Europe

The following are some of our research projects and outputs in Europe:

Citizen Project Group

Spain, Tunisia
Since 2013
Ongoing project to explore the concept of citizenship in occupational therapy practice, research and education.

Prejudice in Social Media

Ireland
Ongoing
Research collaboration with Trinity College Dublin to examine prejudice and trolling across various forms of social media.

Social Transformation through Occupation Project Group

The Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Canada
Since 2017
Research project exploring the processes and theoretical underpinnings of projects or organisations working towards social transformation through occupation.

GRACE Project (Gender and Cultures of Equality in Europe)

The Netherlands
Ongoing
Research and mentoring at University of Utrecht. Rebecca Frankel will be a keynote speaker at The GRACE Conference 2019.

The effects of surf therapy with women who have experienced trauma

Groundswell Community Project, USA and Groundswell Scotland
2022- Present
Physical activity interventions that use surfing in the sea as a vehicle to achieve positive change and enhanced mental health outcomes in a range of contexts (Godfrey, Devine-Wright, Taylor, 2015; Lemarchand, 2014; Rogers, Mallinson & Peppers, 2014). There is also a growing number of surf therapy courses around the world designed specifically to support women, largely pioneered via an organisation called Groundswell.

Groundswell Community Project is a research-based trauma informed surf therapy non-profit organization that provides a safe and resilient community for all self-identifying women. The Groundswell Community Project supports women to surf and spend time in the sea as a vehicle to achieve enhanced mental health, well-being and community, with a particular focus on supporting women who have experienced trauma. The organisation is based in San Diego, California, and runs surf therapy programmes locally (usually 8 weeks long) and trains, supervises and supports affiliated community partners to deliver surf therapy in other locations across the USA, Scotland and internationally.

The current research aims to investigate how the Groundswell programmes may be beneficial for women and how to deliver inclusive surf therapy to often marginalised individuals and communities. Drawing from participants and volunteer experiences, we have been investigating the journeys of the surf therapy participants, how Groundswell programmes improve the lives of those who participate in them and possible ways the programme could be improved.

Centre for Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research

Transplantoux

Belgium, Europe wide
Since 2017
International Research Consortium in partnership with Katholike University of Leuven. This collaboration extends our work around the role of exercise rehabilitation and/or physical activity as adjunct therapies for the pre-and post-transplant recipient.

HD-Frailty

Spain
Since 2015
Universidad Cardenal Herrera. Joint external PhD supervision, hosting of a 3-month PhD study visit; joint publication with Lucia Ortega.

STADION

Spain
2016-2018
Research Consortium. QMU hosted a 3 month post-graduate research student study visit; join Horizon 2020 grant application.

Cerebral Palsy Research

Switzerland
Since 2013

Rehabilitation for Children and Adolescents Center in Affoltern am Albis, Switzerland. Professor Huub van Hedel.

QMU Researchers: Professor Tom Mercer, Dr Marietta van der Linden

Research collaboration exploring the concept of selective voluntary motor control (2013-2019) somato-sensory function and body awareness (since 2019): PhD supervision and joint publications.

RaceRunning

The Netherlands, Sweden
Since 2017
International Research Consortium focused on RaceRunning

QMU researchers: Dr Marietta van der Linden, Dr Pelly Koufaki

RaceRunning allows people with limited or no walking ability to propel themselves independently using a three-wheeled bike that has a saddle and a chest plate for support but no pedals.

Focal-Rehab

Greece
2016-2018
PhD supervision at the University Hospital of Patras and 5 joint publications. This project evaluated neuromuscular rehabilitation techniques aiming at increased proprioceptive input to improve motor response in dynamic environments.

SHOULDER

Switzerland
Since 2014
This project investigated the quality of commonly used tools for the evaluation of shoulder function and explored the clinical utility of smartphone-based inertial systems for objective measurement of the recovery of shoulder function during activities of daily living. Joint supervision of a PhD candidate and 3 co-authored publications.

RISMUS

Switzerland
Since 2014
Research collaboration and PhD supervision with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

EURRCKD

Pan-European Group
Since 2013
European Association of Rehabilitation in Chronic Kidney Disease. Pan-European Research Consortium.

Centre for Person-centred Research

International Community of Practice for Person-centred Practice (iCOP)

The Netherlands, Australia, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland
2018-Present
A collaboration for advancing knowledge in person-centredness including teaching, learning, research and development.

National Programme to Develop Person-centred Cultures in the Health Service Executive (HSE)

The programme offers learning and development in person-centred facilitation, knowledge and skills but with an emphasis on being reflective, critically creative and using creative practices. The programme is focused on person-centredness for everyone - staff as well as people using the service and their families. Researchers from QMU: Professor Brendan McCormack; Dr Debbie Baldie.

Northbridge Collaboration

Ireland
2018- Present
Research partnership with Dr Catherine Buckley of Northridge House Education Centre in advancing person-centred research development in the programmes offered in the centre.

Development of Doctoral Expertise

Slovenia
2016-2018
An annual course in participatory research and person-centredness. Development of gerontological expertise. Doctoral supervision.

Institute for Global Health and Development

Increased TB Treatment Adherence and Improved Outcomes in Vulnerable Groups in the European Economic Area

Latvia
2016-2018
Part of a larger programme of work funded by the European Centre for Disease Control, World Health Communication Associates in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the project will provide preliminary evidence for the impact of a tailored tuberculosis adherence support intervention on interim treatment outcomes. Through process evaluation, the research will report on challenges encountered in intervention delivery. This study is being carried out among hard-to-reach and vulnerable population groups in Riga, Latvia - social transformation through occupation.

Centre for Communication, Cultural and Media Studies

Cultural Sustainable Prosperity

UK/Ireland
2021-2022

Funder: Royal Society of Edinburgh

Partners: Academic partner - University College Dublin, Industry Partner - Deveron Projects, Summerhall, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council

Taking a ‘place-based’ approach, this network project undertook site-specific workshops in Urban, Rural and Urban-peripheral places in Scotland and Ireland to explore how arts and cultural organisations in these different ecologies might respond to notions of sustainable prosperity in a post-covid world. ‘Sustainable prosperity’ means living well with less material consumption and centres equity, inclusivity, resilience, long-term thinking, and place-specific approaches with sustainability efforts. As such, the projects explored how different sites were responding to these notions through or via culture and creative activities.

Using a multi-hazard and catchment-based approach to understand and increase resilience in hyper-expanding cities in Vietnam and the Philippines

UK/Philippines/Vietnam
2019-2022

Funder: Global Challenges Research Fund, managed by the Royal Society of London

Partners: British Geological Survey, Ateneo De Manilla University, Vietnam National University (Hanoi)

This study will investigate how the different components of a rapidly expanding urban environment behave and interact prior to, during and following a complex (potentially cascading) disaster. We will use this information to explore how we can increase resilience to natural hazards (e.g., floods, landslides). The findings of the project will be useful because they will increase understanding of how urban resilience can be strengthened, supporting national efforts to reduce the impacts of disasters. Researchers from QMU’s led on a strand of this research that examined how ‘culture’ might play a role in exploring these difficult, complex, affective events.