The Mental Health Research Team

Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Team


Name: Dr Aine O Donovan (PhD, MSc, BNS, PGC T&L, RPN)
Position: Áine leads the Mental Health and Wellbeing research cluster at the school.
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E: aine.odonovan@ucc.ie

Profile picture of Aine O'Donovan

Biography

Áine O'Donovan is a Senior Lecturer in Mental Health at the School of Nursing and Midwifery and Interim Dean of Undergraduate Studies in the Office of the Deputy President and Registrar in UCC. Prior to beginning work in academia in 2004, she worked in both the private and public health sectors as a mental health nurse.

Her research interests focus on the mental health of children, young people and marginalised groups. She has a specific interest in mental health service delivery, positive mental health, mental health promotion and prevention. Most of Áine’s publications focus on the co-production and co-design of research and teaching with mental health service users, adopting participatory and creative methodologies, including PPI frameworks. Áine chairs the Interdisciplinary Mental Health Research Network ‘ENGAGE’ which aims ‘to promote, generate and disseminate high quality collaborative research to enhance the mental health and wellbeing of people across the lifespan’.

Áine has published over 65 peer review publications and reports (see listing on webpage link above) and has a h-index of 21. She has been successful as Principal Investigator, co-applicant and collaborator on research grants to the value of over €886,000. She sits on the editorial board for Issues in Mental Health Nursing and the scientific committee for the European Conference on Mental Health.  Áine supervises a number of MSc Research and PhD students.

 

 

Name: Dr Johnny Goodwin
Position: Lead undergraduate Mental Health Nursing, SoNM
T: 353 (0)21
F: 353 (0)21
E: john.goodwin@ucc.ie

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Biography

Dr John (Johnny) Goodwin is the lead for the undergraduate mental health nursing programme in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork. Johnny is passionate about the relationship between the arts and mental health and has developed innovative media-based interventions to combat mental health stigma and enhance attitudes towards help-seeking. His research interests include young people's mental health, mental health help-seeking, mental health stigma, media depictions of mental health, and the use of the arts and creativity in mental health. He has published over 40 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He has a h-index of 13 and an i-10 index of 14.

Links

http://research.ucc.ie/profiles/C014/john.goodwin@ucc.ie

Name: Dr James O Mahony PhD, MBA, MSc, Pg Dip CBT, BSc, RANP, MBABCP
Position: Lecturer in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy/ Programme Lead MSc, PG Cog. Beh Therapy
T: 353 (0)21
F: 353 (0)21
E: james_omahony@ucc.ie

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Biography

Dr O Mahony has worked in the area of mental health since the late 90’s as a mental health nurse, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Primary Care Mental Health, Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Psychotherapy, Assistant Director of Nursing and more recently Area Director of Nursing, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services. He is an accredited Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist and trained in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) which is a specialised form of psychotherapy used to work with individuals experiencing severe emotional dysregulation or those experiencing self-harm and suicidal behaviours. His PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in Medicine & Health with University College Cork examined how social discourses impact on how individuals’ conceptualise depression. He teaches on the undergraduate and postgraduate courses in mental health nursing, on the Doctor of Clinical Psychology programme and is the programme lead for the MSc in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy. James supervises a number of research students undertaking the MSc in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy, and PhD degrees. His research interests include the phenomenological experience of depression; depression as an embodied experience; emotionally unstable personality disorder; child and adolescent mental health services research and Self Practice/ Self Reflection in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

Links

https://www.ucc.ie/en/nursingmidwifery/research/mentalhealthandwell-being/

Name: Sinead Heffernan
Position: Lecturer in Mental Health
T: 353 (0)21
F: 353 (0)21
E: sineadheffernan@ucc.ie

