Catherine is a senior lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Galway. Her teaching experience includes delivering a number of undergraduate and postgraduate research modules as well as general undergraduate nursing. Catherine received the University of Galway President’s Teaching Excellence Award in 2016 and received a further nomination in 2017. Catherine’s research interests are primarily around qualitative research methodologies, qualitative evidence synthesis (QES), dementia research and the integration of qualitative research in trials.
Catherine is Co-Chair for QUESTS (Qualitative Research in Trials Centre), established in 2016 and embedded within HRB-TMRN. The mission of QUESTS is to maximise the integration of qualitative research in randomised trials through support, training and primary research. Catherine has also been recently appointed co-lead for the Qualitative Research in Trials target group, within the Trial Conduct strand with MRC-NIHR Trials Methodology Research Partnership (TMRP).
Catherine has extensive experience in and has published on, qualitative methodology, qualitative evidence synthesis methodology, data collection, ethics, rigour, paradigms and analysis in qualitative research. In 2019, Catherine was appointed European editor of the International Journal of Qualitative Methods.
Catherine has been awarded two research grants to develop expertise in QES, particularly in the field of trial methodology. She has led and co-authored several qualitative syntheses for example in dementia care, infant feeding, pulmonary rehabilitation and trial recruitment. Catherine has been involved in three ongoing Cochrane qualitative evidence syntheses including a recently published Cochrane rapid review in response to COVID-19. As a Research Associate, Catherine delivers qualitative evidence synthesis training and has recently been involved with training with members of the ESI QES strand.
