Arisha Sadaf Muhammed, BSc Midwifery

"During the summer of 2020, I received the Summer Undergraduate Research Award (SURE). With the aid of this award, my research supervisor, Dr Margaret Murphy, and I undertook a project to explore and understand women’s experiences of breastfeeding during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This topic was of particular interest to both Margaret and I and we hoped to highlight the views and voices of women who gave birth before and during the pandemic and decided to breastfeed their baby.

The SURE Award allowed me to enhance not only my research and communication skills but also my knowledge on breastfeeding and the struggles women, their babies and their families faced during the ongoing pandemic. We were also able to highlight the various supports that women tended to rely on during this extremely difficult and uncertain time.

As a fourth year Midwifery student, not only was this a very relevant and important topic of discussion but it was also very interesting to be a part of the research process and apply my academic knowledge to the project. I thoroughly enjoyed my time partaking in this research project and it was only made possible through Dr Margaret Murphy and the SURE Award.”

Margaret Monahan, BSc Nursing (Mental Health)

"During my time on the SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research Experience) programme, I joined the SAge21 (Supporting Ageing in the 21st century) team.  Given the impact of the global pandemic on our ageing population, the team set out the ERiC (Engaging Remotely in Care) project to investigate the impact of visiting restrictions in nursing homes on family members.  I was supervised by Dr Caroline Kilty and worked closely with Dr Nicola Cornally throughout my time with the team.  During this time, I co-authored an article now published within the Frontiers of Psychiatry titled 'Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 Nursing Home Restrictions on Visitors of Residents with Cognitive Impairment: A Cross-Sectional Study as part of the ERiC Project'.

While I was involved with the team, I was given many opportunities to develop my understanding and interest in the research process.  As I had been working in a nursing home at the time, I had a vested interest in the information collected and by being part of the research team.  I now understand the vital role that research plays in improving the quality of our services and overall client's experiences while in our care.  Based on the findings provided by the research of the ERiC project, the team hoped to assist families and friends to say connected to their loved ones through the use of technology in partnership with Nimbus Centre in CIT and Zendra Health".