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Biography

Sinead Heffernan is a Lecturer in Mental Health at the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Prior to that she worked in both adult mental health and child and adolescent mental health services as a mental health nurse for 25 years. During her time in CAMHS, She was awarded funding and was the project lead for introducing Trauma Informed Care to CAMHS Services in Cork & Kerry. Sinead is currently undertaking her doctoral degree and her focus is on trauma informed care in CAMHS at an organisational level. She is now introducing this approach to the nursing curriculum and is interested in staff/student support & wellness as part of a trauma informed approach. Another area of interest is in relation to marginalised groups who are exposed to intergenerational trauma. During her clinical career, Sinead worked as part of a psychiatric liaison team and has significant experience in relation to crisis and risk management. She is passionate about contributing to the development of mental health services using humanistic, sustainable, and patient centred approaches.

Links

https://www.ucc.ie/en/nursingmidwifery/research/mentalhealthandwell-being/

Name: Dr Maria O'Malley
Position: Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery
T: 353 (0)21
F: 353 (0)21
E: momalley@ucc.ie

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Biography

Maria is the Clinical Practice Module lead with the undergraduate nursing programme. She lectures at both undergraduate and post graduate levels and acts as a supervisor for MSc students

Maria has a Doctor of Nursing Degree (DN), a MSc in Research, Post Graduate Diplomas in Community Mental Health Nursing and Clinical Supervision, a BSc in Nursing and certificates in CBT, BFT, SFBT and nurse prescribing.

Prior to her current role Maria obtained extensive clinical expertise in senior management and clinical roles.Maria’s research interests include HCP self-care, self-harm, service development and community resilience.

Links

https://www.ucc.ie/en/nursingmidwifery/research/mentalhealthandwell-being/

Name: Dr Margaret Curtin, PhD, MSc, BSc
Position: Margaret Curtin is a college lecturer and programme lead in SoNM
T: 353 (0)21
F: 353 (0)21
E: M.Curtin@ucc.ie

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Biography

Margaret Curtin is a college lecturer and programme lead for the BSc Integrated Children’s and General Nursing in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, UCC.

She holds a PhD in Health Services Research from UCC, a MSc in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics, a Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and is a Registered Children’s and General Nurse.

Margaret’s research interests are in Child Health and Development including Adverse Childhood Experiences and Infant Mental Health.  She has a specific interest in community-based approaches to prevention and early intervention and integrated paediatric healthcare.  She is the research lead for the Let’s Grow Together! Infant and Childhood Partnership – an innovative prevention and early intervention programme for families experiencing disadvantage.

Margaret is a member of the Inclusion Health research group and is the College of Medicine and Health representative on the UCC Civic and Community Engagement Committee.  Before joining the School of Nursing and Midwifery, she worked with the School of Public Health, UCC as a researcher with the Irish Focal Point to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).  Prior to joining UCC she gained extensive experience managing community-based programmes supporting vulnerable children and families in Ireland and in developing countries.

Links

http://research.ucc.ie/profiles/C014/m.curtin@ucc.ie

Name: Dr Mohamad Saab
Position: Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery
T: 353 (0)21
F: 353 (0)21
E: msaab@ucc.ie

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Biography

Dr Mohamad Saab is a Lecturer at the UCC School of Nursing and Midwifery. Previously, he worked as an Oncology Nurse, Palliative Care Nurse, and Clinical Instructor. Dr Saab completed his PhD in Nursing by publication in UCC in 2017 with eight publications. He also holds a Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from UCC, as well as MSc and BSc in Nursing (distinction) from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

Dr Saab’s collaborative and interdisciplinary research is focused on the use of innovative technologies, such as virtual reality in men’s health promotion and in nursing education. He has over 40 publications and secured over € 500,000 in national and international research funding as Principal Investigator. 

Links

http://research.ucc.ie/profiles/C014/msaab@ucc.ie

Name: Dr Emma Hurley, PhD, BA, BSc, HDIP Chartered Psychologist, BPS
Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Mental Health
T: 353 (0)21
F: 353 (0)21
E: emma.hurley@ucc.ie

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Biography

Emma is a chartered psychologist and researcher with the Mental Health Researcher Cluster in the School of Nursing and Midwifery (SoNM). Emma has conducted research with a range of marginalised groups, her focus is on improving quality of life and maximising potential.

