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Dr. Dominic Trepel

Associate Professor (Psychiatry)
Associate Professor (Trinity Inst. of Neurosciences (TCIN))
LLOYD INSTITUTE
      
Profile Photo

Dr. Dominic Trepel

Associate Professor (Psychiatry)
LLOYD INSTITUTE

Associate Professor (Trinity Inst. of Neurosciences (TCIN))

Dominic Trépel (PhD) joined Trinity in 2017 as an Assistant Professor of Economics and is jointly appointed as faculty for the Global Brain Health Institute (www.gbhi.org) and Trinity School of Medicine. Trépel is also primary investigator in Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN) where he directs Trépel lab (www.healtheconomics.ie). Trépel has been an academic health economics for over 15 years, has published over 100 research articles and much of this research efforts are dedicated to the study of dementia, brain health and ageing. Trépel lab currently includes ten PhDs and Postdoctoral researchers working on grants funded by: Health Research Board (HRB), Irish Research Council (Ireland), Research Collaborative in Quality and Patient Safety (RCQPS), Health and Social Care Northern Ireland (R&D Division), Global Brain Health Institute, Brainlat and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Trépel has previously held Senior Research Fellowships with leading centres in health economics including University of York and the Academic Unit for Health Economics (AUHE) at University of Leeds. His PhD examined the 'Economics of Dementia in Ireland and Europe' was supported by the prestigious Government of Ireland Scholarship (IRCHSS) and a Cochrane Fellowship (HRB), and outputs were presented to members of the Irish Parliament. Trépel is a member of the International Health Economics Association (iHEA), and the Campbell and Cochrane Economics Methods Group (CCEMG). He was part of the scientific committee for the joint meeting of the Coèllge des Economistes de la Santé (CES) and the Health Economists' Study Group (HESG). He also serves on the Editorial Board for Alzheimer's and Dementia Journal, is an associate editor for Frontiers in Health Services and further peer-reviews research for, amongst others the Health Economics Journal, Social Science in Medicine, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Library. Trépel has also reviewed research funding applications for NIHR, Medical Research Council (MRC), GBHI Pilot program, US Alzheimer's Association and the EU Joint Programme " Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND). Trépel also serves on the management committee of "Dementia Research Network Ireland". Through his international doctoral training in health economics (from the Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+)) and from working in a number of leading research centres, Trepél offers a broad technical skillset which includes: Applied Microeconometrics, Statistical Analysis, Health Service Research, Research Design, Economic Evaluation, Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, Health Technology Assessment, Randomised Control Trials, Decision-Analytic Modelling, Health Financing, Analysis of Health Expenditures, Critical Appraisal of Decision Models, Evidence Based Medicine, Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, Medical Decision Making, Outcomes Research, Reimbursement Mechanisms and Productivity Analysis.
  Applied Microeconometrics   APPRAISAL   Biomedical Research Resources, Other   Biomedical Research, Multidisciplinary   Clinical research, trials   Consumer involvement in research   Cost Benefit Analysis   Cost Benefit Analysis   COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS   COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS   DECISION ANALYSIS   Decision Making in Uncertainty   dementia   Econometric and statistical analysis   ECONOMIC-EVALUATION   Economics of Research and Development   Efficiency and Productivity Analysis   equality issues for mental health service users   EU Research   Evidence based practice   Health care and health services   health care and health services   HEALTH CARE COSTS   Health Care Financing   Health Economics   health outcomes research   Health Service models   health service provision   Health Service Utilisation   HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH   health services research   Health systems research   MEDICAL DECISION MAKING   Medical Decision-Making   Mental Health Services   META-ANALYSIS   Multiple Criteria Decision Making   Patient and Public Involvement in Research   Policy, research and practice   PRODUCTIVITY   PSYCHOLOGICAL COSTS   psychotherapy research, evidence-based psychotherapy   Public involvement in research   QALYS   RCT   RESEARCH   RESEARCH DESIGN   Research Methods   Research study design   STATISTICAL ANALYSIS   SYSTEMATIC REVIEW   systematic reviews   Systematic reviews and meta analyses   Use of health services
Project Title
 Personalised Exercise Rehabilitation in Cancer Survivorship (PERCS) 2.0 " Developing an Evidence-Informed National Implementation Strategy
From
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To
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Summary
Funding Agency
Health Research Board (HRB)
Programme
Investigator-Led Projects (ILP) 2024
Project Type
Grant
Person Months
48
Project Title
 A Cognitive Occupation-Based programme for people with Multiple Sclerosis: definitive trial (COB-MS)
From
01 May 2025
To
30 April 2029
Summary
