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Marita Hennessy awarded IRC Postdoctoral Fellowship to develop psychosocial intervention for staff in maternity hospitals/units in Ireland

11 Sep 2023
Pictured at the Glucksman Gallery, UCC, L-R: Professor Keelin O’Donoghue, Professor John O’Halloran (President, UCC), and Marita Hennessy PhD. Photo: Gerard McCarthy Photography

Congratulations to Marita Hennessy PhD who was recently awarded a Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship by the Irish Research Council (IRC). During her two-year fellowship, Marita will develop and pilot test a psychosocial intervention for staff in maternity hospitals/units in Ireland under the mentorship of Professor Keelin O’Donoghue.

Marita joined the Pregnancy Loss Research Group in January 2020 as a Postdoctoral Researcher, working on the RE:CURRENT and RE:CURRENT-KTA Projects, and other projects including PLATFORM and PLACES. She also conducts research to support the implementation of the National Standards for Bereavement Care following Pregnancy Loss and Perinatal Death.   

Announcing the IRC Government of Ireland programmes funding awards, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, said: “I am delighted to announce this investment for a new generation of postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers under the Irish Research Council’s Government of Ireland programmes. These awards will support the development of the next generation of excellent researchers in Ireland, as they pursue new knowledge at the cutting edge of a wide range of disciplines”.

The IRC’s Government of Ireland scheme supports top early-career researchers who are based in Ireland’s higher education and research institutions. The investment, announced on 11 September 2023, will fund 294 awards in total: 214 postgraduate scholarships and 80 postdoctoral fellowships, valued at €24.6 million.

Welcoming the announcement, Peter Brown, Director of the Irish Research Council, said: “Early-career researchers represent the future of research and innovation and the funding being announced by the Minister today will support a vibrant knowledge eco-system. This eco-system will benefit and shape the further development of enterprise, public policy and our higher education institutions”.

Pregnancy Loss Research Group

Pregnancy Loss Research Group, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University College Cork, Fifth Floor, Cork University Maternity Hospital, Wilton, Cork, T12 YE02, Ireland,

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