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Professor Fintan Sheerin

Adjunct Professor (School of Nursing & Midwifery)
Adjunct Professor (School Office - Nursing & Midwifery)
      
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Professor Fintan Sheerin

Adjunct Professor (School of Nursing & Midwifery)

 

Adjunct Professor (School Office - Nursing & Midwifery)


Professor Sheerin is the Founding Head of School and Professor of Nursing at Maynooth University. He is registered General and Intellectual Disability nurse, with extensive experience of nursing across a number of fields of practice. He was a recipient of an All-Ireland Nursing Research Fellowship in 1999, under which he undertook his PhD. His research has largely focused on mental well-being and sought to address issues which impact such well-being. His contribution to society is significant and has seen him lead the development of a national group focused on the human rights of persons with intellectual disabilities in Ireland, bringing together many local and national groups as well as individuals with/without intellectual disabilities. He has also been a contributor on such issues to print and visual media. He was an affiliated academic of Trinity College Dublin Centre for Global Health and led health teams, both in a voluntary capacity and as part of his civic engagement role, to refugee camps across Europe (Calais and Lesbos). Caring is core to his values. Over the years, whether in healthcare, social action in refugee camps, community development in Malawi, building inclusion in Drogheda or academia, he has come to believe in the importance of human engagement. He has learned that if the relational work is not done, then the other work is much more difficult. So, he spends time building relationships and instilling a culture of inclusion and community. This was how he approached his previous role as Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin. He served as a College Tutor for 15 years. During his time at Trinity College Dublin, he undertook many Senior Leadership roles. He was on TCD Board for 4 years, and was chair of the Equality Committee. An Equality Fund project, undertaken by him and his colleague, Gillian Wylie, set the groundwork for Trinity College's designation as a University of Sanctuary (UOS). He was co-chair of the UOS Group. Alongside that, he also engaged with the Trinity Inclusive Curriculum project, Athena SWAN and the Global Incident Response Steering Committee. Finally, he led the Irish Universities Association Heads of Schools of Nursing and Midwifery at the height of the pandemic, advocating for students at departmental, regulatory body and health service levels. Professor Sheerin was Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery there from 2020-2024. He was Head of Intellectual Disability Nursing from 2018-2020, and was Director of PG Teaching and Learning. He was also Acting Director of the former National Institute for Intellectual Disability. He holds the position of Adjunct Professor at the School of Nursing Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin and Visiting Professor at the School of Psychology, UCD. He is a Fellow of the European Academy of Nursing Sciences, NANDA-International, and the Royal Astronomical Society, as well as being a Member of the Royal Society of Biology. He received Fellowship of Trinity College Dublin in 2024.
  Assistive Technology (Handicapped)   Equality rights   Handicapped Device Development   Health Disparities   Health of Underserved Populations   Human rights   INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES   Intellectual Disability   Learning disabilities   MENTAL HEALTH   Minorities and Disadvantaged   Women and disability
Project Title
 The HEAL Project - internsHips in future hospitALs
From
21/02.2022
To
20.02/2025
Summary