Cognitive difficulties can have significant impacts on daily function and quality of life of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Although a common symptom of MS, it is often not treated in clinical care, despite the potential for devastating impacts. When treated, occupational therapists are the healthcare professionals most commonly responsible for the assessment and management of cognitive symptoms in MS. Despite this, no cognitive rehabilitation intervention has been developed that is measured by and taught through an occupational participation perspective. The Cognitive Occupation-Based programme for people with MS (COB-MS) was developed to address the clinical treatment deficit. The COB-MS is a personalised, patient-centred, holistic, occupational therapy, cognitive rehabilitation intervention. It is aimed at improving daily life functioning for people with MS who are experiencing cognitive difficulties. The COB-MS has undergone extensive feasibility testing and has been found to be both feasible and acceptable by clinicians and participants with MS. The aim of this research is to estimate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the COB-MS intervention relative to a treatment-asusual control group. This study is a single-blind, three-arm, pragmatic randomised trial with two SWATs. We will establish the effectiveness of both online and in-person delivery of the COB-MS, relative to control condition. This will be achieved through five separate work packages (WP), and follow FAIR data management principles: " WP1: Internal Pilot Phase. " WP2: Evaluation of the clinical effectiveness of the COB-MS through quantitative and qualitative outcomes. " WP3: COB-MS cost-effectiveness analysis. " WP4: Process Evaluation. " WP4: Two SWATs focused on core outcome set development and retention to be carried out in conjunction with the main trial. This definitive trial, and associated SWATs, are led by the needs of the MS community at national and international levels and have a strong PPI-focus throughout. This research is innovative and very timely and links with priority research areas in multiple sclerosis rehabilitation, occupational therapy, and trial methodology, ensuring the international relevance of the research to the MS rehabilitation research community, knowledge-users, and those living with MS. The COB-MS team consists of experts in multiple disciplines, trial methodology, health economics, statistics, health service research, and related disciplines.
Funding Agency
Health Research Board (HRB) (Dublin, IE)
Programme
Definitive Intervention and Feasibility Awards 2023
Project Type
Grant
Person Months
48
Project Title
 Multi-National Implementation of Multimodal Strategies to promote Healthy Brain Ageing in Sub-Saharan Africa (The AFRICA-FINGERS Project)
From
30 April 2024
To
29 April 2029
Summary
Given unprecedented expansions in aged populations globally, cognitive impairment and dementia present significant challenges for healthy longevity. More than half of all dementia patients (>60%) are living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). LMICs, like Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are fast-aging societies facing the dementia epidemic already, with cases projected to rise to 357% in the next two decades. The burden will be insurmountable in the coming years if preventive measures are not found and applied. Encouraging reports from the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care estimates up to 40% of dementia as preventable. Risk reduction strategies simultaneously targeting multiple risk factors have been proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as optimal prevention approaches. One such successful strategy is the landmark Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) multimodal lifestyle modification trial that demonstrated improvements in cognitive and health outcomes 2-years post-intervention. Researchers globally are adapting and implementing this approach, within a World-Wide network (led by study co-CI, with the international efforts for bio-specimen repository led by this study's CI), but not yet in Africa. Therefore, we propose a multi-national collaboration towards brain health promotion in SSA: The AFRICA FINGERS Program. AFRICA-FINGERS represents the first attempt to coordinate and implement culturally informed multidomain dementia-risk reduction interventions across SSA, with sustainability goals embedded within the initiative. The overarching aim of our proposal is to reduce cognitive impairment and promote healthy aging in African populations by optimizing the management of core modifiable risk factors identified by the Lancet Commission on prevention, the WHO policy for addressing NCDs and, by members of our teams working within these indigenous populations as well as, crucially, the indigenous community members themselves. Here we propose two primary objectives: A) To co-design with local stakeholders a bespoke personalized multidomain lifestyle dementia risk-modification protocol, and collect data on intervention effectiveness, bio-mechanisms and cost-effectiveness. We are proposing to identify and test solutions that are contextually and culturally appropriate, economically viable, and sustainable. B) To promote sustained efficacy of the intervention and scalability via community-wide implementation and harmonize methods for adoption in partner countries and across similar demographics. AFRICA-FINGERS is a multinational brain health promotion initiative (at-risk adults >50years, n=600) set within established academic research infrastructures with already-phenotyped cohorts in Kenya and Nigeria. The program will be nested within the WW-FINGERS framework, with the central hub at the Brain and Mind Institute (BMI), Aga Khan University in Nairobi, Kenya. The BMI addresses acute and rising gaps in research capacity and interventions for mental and neurological conditions in Kenya. Given the BMI Vision and Values, diverse and relevant expertise of its members, its location and connections, including a registered Clinical Trials Unit, Lab facility and Imaging core; the BMI is ideally suited as the central hub for AFRICA FINGERS and its primary site. The secondary sites are Department of Public Health, Kilifi county, Kenya; University of Lagos, Nigeria and The Research Centre for Ageing Cognition and Psychological Health, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU) Awka, Nigeria; all conducting dementia clinical studies. Guided by the MRC/NIHR framework for complex interventions, this collaborative project will partner with WW-FINGERS, Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative, Global-Brain-Health-Institute, Global-Dementia-Prevention-Program, Neurovision, Oasis Diagnostics, Alzheimer's Disease Data Initiative and Alzheimer's Disease International.
