Posts by: Caroline McGarry

HIHI delighted to welcome new team member to HIHI HQ offices in Cork

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HIHI is delighted to welcome Joann Kelleher (they/them) to the team at HIHI. Joann takes up the post of Research Support Officer. Joann previously held the post of Research Admin Assistant in the Oncology Clinical Trials Unit at CUH. Joann is also currently completing an MSc in Clinical Trials.

Joann’s education includes a BSC in Physiology, a PG Dip in Translational Cardiovascular Medicine and a PG Cert and PG Dip in Clinical Trials.

A team of clinicians and researchers from Galway are using Artificial Intelligence to transform how we treat patients with kidney disease

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Photo caption Left to right: Prof. Donal Redden, Consultant Nephrologist at Galway University Hospital, Dr David Keane, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Galway, Dr Sarah Monahan, Senior House Officer in Nephrology at Galway University Hospital, and Dr Conor Judge, Consultant Nephrologist at Galway University Hospital

How our doctors are using AI in the HSE

A team of clinicians and researchers from Galway are using Artificial Intelligence to transform how we treat patients with kidney disease

The collaboration involves the Saolta University Health Care Group, HSE National Health Intelligence Unit, College of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Science, University of Galway, The National Renal Office, HSE Integrated Information Services, Insight Data Analytics, Health Innovation Hub Ireland, and eHealth Ireland. It has been funded by the Public Service Innovation Fund operated by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPENDR).

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a progressive condition that affects approximately 10% of people worldwide. Some patients with CKD progress to kidney failure requiring lifesaving treatments like dialysis or kidney transplant. The Kidney Disease Clinical Patient Management System (KDCPMS) is an electronic health record to manage the care of patients receiving dialysis or kidney transplant.  One challenge faced by healthcare providers is extracting actionable information from large quantities of unstructured free text, such as clinical notes and outpatient letters, stored in the KDCPMS. This data in its current form is difficult to organise and use for making national decisions about kidney care in Ireland. Now, the renal AI project is using Artificial Intelligence Language Models to extract key structured information from the free-text clinical notes to inform national kidney disease strategy.

The AI powered solution will ensure uniformity and clarity in health records. This information is now being used to compare the quality of Irish patient care to other European and international nephrology centres, a previously impossible task.

Dr Conor Judge, a consultant nephrologist at Galway University Hospitals and senior lecturer in Applied Clinical Data Analytics at the University of Galway, and Clinical Lead in Health Innovation Hub Ireland, is leading this transformative project.

He expressed his excitement for the project, stating that “using Artificial Intelligence in this way will allow us to harness this rich data source to improve patient care in a way that has not been possible to date. We are grateful to the team in the Public Service Innovation Fund who support these types of initiatives that will improve our healthcare system in a meaningful way for patients, staff and the public.”

Dr Howard Johnson, Clinical Director of the HSE National Health Intelligence Unit, added; “This project could pave the way for similar initiatives across other parts of our health services to use the vast amounts of available and unused data to support the delivery of high-quality, efficient, and effective health care.”

Dr Steven Griffin, Manager, Health Innovation Hub Ireland, said; “The public service innovation fund plays a pivotal role in empowering those within our public service who are dedicated to the betterment of society. This collaboration harnesses clinical expertise, technical advancements, and a patient-centric approach to revolutionise the quality of life for some of our most vulnerable citizens. It exemplifies the transformative potential and imperative needed for lasting change with tangible benefits for renal patients and the healthcare system at large.”

“This project will allow the National Renal Office to accurately measure key quality care parameters in the delivery of renal care nationally and help drive improvements in care” said the NRO Clinical Director., Prof. George J. Mellotte.

 

 

Enterprise Ireland Health Innovation Hub Ireland Clinical Innovation Award 2023 Winners Announced  

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On 21st November 2023, Dr. Conor Judge, Dr. Claire Stenson, and Dr. Declan Sheppard were announced as winners of the Enterprise Ireland Health Innovation Hub Ireland Clinical Innovation Awards 2023. The HIHI Clinical Innovation Award is designed to support all healthcare professionals in Ireland to explore the commercial feasibility of their innovative ideas with the potential to transform the way medical care is delivered in Ireland and abroad. The Award welcomes innovative technologies at all stages of development from concept, early stage research through to more advanced projects.

