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Ms. Paula Hicks

Centre Administrator - CIHS (Psychology)
200/1 PEARSE STREET
      
Profile Photo

Ms. Paula Hicks

Centre Administrator - CIHS (Psychology)
200/1 PEARSE STREET

 Paula.Hicks@tcd.ie

 3531896 8596


I have over 20 years' experience in a variety of roles, including Project Management, Research Centre Operations, Strategic Planning, Lecturing and Business Analysis. Within the Centre for Innovative Human Systems, my role involves the financial management, day to day operations and strategic planning of the Centre. Previously, my principal area of interest was in developing and researching the use of technology to address the psycho social needs of children in hospital. A particular focus is on the use of online communities to support communication, information provision, social inclusion and entertainment. I have led two key award winning research projects exploring this use of technology, Áit Eile (Another World) www.aiteile.ie and Solas www.solas.ie - both of which have been acknowledged at European and National level for their contribution to this area. In teaching I have also developed modules and lectured to various undergrad and postgrad programmes in the area of Health Informatics, and have published a number of book chapters and journal articles.
  Children, health and disability   Health informatics   Health outcomes   Human computer interactions   Information technology in education   Internet technologies   Knowledge and data engineering   Multimedia   SOCIAL NETWORKS   SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED GROUPS
Project Title
 Solas - an interactive community for children with cancer
From
2004
To
ongoing
Summary
Each year thousands of seriously ill children worldwide have to spend several weeks or even months in protective isolation with no physical interaction with the outside world and limited contact with their family. They are faced with a myriad of challenges that their healthy peers may never experience. Challenges that impact a child's ability to cope socially, emotionally, and or physically are often referred to as 'psychosocial' challenges. These include isolation, change in family dynamics, depression, withdrawal, loss of peer interaction to name but a few. These problems can hinder a child's treatment and recovery. The use of virtual communities in addressing some of these psychosocial issues has been at the core of some of the research work currently being carried out at the Centre for Health Informatics, Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in collaboration with the Children's Research Centre, TCD and The National Paediatric Haematology/Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant Centre, Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Dublin. The Solas project facilitates communication (via email, sms texting, live chat and video conferencing), along with providing a variety of creative (eg. art tool, music composition) and educational tools (eg. multimedia learning games, audio books) in a customized secure environment. Solas is currently being piloted on the Childrens Cancer Unit of Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, and there are over 180 registered users to date, an independent evaluation will be carried out throughout 2009. From the Needs Assessment phase it is clear that there is a need for improved psycho-social services for these children, lack of communication with peers and families and high levels of boredom have echoed throughout this work. Additional requirements beyond the initial prototype leave scope for further development.
Funding Agency
Higher Education Authority (HEA)
Programme
Fund for Digital Research
Project Title
 Physical Places and Social Spaces for young Children in Hospital
From
September 2009
To
February 2010
Summary
This consultation process explored young children's (aged 5-8 years) perspectives of the physical and social hospital environment to ensure that the physcial places and social spaces of the proposed new Children's Hosptial of Ireland would be responsive to their needs.
Funding Agency
National Paediatric Hospital Project
Project Type
Tender
Project Title
 Puppet Portal Project
From
2009
To
2010
Summary
The Puppet Portal Project is an arts and technology hospital based project which connected children, parents, artists and staff in an online community (Ait Eile, developed by the Centre for Health Informatics, Trinity College Dublin) where they worked collaboratively to design and make puppets, develop stories and perform for each other through the webportal. The aim of the project was to transform the hospital experience for children by facilitating them to access their own creativity and self expression and the benefits are very evident.
Funding Agency
Health Service Executive, The Arts Council
Project Title
 Ait Eile - online community for children in hospital
From
2001
To
ongoing
Summary
Áit Eile is an online community for children in hospital which facilitates young patients to communicate with each other via e mail, video conferencing and live chat over a secure Internet connection. Research has shown that children in hospital, especially those suffering from a chronic illness, can experience feelings of isolation, change in family dynamics, depression and loss of peer interaction. Áit Eile is based in hospitals schools throughout the country and offers the potential for hospital-to-hospital, hospital to home, hospital to school and even home-to-home connection allowing parents and children never to be more than a click away. Through the web portal the system provides access to activities and information, such as arts & crafts, educational opportunities and links to favorite web sites with appropriate content. The security of the system has been a top priority and appropriate solutions have been incorporated into the overall system design. Currently linking eleven sites throughout the country; the National Children's Hospital, in Tallaght, Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, Cork University Hospital, Temple Street Hospital, National Rehabilitation Hospital, Beaumont Hospital Dublin, Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh, Cork, Mid Western Regional Hospital, Limerick, Sligo General Hospital, University College Hospital, Galway and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda.
Funding Agency
Department of Health and Children / HSE
Programme
Information Society Funding / NDP
Project Title
 Awareness Programme on the use of Information Technology in Health Care
From
1996
To
1999
Summary
A European funded project which took the form of a multimedia presentation to raise awareness of ICT in healthcare. It was presented in 50 locations around Ireland to a pan health audience.
Funding Agency
European Union
Programme
European Social Fund