Funding Agency
Medical Research Council: GB
Programme
Applied Global Health Research grant
Project Type
Health Sciences (42); Health Services and Systems (4203); Public Health (4206)
Person Months
60
Project Title
 A randomised controlled pilot trial of psilocybin with psychological support for cocaine use disorder
From
01 December 2023
To
30 November 2026
Summary
Background: Cocaine use disorder has a detrimental impact on the individual, their families, and society. Psilocybin with psychological support, a synergistic combination of pharmacology and psychological support, is emerging as a multi-modal treatment paradigm that is showing therapeutic benefits for substance use disorders. Psilocybin activates cortical 5-HT2A receptors, induces transient alterations of brain connectivity in humans, and promotes synaptogenesis and neural plasticity in rodents. It is not yet known whether psilocybin with psychological support will play a therapeutic anti-addictive role in cocaine use disorder. Aim: Assess trial procedures to inform a future definitive trial of psilocybin with psychological support for cocaine use disorder. Methods: A 15-week randomised double-blind placebo-controlled pilot feasibility study of a single dose of oral psilocybin (25mg) or diphenhydramine 100mg (1:1) and 6 sessions of psychological support (3 preparation, 3 integration) will be conducted in 24 participants meeting DSM-5 criteria for cocaine use disorder (at least moderate severity) and who are seeking treatment. Participants will require a score of "4 on the Severity of Dependence Scale and self-reported cocaine use in the past month. Underpinned by the Medical Research Council Framework, the primary outcomes of this feasibility study will assess trial procedures to inform a definitive trial, determined by recruitment rates, adherence, retention, incidents/adverse events, and acceptability. Progression criteria, including a traffic light system of `stop", `change` and `go" thresholds will be used to facilitate decision-making for the definitive trial. The exploratory secondary outcomes will be cocaine use measured by the Timeline Follow-Back method (percentage days abstinent, complete/sustained abstinence, number of days to first use of cocaine after the drug administration session) verified by urine toxicology, selfreported cocaine craving assessed by the Cocaine Craving Questionnaire-Brief, and cocaine withdrawal using the Cocaine Selective Severity Assessment. Further exploratory measures will assess mood, anxiety, psychedelic experience, social connectedness and functionality using reliable and validated clinical measures. Conclusion: We envisage that this study will provide the necessary information to launch a definitive trial to determine whether psilocybin with psychological support can reduce cocaine use and craving and improve outcomes in treatment seeking adults with moderate to severe DSM-5 cocaine use disorder.
Funding Agency
Health Research Board
Programme
Definitive Intervention and Feasibility Awards 2023
Project Type
Grant
Person Months
36
Project Title
 Dementia Research Network Ireland (DRNI)
From
2022
To
2024
Summary
DRNI links leading researchers across several disciplines in the areas of dementia and ND, it is novel in its multi-disciplinary focus and strategic in its objective to enhance research co-operation and co-ordination across the island of Ireland. By facilitating collaborative consensus and policy based projects and supporting knowledge exchange and public patient events DRNI seeks to improve our understanding of the causes and mechanisms of dementia and neurodegeneration, the effectiveness of different models of care and the policy changes required to improve the quality of life for persons with dementia and neurodegenerative conditions and their caregivers. The inter-disciplinary nature of the network is highly innovative and reflects the emerging international evidence of the role of multi-modal influences on dementia and neurodegeneration. It reflects the network members" belief that the integration of knowledge and practice from diverse research traditions has the potential to radically improve our understanding of dementia and ND, in relation to prevention, care and quality of life. To further network objectives DRNI works collaboratively with the Structured Population and Health Services Research Education (SPHeRE) network which strives to increase cross-disciplinary interaction and collaboration in the area of population health and health services research. Combined the networks serve to act as a conduit to link researchers in the field of dementia and ND with statutory and non-statutory bodies, including, funding agencies, government, patient advocacy, charities, health service organisations, industries, and philanthropic organisations.
Funding Agency
Health Research Board
Programme
Dementia Research Network Ireland
Project Type
Network Grant
Person Months
36

