On the 10th International Day of Women and Girls in Science

I am delighted to share that I have completed my PhD from the University of Limerick. 

Consider the profound impact of chronic joint pain: waking each morning with stiffness and swelling, or struggling with daily activities like standing, walking, or driving. Now consider the additional burden when evidence-based treatments that meet your needs are inaccessible.

This is the reality for more than 500 million people worldwide, with women disproportionately affected. The World Health Organization estimates that these trends will grow given that we are living longer lives and adopting more inactive lifestyles.

There is an urgent need to bridge the gap between evidence and practice. This is also represented in global and national action plans: The United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030) and the Irish Health Service Executives Sláintecare (2017-2027). 

My research aimed to enhance implementation of evidence-based treatments for healthy ageing through an extensive mixed-methods approach, including a mixed-methods systematic review, surveys, interviews, and an analysis of international registry data.

Over the course of three years, my work yielded a comprehensive framework offering novel insights to optimise the implementation of evidence-based treatments across diverse contexts: from individual service users to healthcare professionals, spanning public and private healthcare settings, and encompassing various delivery models including online, in-person, and hybrid approaches.

These contextual and actionable insights provide valuable direction for developing sustainable, evidence-based treatments. The comprehensive framework is adaptable globally and supports targeted implementation strategies, potentially leading to new models of care that are proactive, more likely to be effective, and ensure that resources are being utilised in the best possible way. 

So, instead of waking with chronic joint pain or struggling with daily activities, my research contributes towards the ultimate goal of bridging the implementation gap between evidence and practice - ensuring equitable access to the optimal evidence-based treatment in the right place at the right time.