Details Date
Hospital Organisation of Pedagogues in Europe (HOPE) - Board Member 2006 - 2010
Teenage Cancer Group (Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin) 2008 - Present
European Professionals in Hospital Network (EPiH-Net) 2008 - Present
Irish Computer Society (ICS) 2006 - Present
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
French Medium Medium Medium
Irish Medium Medium Medium
Details Date From Date To
Irish Computer Society 2005 Present
HOPE (Hospital Organisation of Pedagogues in Europe) - Board Member 1996 Present
Health Informatics Society of Ireland 1995 Present
Sociotechnical Implications of Promoting Social Connected Well-being through Technology in Healthcare Environments in, editor(s)Guglielmo Trentin and Vincenza Benigno , Network Technology and Homebound Inclusive Education, New York, Nova Science Publishers, 2013, pp41 - 68, [Hicks, P. and Lambert, V.], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Lambert V, Matthews A, Hicks P, Boran L, Devane D., Virtual reality simulation for reducing pain in children (Protocol)., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, (8), 2013, p10.1002/14651858.CD010686 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI  URL
Lambert V, Coad J, Hicks P, Glacken M., Social spaces for young children in hospital, Child: Care, Health and Development, 2013, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI  URL
Hicks, P., Grimson, J. Smith, O., With a little help from my friends: experiences of building a virtual community for children with cancer, The Journal of Community Informatics: Special Issue: Community Informatics for Improving Health, 9, (2), 2013, p1 - 15, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  URL
Lambert V, Coad J, Hicks P, Glacken M., Young children's perspectives of ideal physical design features for hospital built environments, Journal of Child Health Care, 2013, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI  URL
Innovative Tools to Communicate with Young People in, editor(s)Dr. V. Lambert, Prof. T. Long, D. Kelleher , Communication Skills for Child Health Nurses, England, Open University Press, 2012, pp49 - 63, [P. Hicks, F. Binns], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED  URL
Informatics in Health Care in, editor(s)Anne-Marie Brady , 'Leadership and Management in the Irish Health Service, Ireland, Gill and Macmillan, 2010, pp317-345 , [Paula Hicks], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
V. Lambert, J. Coad, P. Hicks, M. Glacken, The Voice of Young Children - Physical Places and Social Spaces for Young Children in Hospital, A New Children's Hospital - A new future for children's health services in Ireland, Dublin, 18th June, 2010, 2010, Oral Presentation, PUBLISHED
V. Lambert, J. Coad, P. Hicks, M. Glacken, Physical Places and Social Spaces for Young Children in Hospital, Dublin, February, 2010, Notes: [Report submitted to the Department of Health and Children (National Paediatric Hospital Development Board)], Report, PUBLISHED
H. Hugel, S. Clancy, P. Hicks, The Puppet Portal: Artistic Dialogue and Creative Communication, Vital Signs: Arts & Health in Context, Dublin, 15th October, 2009, 2009, Oral Presentation, PUBLISHED
  

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Award Date
Astellas Changing Tomorrow Award for Innovation 2010
Allianz Business to Arts Awards 2010
NAI Innovation Awards March, 2010
Irish Healthcare Awards 2008
eEurope Awards for eHealth 2004
The principal area of research relates to the use of technology to address the psycho social needs of children with chronic or serious illness. A particular focus is on the use of online communities to support communication, information provision, social inclusion and entertainment. She has led two key research projects exploring this use of technology, Ait Eile (Another World) www.aiteile.ie and Solas www.solas.ie - both of which have received awards for their contribution to this area. She has also developed modules and lectured to various programmes in the area of Health Informatics.