HRB Mum and Baby Clinical Trials Network Showcase Event
“The largest maternity hospitals in Ireland showcased their collaborative, ground-breaking research in maternal and baby health and the remarkable outcomes it is delivering for mums and babies in Ireland”.
Our showcase event took place on 4th March. It was wonderful to see patients, doctors, nurses, researchers gathering together to celebrate the first five years of our Network.
We were excited to release “Delivering Ireland’s Future”, our first booklet which showcased the Network’s research outputs and projects. We also screened a short video, which offered an overview of the Network and our achievements to date. These include the successful recruitment of almost 5,000 patients to more than 10 studies, and the introduction of a variety of public engagement projects, involving over 50 mothers. Among them, ‘The Breakfast Club’, our web comic which tells the stories of diabetes in pregnancy, and our podcast ‘Real Talk with Real Mums’, hosted by broadcaster Louise McSharry.
Louise McSharry attended the event and shared her experience of working with the Network. “I was glad to be the person to facilitate those conversations, and get the word out, to maybe make women a little bit more secure and safe within theirs pregnancy experience” she said.
We were thrilled to host some of the mothers involved in our activities too. They highlighted the importance of taking part in research and outreach projects, in order to raise awareness and play a more active role in their healthcare.
Co-Chairs of the group, Prof. Fergal Malone, Master of the Rotunda Hospital and Prof. Gene Dempsey, Consultant Neonatologist, Cork University Maternity Hospital, also spoke about the Network’s success to date. They underlined its role in streamlining maternal and neonatal research in Ireland, as well as the importance of having patients at the centre of what we do.
“With our initial five years of the Network drawing to a close, we are looking toward the future with the hope of continuing to produce world-class, patient-focused obstetric, midwifery and neonatal research.” Says Prof. Malone, “I am confident that our outputs will change clinical practice and healthcare of mothers and babies for the better for many years to come.”
