Our team

Prof Sean Dinneen, D1 Now Study Lead, Professor of Diabetic Medicine and HSE National Clinical Programme Lead for Diabetes.

Professor Sean Dinneen, is Lead Applicant on the D1 Now Study. He is a professor of diabetic medicine and works jointly across the School of Medicine, NUI Galway and the Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Galway University Hospitals. Since June 2016 he is HSE National Clinical Programme Lead for Diabetes.

Over the past 10 years Prof Dinneen has secured research funding of nearly €3 million from the Health Research Board (HRB), Enterprise Ireland, Diabetes Ireland (through the Medical Research Charities Group) and the European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes. In addition he was part of successful bids which brought a School of Podiatry and a Clinical Research Facility to NUI Galway. He has acted as Principal Investigator on 3 multi-centre clinical trials through the HRB Clinical Research Facility Galway. His professional interests are in delivering programmes of self-management education for people with diabetes, developing optimal models of community-based diabetes care, improving the way we deliver care to young adults with type 1 diabetes and using information technology in new and innovative ways to improve diabetes care.

Website and publications: http://www.nuigalway.ie/our-research/people/medicine/seandinneen/

Dr Eimear Morrissey, D1 Now Programme Manager

Dr. Eimear Morrissey is a health psychologist and currently works as the D1 Now programme manager. Her role includes working as part of the team to manage the development, feasibility and piloting of the D1 Now intervention.

Eimear completed an MSc in Health Psychology (NUI Galway) where her interest in self-management of chronic conditions, health behaviour change and well-being emerged. Eimear also completed a PhD in Health Psychology in NUI Galway and is currently a member of the Health Behaviour Change Research Group.

Website and publications: https://www.nuigalway.ie/our-research/people/psychology/eimearmorrissey/

Michelle Lowry, D1 Now Support Worker

Michelle Lowry has been working with the D1 Now Team as D1 Now Support Worker since September 2019. Her background is Occupational Therapy and she has a special interest in the area of youth mental health and in particular - supporting individuals with the psychosocial aspects of living with chronic health conditions.

As the Support Worker is an entirely new role to the diabetes clinic team – much of Michelle's time to date has been spent on attempting to figure out ‘the Support Worker's place’ on the team and how best to realise the vision that the D1 Now YAP and research team had for this role.  

In her own words - "In my experience so far, I see that a lot of my role has been in the area of advocacy – supporting young adults to overcome the potential barriers they face, which may exist both at a personal and a service level, in their diabetes self-management journey. Other aspects of my role has included starting the conversation (both with young adults and the diabetes team) on topics such as diabetes distress and the psychosocial aspects of living with type 1 diabetes which may not have always been considered part of routine care within the young adult clinic.

Seeing each person first (and not their condition/diagnosis) is a simple but vital core value I aim to bring to all of my interactions. My role as Support Worker also aims to provide continuity of care and support to the young adults I am working with – through my presence at their diabetes clinic appointments as well as my availability between clinic appointments which has often been accessed through messaging, emails or calls."

Prof Molly Byrne, Professor of Health Psychology and Director of the HBCRG, NUI Galway

Prof Byrne is a Health Psychologist and Health Research Board Research Leader (2014-2019). She directs the HBCRG, a national hub and internationally-recognised centre of excellence in health behavioural intervention research. Her work focuses on the application and development of behavioural science to improve outcomes from health behaviour change interventions, primarily in the areas of management and prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Prof Byrne contributes to the D1 Now Study by ensuring that the most up-to-date methods and theories from behavioural science are used to inform intervention development and evaluation. Prof Byrne also has experience of participatory research approaches, which underpin the D1 Now Study and all research conducted in the HBCRG.

Website and publications: http://www.nuigalway.ie/hbcrg/

Prof Dympna Casey, Professor of Nursing

Prof Casey's research interests include psychosocial aspects of dementia care and self-management of chronic diseases. She has specific expertise in qualitative research methodologies. In her role in the D1 Now Study, she will oversee the qualitative post doc researcher.

Website and publications: https://www.nuigalway.ie/our-research/people/nursing-and-midwifery/dympnacasey/