Congratulations to this year’s winners

The Clinical Innovation Awards serve as a testament to Ireland’s commitment to fostering cutting-edge solutions in healthcare, driving progress, and shaping the future of medical care. As these award-winning innovations progress, they hold the potential to redefine standards and positively impact patients’ lives both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Conor Judge: AI Revolutionizing Hypertension Management

Dr. Conor Judge,  is a Consultant Nephrologist, Electronic and Computer Engineer, PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Senior Lecturer in Applied Clinical Data Analytics at the University of Galway. His primary focus is applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions to enhance patient care, particularly in the realm of chronic conditions like hypertension. He leads the development of an AI Clinical Decision Support System (AI-CDSS) for Hypertension management at the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Galway. This project uses data from randomised controlled trials to predict complex treatment decisions for persons with hypertension and is a testament to his commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible with AI in healthcare.

The AI-BP system, a sophisticated platform utilizing state-of-the-art machine learning and deep learning approaches, aims to provide real-time, personalized treatment decisions based on clinical trial data. Dr. Judge’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI in healthcare has garnered him recognition, including prestigious awards and research funding. His innovation holds promise for comprehensive, personalized hypertension management for diverse patient populations.

Dr. Claire Stenson: Smart Pleuro – A Revolutionary Solution for Malignant Pleural Effusions

Dr. Claire Stenson is a surgical trainee in Upper Gastro Intestinal (GI) surgery at Tallaght University Hospital. Dr Stenson’s solution the Smart Pleuro device, is a groundbreaking solution for treating patients with malignant pleural effusion. Current solutions often fail, requiring repeat hospitalizations and negatively impacting patients’ quality of life. Smart Pleuro, aims to treat and prevent the recurrence of malignant pleural effusions, offering a more effective alternative, aiming to significantly improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Stenson’s innovation addresses a critical need in patient care, providing a promising solution that could reduce hospitalizations, re-interventions, and enhance the overall quality of life for those affected by malignant pleural effusions.

Dr. Declan Sheppard: Portable Ultrasound Device Enhancing Venous Access

Dr. Declan Sheppard, Consultant Radiologist and Clinical Director of Radiology at University Hospital Galway, aims to develop a novel ultrasound device designed to improve venous access. Recognizing the challenges in obtaining access to veins and the associated complications, Dr. Sheppard’s solution offers a more portable and accessible alternative to the current state-of-the-art devices.

This innovative ultrasound device aims to assist clinicians in gaining access to challenging veins, reducing delays in blood sampling, diagnosis, and treatment. Dr. Sheppard’s forward-thinking approach aligns with the pursuit of adopting the latest technologies to enhance clinical care and efficiency within the healthcare system.

 

 

Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) and the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH) announce new clinical innovation partnership aimed at improving patient care

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Check out coverage of the new clinical partnership in the Irish Medical Times.

New partnership aims to drive innovation in healthcare  

Read HIHI’s recent press release announcing the new clinical innovation partnership.

Media Release

Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) and the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH) announce new clinical innovation partnership aimed at improving patient care

Tuesday, 7th November, 2023.  Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) and the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH) have today announced a new partnership to facilitate innovation in healthcare in Ireland and improve patient care.

The HIHI national team located in Cork, Dublin and Galway and the Mater  Hospital will work together to deliver key programmes and activities to support the healthcare innovation ecosystem in Ireland. Projects will include working with clinical innovators at the hospital to create viable products and to develop pre-commercial prototypes and market ready products.

Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) was established by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Health, supported by Enterprise Ireland (EI) and the Health Service Executive (HSE) to drive collaboration between the health service and enterprise and is headquartered in University College Cork (UCC).

The HIHI partnership facilitates access to the healthcare system through academic partners in its host institutions nationally in University College Cork (UCC), Munster Technological University (MTU), University of Galway (NUIG), Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and the academic institution’s respective hospital groups namely the South/South West Hospital Group, the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group and the Saolta Healthcare Group. HIHI is delighted to welcome the Mater to this innovative network and marks the expansion of HIHI’s clinical and academic sites in Ireland.

Working with enterprise, HIHI supports the development of new healthcare technologies, products, and services through its healthcare innovation pathway. It facilitates access to hospitals, primary care centres, community and other healthcare settings, for pilot and validation studies. HIHI’s remit is crucial for Irish companies as it provides an in-depth knowledge of healthcare requirements and processes and provides access to Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) in healthcare.

Working with healthcare, HIHI works directly with healthcare professionals and those active in health provision nationally. HIHI supports the development of ideas from clinicians on the frontline into products and services through idea assessment and provides support with funding options, mentoring, as well as providing access to academic research expertise to develop solutions to everyday problems.

The experience HIHI brings to this new partnership matches the innovative strides of the team at the Mater Hospital. In 2018, MMUH established the Pillar Centre for Transformative Healthcare offering a unique, flexible, interdisciplinary educational space for education, clinical research and healthcare innovation. The Pillar Centre for Transformative Healthcare exemplifies the vision of MMUH to be a leader in innovation of specialist services and healthcare transformation with a strong academic and research agenda.