The HEAL Project has 5 concrete activity phases 1) Setting the scene In the first phase of the project, a needs assessment and a scoping review will be developed. The needs assessment will determine the concrete needs, opportunities, anxieties, promoting factors and barriers related to the introduction of new learning methods that can be a supplement to the traditional physical internship in the future hospitals. The scoping review will collect and systemise existing knowledge about innovative methods in medical education in internships, identifying the barriers and promoting factors 2) Development Based on the needs assessment and the scoping review, this phase will be the development phase, the HEAL project partners will develop the Innovative Framework, which will be a generic process model, which will guide the end users (students, teaching staff and coordinators of internships) through an internship process from planning, implementation, assessment and evaluation. The model will motivate and promote collaboration, dialogue and co-creation among the end users to ensure high quality internships. 3) Testing After having developed a prototype of the Innovative Framework for high quality learning in internships, a testing period will follow, where concrete internships are organized and executed through the use of the Innovative Framework. A minimum of 60 students will participate in the testing from each country. A concrete testing plan will be developed for each hospital in close collaboration with the target groups. 4) Evaluation At the same time as implementing the testing phase, the evaluation phase will be implemented. As part of the testing phase for each hospital, a concrete set of success criteria and indicators will be listed and evaluated through questionnaires and focus group interviews. 5) Conceptualisation In this last phase of the project, the innovate framework for high quality learning in internships will be fine-tuned, adapted and finalized based on the input from the evaluation phase, and the following aspects will be added to the prototype; policy and implementation.
Funding Agency
ERASMUS+
Programme
ERARMUS+
Project Title
 Survey of education programmes undertaken by healthcare staff in HSE and Section 38 Residential Care Facilities as it relates to the recommendations of the Nursing Home Expert Panel Report
From
March 2022
To
April 2022
Summary
To undertake a survey of education undertaken by healthcare staff in the 112 HSE and 6 Section 38 Residential Care Facilities for Older People, as it relates to the recommendations of the COVID-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel.
Funding Agency
Health Service Executive
Programme
Nursing Home Expert Panel Recommendations
Project Type
Survey
Project Title
 Evaluation of Personalised Budgets demonstration projects in Ireland
From
March 2021
To
Summary
The objectives of the research are to: a) capture the financial and resource impact of introducing a personalised budgets approach for both the person with a disability and for the system; b) measure the extent to which resource assignment and additional supports have changed following the introduction of a personalised budget; c) estimate future take-up of personalised budgets, based on population forecasts; d) identify gaps or pressure-points in the system where additional resources might be required.
Funding Agency
National Disability Authority
Project Title
 Mental Health Service Use by Older Adults with Intellectual Disability in Differing Residential Settings: findings from the Intellectual Disability Supplement to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing
From
13/06/22
To
12/08/22
Summary
Funding Agency
HRB
Programme
Summer Student Scholarships
Project Title
 Staff mental health during provision of care to people with intellectual disability during the COVID-19 pandemic
From
May 2020
To
March 2021
Summary
This research will examine precipitating factors for poorer mental health in staff, particularly care workers and nurses working day-to-day with people with intellectual disabilities, barriers to accessing mental health supports for these staff members, and challenges faced in maximising good mental health in order to better support people with intellectual disabilities.
Funding Agency
TCD
Programme
COVID-19 Response Funding: Harnessing Trinity's Collective Expertise for the Greater Good
Project Type
Qualitative Descriptive Study

