Dr. Mary Hughes

Mary is an Associate Professor in Children's Nursing. She is a Registered Children's Nurse and Registered General Nurse with extensive clinical, managerial, teaching, research and leadership experience. She is an experienced and consistently funded researcher with a special interest in child health, advanced practice, and digital health innovation.She is an influential contributor at senior level in relation to the development of the new National Children's Hospital, national policy for Children's Nursing in Ireland, Children's Nursing Education, and Nurse education. From February 2020-June 2023, Mary was Director of Teaching and Learning (Postgraduate). Her remit included the management of the post graduate suite of programmes for 20 taught MSc Programmes, two Higher Diploma Programmes, three Professional Certificate Programmes and twelve Microcredentials, in addition to the Structured Doctoral and MSc Research programmes. She was dynamic in the role, leading on the development of the strategic plan for PG Education in the school, and influencing the new school strategy in 2023.During her term, she successfully restructured the PGT and PGR offering, she was the school lead for the HCI Microcredentials Pilot Project; the school is the most successful school in the pilot in TCD, and was appointed to the steering committee and WP6 Lead for Post Graduate Renewal Programme. Mary is currently engaged in research projects centred on child health and wellbeing in community care, in the development of innovative digital health services in Advanced Nursing Practice in Children's Health Ireland, Digital Information Provision for Medication Safety, and Digital Health Provision in the new Regional Health Areas. She is also supervising PhD students on programmes of research related to child health. Mary is a recognised national academic leader in Children's Health, Advanced Practice and Digital Health. She has strong interprofessional networks nationally and internationally, and is a member of key committees and groups in relation to these fields. She is an influential contributor to the national discourse on developments in Nursing and Midwifery, representing the school, college and IUA Heads on these matters. She was nominated by TCD to undertake the Aurora Women in Leadership programme in 23/24. She is recognised nationally as a leader in Nursing.

     ASTHMA   CHILDHOOD ASTHMA   Children's and Young Peoples Nursing   Childrens health care   children's rights   childrens views   CHRONICALLY ILL CHILDREN   Digital Health   International children's research

Mary is recognised nationally and internationally as a leading researcher in Children's Nursing, Advanced Practice, and Digital Health Innovation. Her work is aligned to the school vision of optimising the health and wellbeing of individuals, families and communities through excellence and leadership in research with a national and global reach, with the research centres TRICC, TCPHI and TCMCR. Mary's successes in securing funding ensures her contribution to the discipline and school and its leading edge in this research space . Through her publications, presentations and collaborations, she demonstrates a deep commitment to advancing knowledge and improving the health outcomes of children, young people and the wider community by advancing research that has a significant impact on their lives. Mary has recognised methodological expertise in Classic Grounded Theory, qualitative research methodologies, and quantitative methods. She has been lead PI, co-applicant and collaborator in successful applications for national and European research funding. She is currently managing funded research projects with the team of academic colleagues, Post-doc fellows and research students. Recruitment of research students is central to the development of child health research. As an award winning supervisor, Mary has a track record in nurturing the curiosity of research students, providing a viable pathway for the development of the future academics and researchers in child health, and interdisciplinary health research. Mary's current programme of funded research involves collaborative, interprofessional, and PPI projects that affect the lives of children and their families, and in the design of digital health systems for the new national Children's Hospital and the Regional Health Areas, and innovation in information for medical safety for IMI/EU. Her extensive international research networks, and established relationships with key stakeholders result in her recognition as a leader in children's nursing research and digital health innovation.