurements, experimental and survey-based causal research designs, psychometrics, and the application of psychosocial strategies to enhance overall health and well-being. His research contributions hold promise in advancing our understanding of what influences individuals’ health choices and identifying effective strategies for promoting healthier lifestyles.

29.08.23

Full time 3-year Research Assistant position on the SCOPE project!

There is currently an opportunity to join the SCOPE team as a Research Assistant for 3 years full-time. Closing date for applications is September 7th at midday (Irish time). More detailed information on this position (Job ID: 070353) can be found below and you can apply here: https://www.ucc.ie/en/hr/vacancies/

08.05.23

On June 8th 2023, we completed the first part SCOPE work-package 1, which involved engaging with stakeholders to discuss and reach agreement on what should be considered when measuring the core infant feeding outcomes included in the infant feeding core outcome set. We are very grateful to those who contributed to the meeting: Catherine S. Birken (University of Toronto), Ann Doherty (University College Cork), Elizabeth McCarthy (University College Cork), Laura McHugh (Health Service Executive), Ellinor Olander (City University London), Mary Rudolph (Bar-Ilan University). Thank also you to those who expressed an interest in attending but were unable to, we look forward to more fruitful discussions and meetings as the SCOPE project progresses.

In April 2023, Dr Karen Matvienko-Sikar (SCOPE PI), was hosted by Prof Rebecca Golley (SCOPE Co-applicant) and the Child and Families Research team (top left) in the Caring Futures Institute at Flinders University as a Visiting International Researcher. During her visit, Karen presented a keynote seminar to staff at the Caring Futures Institute at Flinders University on ‘Supporting maternal and child health in first 1000 days: using behavioural science to improve development and use core outcome sets in trials”. This seminar was well attended and sparked substantial conversation and interest in Core Outcome Sets and Core Outcome Measurement Sets. She also presented to Wellbeing South Australia on ‘Supporting maternal and child health in first 1000 days’ (top right). The visit generated lots of discussion and plans for future research. You can read more here.