In a recent development to continue the innovation journey at MMUH, an allocated space was designated within the Pillar Centre as a site for a proposed Medtech Incubator Hub. The partnership will also co-fund an appointment to lead the unit. To date a number of potentially viable commercial ideas have been developed by Mater staff through Medtech Innovation Sprints. The Pillar Centre is also committed to developing specialist postgraduate education in the medtech / device innovation space. The interaction with commercial and corporate entities around device design and medtech development has also progressed such that a number of companies are collaborating with Mater Innovators in areas such as Oncology, Breast Cancer and Spinal surgery.

The Med Tech Incubator Site at the Pillar Centre will ensure the continued growth of the Mater Hospital’s innovation programme and will act as a hub for ‘spin in companies’ and innovators to work together on innovation projects.  The partnership with HIHI will facilitate the launch of this pioneering  Medtech Incubator Hub in the MMUH and will increase its profile in Healthcare Medtech Innovation as well as spearheading a best practice model of design-     led clinical innovation within the hospital. This will facilitate clear pathways for triage, development and commercialisation of these innovations- which is also the goal of the Health Innovation Hub, nationally.

Prof Brendan Kinsley, Clinical Director at the Pillar Centre for Transformative Healthcare, welcomed the partnership: “This is an exciting development for the Mater Hospital and the Pillar Centre.  We see the value that innovation brings to patient care and the support of HIHI is crucial as we develop the Med Tech Incubator Hub at the Pillar Centre. The co-funding of a full-time position to drive our collaboration will allow us to continuously strive to bring the best in innovation to a hospital setting.”

Echoing the value of the agreement, CEO of the Mater Hospital, Alan Sharp said: “I warmly welcome this collaboration between HIHI and the Mater Hospital’s Pillar Centre.  Attracting companies and innovators to work together to solve some of the healthcare challenges we face on the busiest adult hospital campus in the country can only result in better research, education and innovation – which ultimately can improve patient care and outcomes. This is a win-win situation.”

Prof. John R. Higgins HIHI Principal Investigator and CEO South/South West Hospital Group, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University College Cork, welcomed the Mater as a new clinical partner site. “I’m delighted to welcome the Mater as our newest clinical partner to Health Innovation Hub Ireland. The innovation ethos and agenda of the Mater align closely with the goals of HIHI. We have already worked collaboratively with the Mater team on a number of projects, and I’ve no doubt that this partnership will deliver some impactful outcomes for patients and healthcare”.

 Ends

Notes to the Editor:

For more information or to arrange interviews:

Health Innovation Hub Ireland contact – Caroline McGarry

M: +353 87 2266062  E: Caroline.mcgarry@ucc.ie

Mater Hospital     contact –  Deirdre Grant Managing Director Red Flag, Ireland 

M: +353 860484279 E: deirdre.grant@redflag.global

 

Image

Pictured at the signing of the MOU agreement between Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) and the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH).

Left to right Dr. Seamus Morris, Consultant Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon & Director of Innovation at the Pillar Centre for Transformative Medicine in the Mater Hospital; Prof John R. Higgins, HIHI Principal Investigator, CEO South/South West Hospital Group and UCC Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology; Erin Daly Operations Manager, the Pillar Centre for Transformative Healthcare, ERIL (Eccles Research Innovation Ltd.) & DERI ( Directorate for Education, Research and Innovation); Dr Tanya Mulcahy, Director Health Innovation Hub Ireland; Prof. Brendan Kinsley, Clinical Director of the Pillar Centre for Transformative Healthcare & DERI; Dr Steven Griffin, Manager Health Innovation Hub Ireland Galway.

 

About Health Innovation Hub Ireland

Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) drives collaboration between the health service and enterprise. We offer companies the opportunity to pilot and/or participate in clinical evaluation studies to prove their products. We provide the health service access to innovative products, services and devices that they may not otherwise be exposed to. HIHI is built on the recognition that collaboration with enterprise can benefit patient care, patient pathways and outcomes. We assess all concepts for healthcare innovation from those on the frontline. We encourage healthcare professionals to get in touch with HIHI if they have an idea or solution to how something in your job might work better. HIHI was established by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and the Department of Health and is supported by Enterprise Ireland (EI) and the Health Service Executive (HSE).

