Contribution to the Community/Advocacy

The School's Public Health Advocacy Role:

At a national level the School is making a significant Public Health advocacy contribution to the issue of salt and health. The Head of School drafted the Food Safety Authority of Ireland's report on salt and health which currently informs public policy on this area.

The Head of School and other members of staff contribute regularly to local and national print and broadcast media coverage of public health issues, including invited commentaries on topical issues in major national broadsheet newspapers.

Mary Cronin, Monica O’Mullane, Anne Fitzpatrick, Janas Harrington, Margaret Curtin and Professors Perry and Bradley have also contributed to the establishment of the Cork Healthy Cities Project.

Margaret Curtin represents the School on the Board of Management of the Young Knocknaheeny Area-based Childhood Programme.  She is also the lead of the Research and Evaluation Sub-group for the programme

The role of the School in leading the only national bid for health Services Research funding in the current PRTLI5 funding round in collaboration with partners in  the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, NUI Galway and Dublin City University.

The involvement of members of the School in work on national review panels and advisory boards including the National Cardiovascular Disease Strategy (updated in 2008), the Irish Heart Foundation’s Blood Pressure Council, the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Reach Out which was published in 2007 and the ongoing Health Research Board funded review of Public Heath and Health Research in Ireland.  Professor Perry has been a member of the Nutritional Sub-committee of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland since 2002 where he has led work on addressing the effects of dietary salt intake on health.

The role of members of the School as peer reviewers for international journals and grant funding agencies including the Health Research Board, Diabetes UK, the Welcome Trust.  Members of the School are also active as external examiners in undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the UK (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Nottingham) and for the University of Malaysia.

Dr Frances Shiely is the departmental representative on the University Health Promotion Committee.