From Prevention to Improved Patient Outcomes (DFD PRIMO)

Health Research Board (HRB) Structured Population and Health Services Research Education (SPHeRE)

This collaborative doctoral award includes seven PhD scholars, six of whom are based in NUI Galway and one, Ms Jennifer Pallin, who is based in University College Cork.

Diabetic foot disease is a debilitating and life-threatening condition that requires a multidisciplinary approach towards its prevention and subsequent management. The PhD scholars enrolled in the programme are from a range of professional backgrounds including nursing, podiatry, psychology, microbiology and regenerative medicine. The students are also working with world-leading experts in wound healing, diabetes, psychology and microbiology and are supported by a team of national and international supervisors and collaborators.

While recognising that prevention is critical to avoiding the onset of an ulcer and subsequent complications, not all ulcers can be prevented so therefore advanced therapies are needed. For this reason, the programme focuses on prevention of diabetic foot disease and also on management of infection and advanced treatment options.

The overall goal of the training programme is to train a team of healthcare professionals from different health professions to PhD level in order to provide a strong evidence base for prevention and treatment options whilst improving the care of people with diabetes related foot problems. The aims of this programme are to increase the number of highly skilled future research leaders and support research of high quality that will positively impact public health and policy and be of immediate benefit to patients in the clinical setting.

Further information on the DFD PRIMO can be found at: http://www.nuigalway.ie/ariw/dfdprimo/ Twitter: @DFDPRIMO @ariw_1