A research team led by Dr Christine Kelly of UCD School of Medicine has been awarded funding under the prestigious dual-track HRB (Health Research Board) Postdoctoral Fellowship schemes, Applying Research in Policy and Practice (ARPP) and the Clinician Scientist Fellowships (CSF).
The HRB fellowship schemes are designed to help build the capacity and capability of academic researchers and health and social care practitioners to respond to current and emerging health research needs.
Dr Kelly’s study will examine how to improve detection of infections in people who have recently travelled through the establishment of a surveillance system for healthcare professionals. Her research also aims to support the creation of a national optimised pathway for imported fever.
The risk of a new pandemic remains high due to climate change, lifestyle changes and global travel. One key factor in preventing future pandemics is carrying out surveillance for new infectious threats. Part of this surveillance system requires healthcare professionals working in hospitals and clinics to diagnose and report infections in people who have recently travelled (imported fever). Diagnosing these infections helps the individual patient be cared for more quickly and can reduce the amount of care they need in hospital.
Dr Kelly also aims to examine the creation of a standard pathway which would enable our health system to better help patients, reduce the impact on hospitals, and provide vital data to public health teams. The study will also consider the potential benefit of metagenomics in increasing virus detection.
Dr Kelly’s study aims to help achieve the following outcomes:
- Development of a national optimised pathway for imported fever;
- Creation of a national imported fever research database with stored samples and anonymised patient data;
- Delivery of a recommendation on how to incorporate metagenomics into the standard pathway; and
- Provision of regular feedback of detailed information to public health for reporting to European surveillance centres.
The successful UCD team was selected via a rigorous application and assessment process, which included international peer review, public review, and interviews by an international panel of experts for shortlisted candidates.