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Details Date
I am serving as on scientific panner for 'The Research Foundation " Flanders' - locaaly know as Dutch: Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO)" Vlaanderen. ongoing
Editorial board of Alzheimers and Dementia Journal Since my last application to TCD senior promotions committee, I have been promoted within the journal to Senior Associate Editor. 2019
Scientific review committee, EU Joint Program for Neurogenerative Research (JPND) 2018
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
French Fluent Fluent Fluent
Edwards, Sophie and Trepel, Dominic and Ritchie, Craig W and Hahn-Pedersen, Julie Hviid and Chan, Mei Sum and Bray, Benjamin D and Clark, Alice and Wichmann, Christian Ahmad and Evans, Marc, Characterising subpopulations of patients with Alzheimer's disease dementia who have high healthcare utilisation and costs, Alzheimer's Association International Conference, Alzheimer's Association International Conference, Philadelphia, USA, July 28-Aug. 1, 2024, ALZ, 2024, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Brogaard, Niels Juul and Hahn-Pedersen, Julie Hviid and Gundgaard, Jens and Polavieja, Pepa and Bray, Benjamin D and Chan, Mei Sum and Hoang, Men and Araya, Daniel and Trepel, Dominic, Mapping between the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Clinical Dementia Rating scale for Patients with Alzheimer's disease: An External Validation Study, Alzheimer's Association International Conference, Alzheimer's Association International Conference, Krakow, Poland, 24-26 April 2024, ALZ, 2024, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Mostert, Cyprian M and Nesic, Olivera and Udeh-Momoh, Chi and Khan, Murad and Thesen, Thomas and Bosire, Edna and Trepel, Dominic and Blackmon, Karen and Kumar, Manasi and Merali, Zul, Who should pay the bill for the mental health crisis in Africa?, Public Health in Practice, 7, 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Edwards, S. and Trepel, D. and Ritchie, C. and Hahn-Pedersen, J. H. and Robinson, D. E. and Chan, M. S. and Bray, B. D. and Clark, A. and Ivkovic, M. and Michalak, W. and Wichmann, C. A. and Evans, M., Real world outcomes, healthcare utilisation and costs of Alzheimer's disease in England, Aging and Health Research, 4, (1), 2024, p100180 , Notes: [Yh5q8Times Cited:0Cited References Count:32], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Dominic Trépel, Manuel Ruiz-Adame, Marica Cassarino, Elayne Ahern, Collette Devlin, Katie Robinson, Íde O'Shaughnessy, Gerard McCarthy, Cian Corcoran, Rose Galvin, The cost effectiveness of early assessment and intervention by a dedicated health and social care professional team for older adults in the emergency department compared to treatment-as-usual: Economic evaluation of the OPTI-MEND trial, PloS one, 19, (6), 2024, pe0298162 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Iracema Leroi, Helena Dolphin, Rachel Dinh, Tony Foley, Sean Kennelly, Irina Kinchin, Rónán O'Caoimh, Sean O'Dowd, Laura O'Philbin, Susan O'Reilly, Dominic Trepel & Suzanne Timmons, Navigating the future of Alzheimer's Care in Ireland-a service model for disease-modifying therapies in small and medium-sized healthcare systems, BMC Health Services Research, 24, (1), 2024, p705 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Nguyen, Kim Huong, Comans, Tracy, Saha, Sanjib and Trepel, Dominic, Core outcome set for economic evaluation of dementia interventions: A consensus exercise with health economists who incorporate economic evaluations into dementia trial, 19, 2023, ppe080163 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Conneely, M and Leahy, S and Trépel, D and Robinson, K and Boland, F and Moriarty, F and Galvin, R, 1298 The Impact of Acute Healthcare Utilisation on Functional Decline in Older Adults over Time: A Population-Based Cohort Study, 52, (Supplement_1), 2023, ppafac322. 046 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Kenney, D., Comans, T., Nguyen, K., Gray, L., Flicker, L., Williamson, P, Dodd,S, Kearney, A, Cunningham,C, Morris, T, Nunn, J, Trepel, D, Almeida, O, Welch,A, Lowthian, J, Quinn, J, Petrie, G, Dao-Tran, T-H, Manchha, A, and Kurrle, S, Ethical considerations for participatory action research involving people with potential cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's and Dementia, Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2023, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 16-20 July 2023, 19, 2023, ppe073876 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Trepel, D and Edwards, S and Ritchie, C and Hahn-Pedersen, JH and Kettle, J and Chan, MS and Bray, BD and Clark, A and Ivkovic, M and Wichmann, CA, MSR71 Projecting the Potential Impact of Disease Modifying Therapy on the Future Health and Social Costs of Alzheimer's disease, Value in Health, 26, (12), 2023, pS406 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED
  