About The Pillar Centre

The Pillar Centre for Transformative Healthcare was established in 2018 to develop Education, Research and Innovation at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH). This unique Centre and team aspire to enhance the Education, Research and Innovation capability of MMUH as outlined in Doing what Matters, the MMUH Strategic Plan 2018-2021 and Leading innovation to transform patient care, the MMUH Strategic Plan 2022-2025. Through Partnerships, Innovation, Learning, Leadership, Academia and Research, the Pillar Centre for Transformative Healthcare strives to be a leader in Education, Research and Innovation with a particular emphasis on developing the potential of co-location on a hospital campus.

About The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital

The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital is a level four teaching hospital based in Dublin’s north inner city. The hospital was opened in 1861 by the Sisters of Mercy. In addition to the local services for our catchment area, the Mater Hospital provides a range of frontline and specialist services on a regional and national level.

 

Our vision is to build on excellence and enhance our role as an international leader in the provision of complex care and specialist services with a strong academic and translational research agenda, empowering our people to deliver excellence in care to our patients while shaping the medicine of tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HIHI features in an Evening Echo feature on the National Menopause Summit

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Great article in the Evening Echo on the National Menopause Summit . HiHI’s Director Dr Tanya Mulcahy and founder of Femtech@HIHI spoke about the Femtech Revolution, delivering innovation in menopause. She joined an impressive line of speakers and a packed audience at the summit.

Read the full article here and a run down of the topics covered at the masterclass on menopause.

https://www.echolive.ie/wow/arid-41253544.html

 

HIHI’s first issue of “Femtech in Focus”, Evolution and Revolution in women’s health is out now

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HIHI is today delighted to announce the first issue of our newsletter “Femtech in Focus”. Read the full edition here https://hih.ie/downloads/femtech-newsletter.pdf

In this issue we focus on one of our female founders Marian Kennedy of PPR Healthcare who has just launched her first product from the #anewmum range on the market.

The Research Focus in this edition highlights the work of Prof. John Cryan, VP for Research & Innovation at UCC and Principal Investigator at APC Microbiome Ireland.

The Industry Focus centres on Cormac O’ Sullivan, Vice President IC and R&D at Movano Health who talks about developing their ready for market #EvieRing which is a wearable device to track biometric data empowering the wearer to manage their own health.

HIHI’s Femtech Innovation Call competition 2023 is also featured. This innovation competition is open to you if you are: a company, pre- start-up or researcher based in Ireland or you have a product that is market-ready or, in development that has the potential to significantly impact women’s healthcare in Ireland and internationally.

The competition is now open and the closing date is 17th November
To enter apply now HIHI Femtech Call 2023 – Health Innovation Hub Ireland

Calling all Femtech Innovators!! HIHI to launch Ireland’s first Femtech Innovation Call competition this Friday

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Calling all femtech innovators! HIHI will launch Ireland’s first Femtech Innovation Call 2023 this Friday, 20th October. Femtech refers to technology based products and services that are aimed at women’s health from birth to death.

The HIHI Femtech Call competition 2023 is for you if:

You are a company, pre- start-up or researcher based in Ireland

You have a product that is market-ready or, in development that has the potential to significantly impact women’s healthcare in Ireland and internationally

You would like the opportunity to pilot or clinically evaluate your innovation in an Irish Healthcare setting.

Stay tuned for details on how to apply and to have an opportunity to be one of the winning innovators emerging from HIHI’s Femtech Innovation call.

Watch this space. The competition opens this Friday.

HIHI welcomes a delegation from Shanghai Hospital Development Centre (SHDC), China to Health Innovation Hub Ireland in UCC

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Dr Michael Twomey,  Senior Clinical Research Manager HIHI, was delighted to welcome the delegation from Shanghai Hospital Development Centre (SHDC), China to Health Innovation Hub Ireland in UCC on Thursday the 10th of October, 2023.

The delegation included LU Chunyun, Deputy Director General of SHDC., ZHENG Xingdong, President of Shanghai General Hospital. LIU Yuehua, President of Shanghai Stomatological Hospital., GAO Wei, Executive President of Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center, LIU Yajuan, Chief Accountant of SHDC., ZHENG Lulin Deputy Director of Organization and HR department of SHDC., Lillian Luo, Head of the Shanghai Representative Office UCC, and Bei Zhang, UCC Beijing Office, and Emma Connolly, UCC International Office.

 

 

Dr. Tanya Mulcahy HIHI Director features in the weekend edition of the Irish Times in an article by Ciara O’ Brien on the menopause and femtech products

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Hot flash trackers and pelvic floor exercisers: the rise of femtech for menopause

A wave of new tech products and supplements is being developed to help menopausal and perimenopausal women, and Irish start-ups are getting in on the act

Read the full article here

https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2023/10/14/hot-flash-trackers-and-pelvic-floor-exercisers-the-rise-of-femtech-for-menopause/