Current Staff and Postgraduate Students

Prof. Sinéad McGilloway

Director

Prof. Sinéad McGilloway is Director of the Centre for Mental Health and Community Research at Maynooth University.

Dr. Mairead Furlong

Centre Leader and Research Programme Co-ordinator (PRIMERA)

Dr. Mairead Furlong is a postdoctoral researcher with the PRIMERA research programme (and formerly a member of the ENRICH research team).

Dr. Brenda O'Connell

Dr. Brenda O’Connell is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology with research expertise in positive psychology and wellbeing. Her research explores how positive psychological interventions can be used to optimise individual and community health and wellbeing.

Dr. Rebecca Maguire

Dr Rebecca Maguire (CPsychol.) is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology with research experience in the fields of Health Psychology and Cognitive Science. Rebecca is particularly interested in ways of fostering physical and mental health and well-being in those suffering from chronic illness, and their caregivers.

Dr. Philip Hyland

Dr. Philip Hyland is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology in the Department of Psychology with research expertise in applying latent variable modelling procedures to study psychological responses to traumatic life events.

Dr. Carol Murphy

Dr. Carol Murphy is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology with research interests and expertise in working with children with learning disabilities and in conducting experimental work in socially sensitive domains, including mental health and stigma in schoolchildren.

Yvonne Leckey

Yvonne Leckey is a Researcher and Fieldwork Coordinator on the ENRICH research programme.

Dr. Ann Stokes

Dr. Ann Stokes is a postdoctoral researcher with the ENRICH research programme and is Lead on the evaluation of the ChARM service model.

Dr. Nuala Whelan

Dr. Nuala Whelan ( a former IRC PhD scholar) is a Chartered Work and Organisational Psychologist and a part-time post-doctoral researcher in the MU Department of Sociology (working with Dr. Mary Murphy).

Siobhan O'Connor

Siobhan O'Connor is a PhD student on the ENRICH research programme and the Lead on the Knowledge Translation work package, the focus of her PhD (Principal Supervisor, Prof. Sinéad McGilloway; Co-Supervisors Dr. Grainne Hickey and Dr. Melanie Barwick, University of Toronto, Canada).

Fionnola Kelly

Fionnola Kelly is a PhD scholar on the SPHeRE (Structured Population Health Services Research Education) programme and her research focuses on aspects of children’s mental health, including risk factors and an online parenting intervention (Co-supervisor Professor Sinéad McGilloway, Professors Kathleen Bennett and Ann Hickey, RCSI)

Fiona Flynn

Fiona Flynn joined the Centre in September 2017 as an Irish Research Council Employment-based Scholar to undertake research in social media influence in young adolescents (Principal Supervisor, Prof. Sinéad McGilloway; Co-supervisor, Dr Catriona O’Toole, MU Department of Education).

Penny Quinn

Penny Quinn is an Irish Research Council (IRC) scholar (Enterprise-Based Postgraduate Scheme) who is conducting research on a school-based mental health and well-being intervention called 'The Buddy Bench Aware Programme'.

Maria Gialama

Maria Gialama joined the Centre as a Postgraduate Researcher. Maria’s research focuses on non-pharmacological interventions in dementia (Principal Supervisor, Prof. Sinéad McGilloway).

Shane Owen

Shane Owen is a PhD student whose research is exploring non-cognitive and well-being interventions in schools (Principal Supervisor, Prof. Sinéad McGilloway; Co-Supervisor, Dr Jonathan Murphy, Dublin Business School).

Christine Mulligan

Christine Mulligan is a Doctoral Fellow on the HSE-funded PRIMERA project and is investigating family-focused interventions for parents and their children experiencing mental illness (Principal Supervisor, Prof. Sinéad McGilloway; Co-Supervisor, Dr Mairead Furlong).  

Mary Cronin

Mary Cronin joined the Centre in 2018. Her PhD research focuses on how best to support carers’ physical and mental health and well-being within existing community healthcare provision.

Sharon McGarr

Sharon McGarr is a recent graduate of the MU Department of Psychology and a part-time Fieldwork Coordinator on the PRIMERA Research Programme.

Jamie Howell

Jamie Howell is an MSc student whose research focuses on the expectations and experiences of transition-related health care amongst transgender individuals (Supervisor, Dr. Rebecca Maguire).

Aleksandra Szproch

Aleksandra Szproch is an MSc student who is exploring reflections of health-related decision making following cancer treatment (Supervisor, Dr Rebecca Maguire).

Affiliate Members

Dr. Grainne Hickey

Dr. Grainne Hickey was formerly the ENRICH Research Programme Manager. She is now Research Manager with the Institute of Child Education and Psychology Europe but continues to collaborate with the CMCHR.

Dr. Aiden Carthy

Dr. Aiden Carthy is Director of the National Research Centre for Psychology, Education and Emotional Intelligence at the Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown. His primary area of research is applied education with a specific focus on using emotional intelligence to help students and educators reach their maximum potential.

Dr. Andy Cochrane

Dr. Andy Cochrane is an Affiliate Member of the Centre and a research psychologist/independent research consultant who has been involved in health-related research for over 10 years, with a particular focus on ageing and disability.

Dr. Padraic Fleming

After completing his PhD in the CMHCR, Padraic took up a research manager role in the Health Service Executive (HSE) and within 12 months, was promoted to a senior management position as Health and Geospatial Data Scientist within the Health Intelligence Unit.

Dr. Kathleen McLoughlin

Dr. Kathleen McLoughlin, CEO of St. Cronan's Association, is an Affiliate Member of the Centre and Principal Investigator of the INSPIRE study.

Dr. John Weafer

Dr. John A. Weafer is an independent Research Consultant with broad interests in community-focused research, including aspects of mental health and well-being.