IPERN and PHECC were delighted to collaborate with Paramedic Studies, UCC to host our recent Research Roundtable with the theme of "Action Research". The opening address was given by Prof Conor Deasy (UCC), Mr. Pete Thorpe (PHECC) and Michelle O'Toole of (IPERN and UCC). The wonderful line-up of speakers included;

• Brian McKeon (Health Analytics Researcher, National Ambulance Service)

• Eamonn Byrne (Mental Health Researcher, Trinity College Dublin)

• Edel Burton, PhD (Prehospital Pharmacy Researcher, University College Cork)

The presentations were followed by a participatory action research activity led by Dr Eoin Coughlan (UCC), Dr. Dave Hick (UCC) and Michelle O'Toole (UCC & IPERN ) which was warmly received by all the participants.

Congratulations are in order for Shane Devlin our Human Factors SIG Lead who was recently awarded the 2025 Dr John Hinds Scholarship, in partnership with the College of Paramedics. This esteemed award honours Dr John Hinds, an inspirational leader in pre-hospital emergency medicine whose memory holds a special place in the hearts of all the paramedicine community across the island of Ireland. Shane is an Advanced Paramedic working with the National Ambulance Service in Galway and the award will fund him to attend the prestigious Advanced Trauma and Critical Care (ATACC) course in the UK. Shane's award-winning Case Study will also feature in the College of Paramedics’ magazine, Paramedic INSIGHT. All at IPERN are incredibly proud of Shane and his achievement!

IPERN and PHECC were very pleased to collaborate with Pre-hospital Grand Rounds Midlands (PHGRM) to host our International Paramedics Day Research Roundtable with the theme "Unity and Community". The Research Roundtable took place at the National Ambulance Service College in Tullamore and featured an excellent line up of speakers including;

• Community Paramedicine - Exploring the Integrated Role: Brian Gillespie (National Ambulance Service)

• What constitutes an emergency in the eyes of the general public? Paul Cahill (Dublin Fire Brigade)

• Reflections on a Difficult Day: Dr. Lisa Sibthorpe (PHGRM)

• Doing a Quality Improvement Program: Adrian Schneider (National Ambulance Service College)

• How to Do a Clinical Audit: Eileen Dunphy (Health Service Executive

• Publication Advice for Paramedics: Dr. Charles Brand (National Ambulance Service)

• Submitting Your First Case Study for Publication: Shane Devlin (NAS and IPERN)

• Paramedic Problem Solvers: A natural fit with research? Dr. Niamh Cummins (UL,  Monash University & IPERN).

The final session of the day was a Panel Discussion facilitated by Aaron Dunning (PHGRM Chair) featuring representatives from Voluntary Organisations speaking about their inspirational work in the community

• Lee Flanagan (Civil Defence)

• Katie Sinnott (Civil Defence)

• Martin Lally (Order of Malta)

• Kate O’Neill (Edenderry CFR)

The inaugural IPERN-PHECC Research Roundtable took place at the School of Medicine in UL and opened with the Faculty of Education and Health Sciences (EHS) Knowledge with Impact Public Lecture by IPERN Chair Dr. Niamh Cummins  which was titled; “Building Research Capacity in Paramedicine: A sustainable patient-centred solution to wicked problems in our health system? The Opening Address for the Research Roundtable was then performed by PHECC Director, Mr. Richard Lodge who introduced three excellent speakers;

• "Back to the Future of Posterior Stroke: The Potential of Paramedicine" (Shane Devlin, Advanced Paramedic)

• "Introduction of point-of-care blood testing for older ambulance patients with suspected low-grade infection and dehydration: a quality improvement initiative" (Gary Gardiner, Advanced Paramedic & Catherine Kelly, Physiotherapist)

• "Prehospital practitioner awareness & experience of CPR Induced Consciousness" (Niall Carty, Advanced Paramedic)

The final session was a Research Panel discussion which included the following interprofessional Expert Panellists;

• Mr. Peter Thorpe (Research Manager, PHECC)

• Mr. Ray Carney (Clinical Practice Manager, PHECC)

• AP Eamonn Byrne (PhD Candidate, TCD & IPERN)

• Dr. Lisa McNamee (GP & IPERN Medical Logistics Lead)

IPERN are delighted to announce that we have successfully secured event funding for 2025 from the Pre-hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC). The application was led by Dr. Niamh Cummins (IPERN Chair) and will be administered via the School of Medicine in the University of Limerick. The IPERN-PHECC Research Roundtable Series aims to build capacity, culture and collaboration in our research community in order to improve practice, policy and patient care in Irish Paramedicine. These events will be an opportunity for sharing knowledge and ideas, generating discussion, networking and building relationships between practitioners, service users, academics, policymakers and other healthcare professionals and researchers. To promote accessibility and collaboration the Research Roundtables will be hosted in partnership with colleagues in regional locations across the country. 

A new Research Strategy for Paramedicine in Ireland was launched at the PHECC Research Conference by IPERN Chair Dr. Niamh Cummins and PHECC Research Committee Chair Mr. Pat Fleming. The launch of the strategy was the culmination of 3 years of work by a diverse international team which ensured that the strategy incorporated best practice from other jurisdictions. The research has already resulted in several journal publications and conference presentations nationally and internationally with further work forthcoming. Led by Principal Investigators Dr Niamh Cummins (IPERN & UL) and Prof Kelly-Ann Bowles (Monash University, Australia), members of the Research Team included; Associate Prof Alan Batt (Queens University, Canada), Prof Julia Williams (University of Hertfordshire, UK), Prof Brett Williams and Liam Hemingway (Monash University), Dr Shane Knox (National Ambulance Service & UCC), Michelle O’Toole and Brian Doyle (RCSI & IPERN), and Dr Ann-Marie Bright (UL & IPERN).

IPERN were delighted to partner with PHECC for a wonderful evening of learning and networking in advance of the PHECC Conference. The session was hosted by IPERN Chair Dr. Niamh Cummins and featured the following Guest Speakers;

• Dr. Philip Cowburn MBE (Medical Director SWAST) "TIME for TXa"

• Dr. Claire Park (London HEMS) "International Patient Outcomes in Hot Zone Major Incidents"

• Dr. Georgette Eaton (London Ambulance Service) "Realist Methods in Paramedicine Research"

• AP Ivan McCann (IPERN) "Clinical Care at Mass Gatherings"

This special meeting of our Medical Logistics Special Interest Group on March 13th was chaired by Dr. Lisa McNamee and we were delighted to welcome Dr. Sarah Spelsberg to IPERN. Dr. Spelsberg is the Director of US Operations for World Extreme Medicine and a Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM). She shared her experiences of cold weather Bering Sea MEDEVAC with IPERN in what was a fascinating event!

Welcome to the new IPERN website which we hope you'll find helpful for your research. Check out our Resources page where we'll be posting videos of past events.