UCD Public Health, Physiotherapy & Sports Science

Congratulations to SPHPSS Prof Akke Vellinga and the PRUDENCE research team whose research into the use of point-of-care testing in reducing antibiotic prescribing for respiratory infections has been published in The Lancet Primary Care journal. The research involved 2642 patients in 13 European countries and showed unequivocally that point-of-care testing in general practice does NOT reduce antibiotic prescribing for respiratory infections overall or influence patient recovery, finally giving an answer to the question of whether or not we should introduce these tests in general practice. Read the research at: authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S30… and authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S30… #GP #generalpractice #antibiotics #respiratoryinfection #thelancet

📢 Seeking Volunteers 🙋🏻‍♀️ 🙋‍♂️ Need volunteers to join a national Irish Human Biomonitoring study. Who should join? - age 18-39 - can attend an appointment at St. Vincent's, Dublin 4. Why? To enhance understand of chemical exposures. Small token of appreciate included.

We really enjoyed meeting so many people yesterday at our stand at UCD Postgraduate Open Day. It was great to chat and we hope you got all the information you need to take the next steps. If you couldn't make it yesterday but would like to find out more about our postgrad courses, check out our website (link in bio) where you'll find loads of helpful information including videos, webinars, alumni stories and detailed module descriptions. #UCDPostgradOpenDay @patriciaefitz @Dr_Akke @t_tcusack @clarerey @AnnelieShaw @bronafullen @CACorish @ucdsportsclubs @Blake_Cath @SeamusKelly7 @brownenutrition @MaryOKeeffe007 @KatePumpa @UCDGS @UCD_CHAS @ucddublin

Are you a practitioner, researcher, student, policymaker, NGO or community organisation interested in collaborative approaches to improving health? If you are, you might be interested in an upcoming one-day training course led by Dr Rene Loewenson (Director, Training and Research Support Centre; Lead, Shaping Health Consortium) and hosted at UCD. This practical workshop focuses on how to use participatory approaches and evaluation methods in health systems/service research. Participants will learn how to design, implement and assess social participation initiatives, with interactive exercises and case-based discussion. The workshop will run on Wednesday April 8th and again on April 9th on the UCD campus. The registration fee is €15, and places are limited. To secure your place, please register online at: tinyurl.com/ucdSPH

UCD Postgraduate Open Day is taking place next Tuesday, 24th Feb, from 12pm-5pm in O'Reilly Hall UCD. Come and chat to our staff and students about our postgraduate courses and find out what you need to know to take the next step in your academic journey. #UCDPostgradOpenDay

SPHPSS Dr Clare Reynolds has always had a curiosity for science. Having graduated from SPHPSS in 2009, she conducted her postdoctoral research at the UCD Conway Institute followed by several years working in the University of Aukland. She returned to UCD in 2020 and now lectures on the Human Nutrition BSc and Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics MSc programmes, while continuing her research into the impact of early life environmental stressors on health outcomes across the life span. Read more⬇️ @clarerey

📢Issue 20 of 'SPHPSS In Focus', our quarterly School newsletter, is out now. Find out what's been going on at the School including the latest news about our research, teaching, past and upcoming events, courses, student, staff and alumni achievements, and lots more📢 Click: ucd.ie/phpss/t4media/… #Newsletter #UCDSPHPSS

Congratulations to UCD SPHPSS and UCD Ad Astra Elite Sports Scholar Tadhg O'Donnell who won the men’s 75kg title at the finals of the National Elite Boxing Championships recently🏆 Tadhgh is a second year BSc Sport & Exercise Management student, and is UCD’s first ever Ad Astra scholar in boxing🥊 Read more at: ucd.ie/newsandopinion…

Congratulations to SPHPSS Dr Massimiliano Ditroilo whose paper published in April 2025 in the Journal of Sports Science was one of the most downloaded articles from the previous three years. It was THE most cited article of 2025 in the JSS. The paper, "Exploratory research in sport and exercise science: Perceptions, challenges, and recommendations" can be found at tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10… @KatePumpa @blake_cath @SeamusKelly7 @katy_horner @UCD_HPG @UCD_Research @UCD_CHAS

Childhood obesity remains a major global public health challenge, leading to significant short- and long-term adverse health outcomes and imposing substantial societal costs. Recognising the critical importance of early intervention, the Horizon2020 EU-funded JPI Consortium EndObesity has prioritised the first 1000 days of life, from preconception to 2 years of age, as a key window for obesity prevention strategies. Recommendations from the EndObesity Consortium, including Asst Prof Catherine Phillips and team at UCD SPHPSS, on First 1000 Days Strategies to Prevent Childhood Obesity can be found at onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ij… @ucddublin @UCD_Research @patriciaefitz @Blake_Cath @CACorish @brownenutrition @clarerey

📢 OHSI & ISES Europe Workshop 2026, 'Prevention is better than the Cure' 🗓 Abstract Deadline: 31st January 📅 June 10th & 11th, 2026 📍 Location: O’Reilly Hall, @ucddublin, 🇮🇪 #Occupationalhygiene #Exposurescience. @ISExposureSci @AliConnolly18 ohireland.org/event-details/…

A new fully-funded PhD position at SPHPSS is currently available for a student to join the DAFM-funded ‘SWEETWISE’ consortium (involving UCD, TUD and TCD) to study the impact of sweeteners on metabolic health outcomes. This project is aimed at developing safe, sustainable, and evidence-based strategies for sugar reduction across the food system. 📅Closing date for applications: 13th February For full details, please see: linkedin.com/posts/clare-re…

We're thrilled to welcome our newest MSc in Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics class! We're looking forward to working with and getting to know you over the next two years🤗 You can find information about the MSc in Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics course on our website at ucd.ie/phpss/about/su…

Great to see research on Ireland's 🇮🇪 perception to chemical exposures paper 📃 This research conducted by exposure science team @ucd_sphpss @ucddublin is a great step to the national human biomonitoring campaign. @AliConnolly18 @richasingh2010 Funded by @EPAIreland

Researchers at UCD SPHPSS, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, are looking for volunteers to participate and contribute to an important study on human biomonitoring for assessing chemical exposures in Ireland. If you're interested in getting involved in the upcoming sampling campaign (January), please get in touch with the team. Details are in the poster⬇️ ucd.ie/phpss/research… #humanbiomonitoring #chemicals #chemicalexposure

Have you ever wondered what kind of career a degree in Sport & Exercise Management might lead you into? We were delighted to welcome a panel of alumni back to UCD at a recent event where they discussed their career paths since graduation and advised our current students on career planning and transitioning from university to work. Huge thanks to Colin Armstrong, Lisa Cafferky, Andy Kenny, Alex Malone and Emma Tormey for sharing your journeys so far. ucd.ie/phpss/about/su…

A group of our final year BSc Physiotherapy students recently completed the IRFU SAFE Level 2 course at the Aviva Stadium. This course - Standard Approach to Field Emergencies in Rugby - is to train physiotherapists, medical practitioners and allied health professionals in the immediate management of significant trauma or medical emergencies on the rugby pitch, and complements the Sports Physiotherapy module that our students complete in Year 4 of the BSc programme. Thanks to Dr John Ryan and the IRFU team for a really valuable and informative day🏉

Please note that UCD's buildings will close for Christmas at 17:30, Tuesday, December 23rd 2025, and will re-open at 09:00 on Friday, January 2nd 2026. We would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and holiday season and look forward to seeing you in 2026!