UCC projects secure funding to tackle health inequality and childhood obesity
The HRB is funding nine new projects under Emerging Investigator Awards for Health (EIA) 2022, three of which are led by researchers at University College Cork. File photo
Projects at University College Cork (UCC) which will tackle health inequality, prevent childhood obesity and explore how our gut can affect our memory, concentration and social interactions are set to receive funding from the Health Research Board (HRB).
The HRB is funding nine new projects under Emerging Investigator Awards for Health (EIA) 2022, three of which are led by researchers at UCC.
Dr Monica O'Mullane, of UCC's Institute for Social Science in the 21st century, said they have received funding to develop a Health Impact Assessment Implementation Model (HIA-IM) — a tool aimed at tackling health inequalities.
“Public health research has shown that our health and wellbeing are affected by the circumstances into which we are born, grow, live, work and age,” Dr Mullane explained.
“HIA-IM is now needed more than ever to ‘health-proof’ public policies as we cope with challenges such as the global climate emergency. HIA-IM will help reduce the risk of policies that impact adversely on health and wellbeing, with particular reference to Ireland’s marginalised groups."
Dr Karen Matvienko Sikar, a lecturer in UCC's School of Public Health, has been awarded funding to develop a standardised approach to measuring infant feeding outcomes to prevent childhood obesity.
“Approximately one in five children experience obesity worldwide, making it a major public health challenge. What, how and when children are fed in the first year of life contributes to childhood obesity risk.
“This research aims to provide researchers, practitioners, and policymakers with a toolkit of measurement instruments, such as questionnaires and clinical assessments, to better evaluate infant-feeding interventions and prevent childhood obesity.
“This will enhance the evaluation of interventions to prevent childhood obesity, with potential for significant impact on, and meaningful improvements for, population health,” she said.
Dr Linda Katona, a neuroscientist based at UCC’s Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience and the APC Microbiome Ireland SFI Research Centre has also received funding for her research. Dr Katona seeks to identify the gut microbiome-responsive brain biomarkers of cognitive impairments relevant to schizophrenia.
“Ireland has among the highest rates of mental illness in Europe, and schizophrenia is one of the leading psychiatric diagnoses nationally and the one carrying the biggest economic cost,” Dr Katona said.
“Recent research shows that information from our gut gets transferred to our brain through the vagus nerve and that disruptions in the communication between gut microbes, vagus and brain often accompany the core symptoms of schizophrenia. This project will examine this and attempt to answer questions such as how our gut microbiome, through the vagus nerve, interferes with our memory, how it influences our social interactions, and how it can affect our concentration.
“By exploiting these gut-brain-behaviour relationships for novel, better-targeted therapeutic interventions, this study could revolutionise how schizophrenia and similar brain disorders are treated, significantly improving the lives of millions of people globally,” she said.
Meanwhile, UCC President John O'Halloran said they are delighted to have secured these prestigious, highly competitive research awards from HRB.
"Securing our future through excellence in research and in supporting excellent researchers is the highest priority at UCC. I'm thrilled that we have secured these awards, which will enable us to accelerate our UCC Futures ambition to change the world and improve both our healthcare system and patients outcomes.”
