News
FaME Ireland hosts 'Pathways to Falls Prevention and Physical Activity: From Insight to Action' Conference at Nano Nagle Place, Cork
FaME Ireland hosted a conference on 6th March 2026 titled 'Pathways to Falls Prevention and Physical Activity; From Insight to Action'. Organised by Senior Lecturer Dr Ruth McCullagh and the FaME Ireland team, and funded jointly by the HRB FaME Ireland APA Grant and a HRB Conferences and Events Scheme Grant, the event brought together a wide range of clinicians, researchers, policy makers and community partners from across the country for a day of shared learning, discussion and collaboration in the area of falls prevention and support healthy ageing. Over 55 delegates attended the event in person, with a further 20 participants joining online, creating a vibrant and engaged audience for the day’s programme.
We were especially delighted to welcome keynote speaker Professor Dawn Skelton, Professor of Ageing and Health at Glasgow Caledonian University and an international leader in exercise and falls prevention. Prof. Skelton is an exercise physiologist and has over 30 years of research experience in falls prevention. She is a co-author of the World Falls Guidelines and developed the Falls Management Exercise (Fame) programme.
Other guest speakers from the UK included Professor Liz Orton, Professor of Public Health from the University of Nottingham who also holds the role of Consultant in Public Health in Leicestershire County Council, and who has been leading on work to evaluate the effectiveness of FaME and falls management programmes across the UK, and Claire Shroufi, an Advanced Practitioner Physiotherapist from NHS Gateshead, who has developed and evaluated a local Strength and Balance Programme for the over 65s.
We were also delighted to have presentations from Irish health strategy and policy makers, clinical leaders and service providers from the HSE, including Dr Emer Ahern, Consultant in Geriatrics and CUH and the National Clinical Advisor and Group Lead for Older Persons who spoke about Age-Friendly Health Systems, Sarah O'Brien, National Lead for the Health Eating and Active Living Programme who outlined the Physical Activity for Health Model, Dr Robert Briggs, Consultant Geriatrician and Clinical Senior Lecturer at Trinity who spoke on national falls data and the TILDA study. These speakers were joined by the FaME Ireland team, represented by Dr Ruth McCullagh, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy at UCC and PI for FaME Ireland research study, and Edel Brennan, Senior Physiotherapist and Clinical Coordinator for Falls in the North West of Ireland who talked about the development of the CDLMS Falls Prevention Framework.
All of their contributions, along with those of the other participants and organisers shaped a rich and dynamic programme and some great opportunities to network and open discussions about future joint working and collaboration. It is hoped that the day will lead to further developments in implementing and rolling out evidence based exercise programmes across Ireland for those who have fallen or have a fear of falling.