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FOODPATH at the 12th Annual SPHeRE Conference, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin.
The first keynote speaker, Professor Susan Smith from Trinity College Dublin (TCD), discussed the negative impact of poverty on health outcomes. She highlighted the disparities in both life expectancy and the number of years lived in good health between individuals from deprived and affluent areas. The evidence she presented underscored the importance of the work being done by the FOODPATH consortium, which aims to reduce food-related inequalities and improve local food environments, especially for those living in disadvantaged communities.
Following the keynote address, Nora participated in a workshop titled "Equity in Mental Health," led by Professor Sinead McGilloway from Maynooth University. The workshop included a brief presentation, after which participants were divided into groups to discuss the role of equity in their research and how to better embed equity into each phase of the research design.
The remainder of the day was filled with various oral presentations, including those by UCC colleagues Madison Curran, Dr. Lydia Iladiva, and Daire Hogan. Overall, the conference provided a valuable opportunity to learn about ongoing research from different institutions in Ireland and how the Health Service Executive (HSE) is incorporating equity into its services. The conference served as a powerful reminder of how the social gradient of health affects health outcomes, and how we can move towards creating more equitable health systems."