She has a strong research skillset and brings this to the team. She is interested in designing and delivering research which has a meaningful impact. Focusing on person-centred, participatory research models she is particularly interested in introducing trauma-informed approaches to a range of settings in order to improve the experinces of marginalised and disenfranchised people.

Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-j-hurley-phd-22a48657/?challengeId=AQEKsMpSUhLUkQAAAX_VKoMbM52MzS0mBZxHZU6CpMu29E6wZD1DjuUb3bFh-3_u1XwHJrc7wZLHLx6y-p__VYxrw9J1MJvruw&submissionId=c9cd14b0-67d2-e016-54d0-0a6065cb2f4b

Name: Colm Herlihy
Position: Clinical Nurse Manager
T: 353 (0)21
F: 353 (0)21
E: colmherlihy.cork@gmail.com

A placeholder picture for Colm O'Herlihey (a tree being held in a hand)

Biography

Colm is a Clinical Nurse Manager, currently employed with HSE CKCH at St. Stephens Hospital in Cork. Colm has worked within the Mental Health Services for over 12 years in various settings including general inpatient care, a psychiatric intensive care centre and with a flexible assertive community treatment team.

 

He is interested in building research capacity within the mental health services and received an MSc in research methods from Trinity College Dublin in 2018 with a special interest in secondary data analysis.

 

Colm has been active in many projects during his career including a direct involvement in the evolution of the Flexible Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) based in Carraig Mór, developing a GP (General Practitioner) service within a tertiary service for patients with SMI, and improving health by helping develop a fitness suite for both patients and staff in the workplace.

 

Colm is a member of  ENGAGE an Interdisciplinary Clinical Mental Health Research Network at UCC and through this group is advocating and developing a research database within CKCH that will archive all potential research opportunities across the service. This will  enable researchers to identify research opportunities within the Cork and Kerry Mental Health Services and also allow senior managers to coordinate research activity.

 

He is also involved in a programme to develop animal assisted therapy/ animal assisted activity within the Cork Mental Health services. The aim of this programme is to improve the quality of care provided by introducing trained therapy dogs to the mental health services on a integrated and sustained basis.

 

Colm has a keen interest in developing knowledge of project management methodologies and is currently a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and is currently undertaking studies within this area

 

Links

https://www.ucc.ie/en/nursingmidwifery/research/mentalhealthandwell-being/

Name: Ryan Goulding
Position: Clinical Nurse Manager 2, CAMHS
T: 353 (0)21
F: 353 (0)21
E: rgoulding@ucc.ie

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Biography

Ryan Goulding is an acting Clinical Nurse Manager 2 in an inpatient Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services unit. They hold a BSc(Hons) degree and is currently a PhD candidate within the School of Nursing and Midwifery in University College Cork. Ryan is a member of the Athena SWAN committee in UCC and the Mental Health and Wellbeing research cluster. They are also a student member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Their research interests focus on minority groupings and the health disparities that exist within these groupings. Ryan has a specific interest in the transgender and gender diverse population and initiatives aimed at improving the experience of this grouping in accessing healthcare.

Links

https://www.ucc.ie/en/nursingmidwifery/research/mentalhealthandwell-being/#

Name: Vincent Goggin
Position: Director of Nursing in the Adult Mental Health Services in Cork
T: 353 (0)21
F: 353 (0)21
E: vincent.goggin@hse.ie

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Biography

Vincent is an Assistant Director of Nursing in the Adult Mental Health Services in Cork. From a clinical perspective Vincent has experience in Psychiatric Intensive Care, Acute Inpatient Admissions, and continuing care/community residence care. In his current role his remit oversees Nursing Governance in Acute Inpatient Admissions, Continuing Care, Community Day Services, and Community Mental Healthcare. Vincent is a member of a number of groups within the Adult Mental Health Services including the Cork Kerry Community Healthcare Policy Standardisation and Review Group which provides policy governance for policies in CKCH, and the Cork AMHS Judgement Support framework group which provides clinical audit governance for adult mental health services in Cork.

