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Research Exchange Visit to the Centre for Practice-Changing Research (Ottawa Hospital Research Institute)
In June, Dr Aoife O’Mahony travelled to Canada to visit the (CPCR) at the . The CPCR brings together interdisciplinary teams of scientists, clinicians, and methodologists to improve health outcomes through implementation science, clinical trials, and meta-research.
The ten-day visit was hosted by , whose work in implementation science and behaviour change intersects closely with Aoife’s, and who is a frequent collaborator with UCC’s Health Implementation Research Hub. The exchange was supported by Dr Sheena McHugh’s HRB Research Leader Award, which builds capacity and innovation in implementation science.
Aoife’s visit centred on connecting her work in implementation science, evidence synthesis, and meta-research with CPCR’s internationally recognised work in these areas. She met with Prof. David Moher, Dr Brian Hutton, Prof. Jamie Brehaut, and Dr Manoj Lalu, as well as Dr Kelly Cobey from the ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã of Ottawa Heart Institute. Topics discussed included:
- Research transparency and preregistration of research protocols
- The role of public and patient engagement in health research
- Approaches to building trust in healthcare evidence and countering misinformation.
- The use of AI tools in evidence synthesis and meta-research, including their opportunities and limitations.
During the visit, Aoife delivered a talk on her ongoing UCC work, including mixed-methods research on tailoring implementation strategies and a methodological study of discrepancies in scoping reviews. She also discussed her earlier work on the Registered Reports format, an open science initiative to improve the rigour and transparency of peer-reviewed publications.
The exchange provided practical feedback on current projects and helped identify areas of mutual interest that may be explored further. It also reflects UCC’s commitment to integrating transparency, trust, and implementation science into health research and policy.