Page 1 of 7
Details Date
Secretary General of the Executive of the European Federation of Nurse Educators 2021
Chair of the Irish University Association Heads of Schools/Departments of Nursing Group 2020
Member of the Steering Committee of Shaping the Future of Intellectual Disability Nursing in Ireland 2019
President of ACENDIO 2015-2019
Editor in Chief of the Journal of Intellectual Disabilities 2020
Member of Expert Clinical Advisory Panel of NANDA-I (Intellectual Disability) 2015-date
Member of the International Advisory Board of the Journal of Intellectual Disabilities. 2016-date
Director on the Board of Sunbeam House Services 2015-2016
Vice President of the Association for Common European Nursing Diagnoses, Interventions and Outcomes 2011-2015
Secretary of the Association for Common European Nursing Diagnoses, Interventions and Outcomes 2009
Editor of the International Journal of Nursing and Midwifery 2009
Member of the Advisory Policy Committee of STTI Honor Society of Nursing. 2008-2009
Member of the Editorial Board of Spiritan Horizons - Journal of the Center for Spiritan Studies at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh. 2008 to date
Secretariat to the Association for Common European Nursing Diagnoses, Interventions and Outcomes (ACENDIO). 2007-2013
Member of the Healthcare Informatics Society of Ireland Nursing Steering Group. 2003-2008
Member of ACENDIO Scientific Committee. 2006-2007
Co-Chair of ACENDIO Ireland/UK. 2005-2007
Board Member of ACENDIO. 1999-2007
Chairman of Publications Committee of ACENDIO. 2001-2007
Advisor on spinal nursing to the Dublin Area Teaching Hospitals safe handling group. 2004-2006
Irish Representative UK/Ireland Spinal Cord Injury Multi-Professional Educators Group 2001-2006
Member of the Scientific Committee of the Royal Dublin Society 2010
Failte Ireland Conference Ambassador 2011-2013
Member of the British Institute of Learning Disabilities 2006
Learning/Intellectual Disability Nursing Academic Network 2010
Member of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities 2006
Member of the Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association 2008
Member of the Steering Group for the Implementation of Shaping the Future of Intellectual Disability Nursing in Ireland 2019
Member of the Shaping the Future of Intellectual Disability Nursing in Ireland Education Sub Committee 2019
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
French Basic Basic Basic
Irish Basic Basic Basic
Details Date From Date To
Member of the Royal Society of Biology October 2017 date
ACENDIO 1997 date
NANDA International 2004 date
British Institute of Learning Disabilities 2006 date
National Network for Learning Disability Nurses (UK). 2006 date
Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing - Alpha Chi and Upsilon Xi Chapters 2004 2009
International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities 2006 2022
University of Ulster Developmental Disabilities Research Interest Group 2000 2007
Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association 2008 2009
Capital Area Roundtable on Informatics in Nursing. 2006 2008
UK-Ireland Spinal Cord Injury Multi-Professional Educators Group 2001 2007
Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society 2006 date
Member of the Learning/Intellectual Disability Nursing Academic Network 2010 2022
Registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland in the Intellectual Disability, General and Nurse Tutor divisions 1988 2022
Timmins, F., McCausland, D., Brennan, D., Sheerin, F., Luus, R., McCallion, P., & McCarron, M., A national cohort study of spiritual and religious practices of older people with intellectual disability, A national cohort study of spiritual and religious practices of older people with intellectual disability, 28, (2), 2024, p533 - 548, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
Sheerin, F., Fleming, S., May, P., McCallion, P., McCarron, M., Naseer, A., Lalor, G. & D'Eath, M., Challenges in Care and Service Provision for Older Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and Complex Age-Related Conditions in Ireland, British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 52, (2), 2024, p248 - 259, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
Breslin, N., Brennan, D., Hollywood, E., Comiskey, C. and Sheerin, F., The role of Path Dependency Theory in the reproduced structures, systems and practices of the Irish Mental Health System over the last 200 years., Trinity Health and Education International Research Conference 2024 (THEconf2024) New Horizons in Healthcare: Global Impact, Local Relevance, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, 5-7th March, 2024, Meeting Abstract, PUBLISHED
Flannery, F., Sheerin, F., Mulryan, N., McCarron, M. & McCallion, P., Mental health and wellbeing of older adults with an intellectual disability during the covid-19 pandemic, Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, IASSIDD 17th World Congress 2024, Chicago, 5 - 8 August, 2024, Oral Presentation, PRESENTED  DOI
Mulryan, N., Sheerin, F., Flannery, F., McGlinchey, E., McCallion, P. & McCarron, M., Mental health disorders in an older, Irish population with intellectual disability - results from wave-5 IDS-TILDA, Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, IASSIDD 17th World Congress 2024, Chicago, 5 - 8 August, 2024, Oral Presentation, PRESENTED  DOI
Sheerin, F., Fleming, S., Mulryan, N., Flannery, F., Doyle, L., Eustace-Cook, J. & D'Eath, M., Evidence to Inform the Revision of Guidance for Staff Providing Mental Health Services to Persons with Intellectual Disabilities., School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin., October, 2024, 1-123, Report, PUBLISHED
Fidelma Flannery, The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of older adults with an Intellectual Disability in Ireland, Trinity College Dubliin, 2024, Thesis, PUBLISHED
Sheerin, F. and Doyle, C., Intellectual Disabilities: Health and Social Care Across the Lifespan, First, Geneva, Springer Nature, 2023, Book, PUBLISHED
Sexuality, Gender Identity and Relationships in, editor(s)Sheerin, F. Doyle, C. , Intellectual Disabilities: Health and Social Care Across the Lifespan, Geneva, Springer Nature, 2023, pp241 - 254, [Mannion, J., Sheerin, F.], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
de Vries JMA, Downes C, Sharek D, Doyle L, Murphy, R, Begley, T, McCann E, Sheerin F, Smyth S & Higgins A, An exploration of mental distress in transgender people in Ireland with reference to minority stress and dissonance theory, International Journal of Transgender Health, 23, (3), 2023, p0 - 0, Notes: [open access], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
  