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Mikael Äijälä, Iracema Leroi, Dominic Trépel, Cost-effectiveness of hearing and vision support for residents with dementia in long-term care in Ireland: A Health Economic Analysis Plan (HEAP) for a simulation model for the SENSE-Cog Care feasibility trial, HRB Open Research, 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Yigezu, Amanuel and Trépel, Dominic and Kibret, Solomon, Health Technology assessment-based Principles to Redesign the Health Insurance Benefits Package in Ethiopia: a Systematic Review, PROSPERO, CRD42024522605, 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Hoang, Men and Zenker, Alina and Saha, Sanjib and Trepel, Dominic, Economic Evaluations of Strategies Targeting Pre-diagnosis Dementia: A Systematic Review, PROSPERO, CRD42024521521, 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Yigezu, Amanuel and Galvin, Rose and Trépel, Dominic, Economic Evaluation of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment: a Systematic Review, PROSPERO, CRD42023492586, 2023, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Connelly JP, Boland Erin, Buckley Brenda, Curley Niall, Refaie Amr El, Galvin Miriam, Gibb Matthew, Graham Liz, Lennon Brendan, Valdes Alejandro Lopez, Mullally Anne-Michelle, Muller Nicole, Nolan-Palmer Janice, O'Nolan Gerald, O'Reilly Ciara, Rezk Valeria Raaft, Rochford-Brennan Helen, Tobin Katy, Tormey Helen, Trepel Dominic, Leroi Iracema, SENSE-Cog Residential Care: Hearing and vision support for residents with dementia in long-term care in Ireland: Protocol for a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial, 2023, -, Notes: [Pre-Registered Study], Miscellaneous, PUBLISHED
Conneely, M and Leahy, S and Trepel, D, 267 What is the Impact of Acute Healthcare Utilisation on Functional Decline in Older Adults Over Time? A Population-Based Cohort Study, British Geriatrics Society Spring conference 2022, Online, 6-8 Apr 2022, 51, (Supplement_3), NIHR Journals Library, 2022, ppafac218--235 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Saha, Sanjib and Thant, Poe Eindra and Jarl, Johan and Gerdtham, Ulf and Trepel, Dominic, A systematic review of inappropriate medication use and related consequences among patients with dementia, PROSPERO, CRD42022312570, 2022, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Trepel, Dominic and Ahern, Elayne and Philips, Nicola and Mockler, David and McGettrick, Grainne and Fitzpatrick-Naidoo, Kyle, The effectiveness of community neurorehabilitation for persons with an acquired brain injury, PROSPERO, CRD42020148604, 2020, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Mitchell, Eileen and Saha, Sanjib and Ahern, Elayne and Philips, Nicola and Mockler, David and McGettrick, Grainne and Trépel, Dominic, Economic evaluations of acquired brain injury (ABI) rehabilitation interventions: a systematic review, PROSPERO, CRD42020187469, 2020, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Kinchin, Irina and Agar, Meera and Trepel, Dominic, Delirium: a review of cost of illness and economic evaluation studies, PROSPERO, CRD42020188487, 2020, Journal Article, PUBLISHED

  


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