***M.Sc. Students, this event can count towards one of the six mandatory Research Seminars Series needed to attend (MHS6991 or MGT6991).***
Ita Richardson, PhD
Having been involved in Connected Health research for over a decade, I have seen many technologies implemented in public and private healthcare environments. From early on, it was clear that technology is only one component (and sometimes a lesser component) of connected health implementation! But, this is not always clear to people who see technology as a solution to ‘their’ problem. Without consideration and inclusion of the other four components – healthcare pathways, regulations and standards, people, and data – it is very unlikely that Patient-centred healthcare can be successfully delivered through the technology implementation. My thesis is that the importance of each of the 5 components cannot be underestimated, and therefore, each must be considered when implementing Connected Health solutions in practice.
Elaborating on each of these components and their importance, and recognising that there must also be integration between them, I will discuss research projects in which I have been involved, many with healthcare professionals, based mostly in Ireland. Examples will be taken from the interdisciplinary environment in which I carry out research. In addition, I will present some of the values achieved from interdisciplinary research - such as working with researchers outside our immediate field and publishing in interdisciplinary venues.
About the Speaker
Prof Ita Richardson is Professor of Software Quality in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems at the University of Limerick, a Co-Principal Investigator in Lero – the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, and a Principal Investigator in the Ageing Research Centre in UL. She leads projects on Connected Health, Global Software Engineering, and Gender issues in STEM. Ita has over 200 publications, has supervised 21 PhD students to completion and is currently supervising 3 PhD students. She has received funding for her research from a variety of agencies including Science Foundation Ireland, Irish Research Council, European Union and Enterprise Ireland. Her collaborators have included IBM, Ocuco and Johnson & Johnson, and public bodies such as University Hospital Limerick Group and the Irish Health Service Executive. She led the University of Limerick Equality and Human Rights portfolio from 2017-2020.
Ita is currently on sabbatical in the University of Ottawa, conducting research on Connected Health solutions in the Community.