Page 1 of 17
Fintan Sheerin, Sandra Fleming, Niamh Mulryan, Fidelma Flannery, Louise Doyle, Jessica Eustace-Cook, Maureen D"Eath, Evidence to Inform the Revision of Guidance for Staff Providing Mental Health Services to Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, 2025, Report, APPROVED
Sheerin, F., Increasing Complexity, Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 27, (1), 2023, p3 - 4, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Sheerin, F., Reflecting on Life with Disability, Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 27, (3), 2023, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Sheerin, F., Ordinary Life, Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 27, (4), 2023, p2 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Sheerin, F., Fleming, S., McCarron, M., McCallion, P., May, P., Lalor, G. & D'eath, M. Fleming, S., The Care of Older Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and Complex Age-Related Conditions, National Disability Authority, January, 2023, Report, PUBLISHED
Brennan Damien, Burke Eilish, Byrne Katrina, Corrigan Stephanie, Daly Blánaid, D'eath Maureen, Fitzpatrick Darren, Flannery Fidelma, Gorman Ashleigh, Haigh Margaret, Lynch Louise, Phadraig Caoimhin MacGiolla, McCallion Philip, McCausland Darren, McGlinchey Eimear, McMahon Martin, McReynolds David, Dann Gavin, Moynihan Jean, Mulryan Niamh, O'Brien Frances, O'Connell Juliette, O'Donovan Mary-Ann, O'Dwyer Maire, Paul Aviejay, Pavirhta Pavithra, McCarron Mary, Ryan Caitriona, Sheerin Fintan, Syahidah Hisamuddin Noor, Winning Lewis, Wormald Andrew, IDS-TILDA Wave 5 Report - Longitudinal Dynamics in the Ageing of People with an Intellectual Disability: Evidence from the Intellectual Disability Supplement to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (IDS-TILDA) , University of Dublin, 2023, Report, PUBLISHED
Sheerin, F., The Trials of Displacement, Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 26, (3), 2022, p559 - 560, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Sheerin, F., Protecting the status of nursing education during the Covid crisis: reflections from Ireland, Learning from COVID experience: The perspective from Nursing education in Europe, Online, 26 March, 2021, European Federation of Educators in Nursing Science, Invited Talk, PRESENTED
Sheerin, F., Supporting Mental Health, Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 25, (1), 2021, p3 - 4, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Sheerin, F., Can Hope and History Rhyme?, Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 25, (2), 2021, p149 - 150, Journal Article, PUBLISHED

  


Page 1 of 6
Award Date
Honorary Life Membership of ACENDIO 19th March 2021
Elected Fellow of NANDA-International May 2016
Elected Fellow of the European Academy of Nursing Science 2012
Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society Research Grant 2009
Elected Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society 2006
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital Nursing Research Bursary 2002
All Ireland Nursing Research Fellowship 1999
Dr. Sheerin's principal areas of research relate to the health, well-being and rights of people of human diversity within both Irish and global health context. He has worked on the two most recent Irish studies into LGBTI issues (Visible Lives and LGBTIreland). He is also interested in professional development and was co-PI on the HSE-funded project, Shaping the Future of Intellectual Disability Nursing in Ireland as well as the SCAPE study into specialist and advanced nursing/midwifery practice.