Educational qualifications include a Diploma in Nautical Science from Cork Institute of Technology, A Certificate in Health Services Management from Cork College of Commerce. Bachelor’s degree in Mental Health Nursing and a Postgraduate Diploma in Acute and Enduring Mental illness form University College Cork. MSc in Healthcare Management from the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. Vincent is currently studying for his PhD in Nursing at University College Cork

                Vincent’s research interests include leadership and management theories, Organisational Psychology including Change and Change Management, and techniques in the professional management of complex behaviours.

Links

https://www.ucc.ie/en/nursingmidwifery/research/mentalhealthandwell-being/our-team/

Name: Hazel O'Sullivan
Position: Researcher
T: 353 (0)21
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E: 113718541@umail.ucc.ie

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Biography

Hazel O’Sullivan is a registered psychiatric nurse, who works in the area of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, having worked in a continuing care setting for adults with enduring mental health issues previously. She is a Quercus Scholar and graduated from University College Cork with a BSc Hons in 2017, and was the recipient of the H.H Stewart medal for Psychiatric Nursing in October 2017. Hazels is in her final year of a Research MSc, her research focuses on the area of family involvement in eating disorders treatment for adolescents. As a student Hazel participated in COMMUNE (Co-production of mental health nursing education) and is currently involved in the Rainbow Badge Education Programme.

Name: Brenda Happell
Position: Adjunct Professor to The Mental Health Research Cluster
T: 353 (0)21
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E: brenda.happell@newcastle.edu.au

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Biography

I am a registered nurse with specialist qualifications in mental health nursing, I have 31 years’ experience in academia in Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. I have published approximately 500 papers in the peer reviewed literature, three books and nine book chapters and have attracted approximately $15 million in competitive research funding. I am an active researcher with a strong track record supervising higher degree students to successful and timely completion.

 

I had the honour of being the inaugural Director of the Centre for Psychiatric Nursing at the University of Melbourne, former Director of the Institute for Health and Social Science Research at Central Queensland University and Professor of Nursing and Executive Director of SYNERGY, Nursing and Midwifery Research Centre at University of Canberra and ACT Health. I am a Fellow and Board Director of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses, and former Editor of the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing and I was an inaugural member of the Queensland Mental Health and Drug Advisory Council.

 

My research interests include: consumer participation in mental health services, and physical health of people experiencing mental illness. I am currently the CIA of a NHMRC grant: Improving the cardiometabolic health of people with psychosis: The Physical Health Nurse Consultant service, a nurse-led initiative.

 

My achievements have been recognized through awards including the Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC) Inaugural lifetime Ally Award in 2018, the Queensland Mental Health Week Mental Health Achievement Award in 2013 and The Mental Health Services Exceptional Contribution Award for her contribution to mental health and consumer participation in 2019.

Links

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brenda-Happell

Name: Zamzaliza Abdul Mulud
Position: Visiting Scholar
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E: zabdulmulud@ucc.ie

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Biography

 

Zamzaliza is a visiting scholar at the Catherine McAuley School of Nursing and Midwifery, UCC. She is a senior nursing lecturer for 18 years at the Centre for Nursing Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. Her research interests include mental health and gerontological nursing specifically in promoting and preventing adolescent mental health, caregiver burden in severe mental illness, and older adults' psychological well-being.

 

Links

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Zamzaliza-Abdul-Mulud

School of Nursing and Midwifery

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Brookfield Health Sciences Complex College Road Cork, Ireland , T12 AK54

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