Infant Research Centre

21/12/2025

🎄 The team at INFANT Research Centre at UCC would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

As we move into a new year, 2026, we reflect back on the incredible journey in 2025 and would like to extend our gratitude to our all of our team members, funding agencies, donors and industry partners for their ongoing support and a special note of sincere thanks to all the families who generously support the work we do, we will continue to work tirelessly to deliver better outcomes for mothers and babies.

Thank you 💜

18/12/2025

*INFANT Study Day - The Highlights*

We were delighted to welcome over 100 guests to this years INFANT Study Day in UCC’s Aula Maxima. The day brought together our multidisciplinary team, colleagues from across UCC, members of our Strategic Advisory Board to connect, learn and share.

The event showcased the variety of INFANT's research at all stages, highlighting what lies ahead, and providing insight into the vision for UCC Futures Children.

Thank you to our incredible lineup of speakers and to our students who presented posters. 👏

The Study Day is all about recognising and thanking the incredible team whose collaboration and commitment continues to drive innovation in maternal and child health research at UCC 💜

Interested in learning more? Read all about the day in the article below ⬇️

The INFANT Research Centre at UCC welcomed over 100 guests to its annual INFANT Study Day, which was held in the Aula Maxima on UCC’s campus - now home to portraits of 11 trailblazing women from, or with links to, the Munster region. The Study Day welcomed members of the INFANT multidisciplinary t...

17/12/2025

"New University College Cork Research Links Iron Deficiency in Mothers During Early Pregnancy to Lower Language and Motor Skills at Age Two" - Highlighted in The Irish Times.

Led by Dr Elaine McCarthy, INFANT Lead Investigator and Lecturer in Nutrition at UCC’s School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, this new study sheds light on how early in pregnancy iron deficiency matters for a baby’s brain development and reinforces the importance of greater awareness, early screening and supporting women throughout pregnancy.

Key findings include:
▪️ Over 40% of women in the study had low iron stores by mid-pregnancy, despite being a generally healthy, low-risk group.
▪️ Babies born to mothers who were iron deficient early in pregnancy had lower iron stores at birth, indicating that maternal iron levels directly influence a baby’s iron status.
▪️ Children were assessed at two years of age, using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, a gold-standard, internationally recognised measure of child neurodevelopment.

👶 The study included 189 mother-child pairs from the IMPROvED and COMBINE cohort studies at the INFANT Research Centre, UCC.

📰 Read more in The Irish Times:
https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2025/12/16/call-for-routine-testing-for-iron-deficiency-during-pregnancy-as-new-research-flags-risks/
📄 Read the research paper (The Journal of Nutrition):
https://lnkd.in/gtqxrcgb

Four in five pregnant women in Ireland are iron deficient by the third trimester

16/12/2025

📢 Publication Alert!

📰 “You just forget about preeclampsia and move on” – awareness of chronic disease risks and follow-up preferences after preeclampsia in Ireland: a national qualitative study. - PLOS One

This paper:
🔺Showed that women affected by preeclampsia in Ireland have limited awareness of its links with long-term health outcomes, including chronic disease risks

🔺Demonstrated that most women have not received structured follow-up care after preeclampsia, and they would like to be offered this by default

🔺Showed that women would prefer a future model of care which is person-centred, pragmatic, and underpinned by seamless communication between maternity hospitals and primary care

⏭️ Why is this important?
🔺 Preeclampsia is a very common pregnancy complication and it has been linked with increased risk of heart disease and kidney disease in later life

🔺 By providing structured follow-up care to affected women, there are opportunities to prevent a range of chronic diseases in the long-term

🔺 Follow-up pathways should be informed and shaped by patient preferences in order to maximise uptake and optimise prevention efforts

👏 Well done to the research team; Peter Barrett, Aisling Jennings, Heike Roth, Molly Byrne, Emma Wallace, Amanda Henry, Fergus McCarthy, Karolina Kublickiene, Ali S. Khashan.

➡️ Thank you to the funders

This research was supported by the Health Research Board (HRB) Research Board Clinician Scientist Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme in Ireland (HRB | Health Research Board; grant number CSF-2023-006).

The paper is available at this link: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0337875

11/11/2025

📣 We are VERY excited to be participating in Research Ireland's Science Week - which takes place this week from 9th - 15th November.

Science Week 2025 marks thirty years of harnessing the power of curiosity and collaboration to advance science in Ireland with the theme: "Then. Today. Tomorrow". In alignment with the theme, UCC is hosting a vibrant programme of events designed to engage the public and showcase the university’s commitment to science, sustainability, and community outreach.

➡️ The INFANT team will be showcasing at the "Science at the Marina Market" event taking place this SATURDAY 15th November from 10.00-16.00 in the Marina Market, organised by Teagasc. Tickets available: https://lnkd.in/eCKZrRfr

🔬 👩‍🔬 👨‍🔬 We'll have lots of fun, interactive activities for all ages, explore how our researchers use AI and gaming technology to study baby brains, predict health risks, try an animal-guessing AI challenge and listen to the sound of a baby's brain waves! We'll also be hosting a Bloody Detectives workshop. 🩸

🔗For more info on the event, visit: https://teagasctest.my.canva.site/science-at-the-marina/ -workshops
🔗 UCC's programme of events can be found here: https://www.ucc.ie/en/sefs/science-week/

03/11/2025

🎓 A special occasion on campus on Friday!

Three INFANT PhD students, Dr Soraia Ventura, Dr Jacopo Proietti
and Dr Andrea Bowe graduated at the UCC Medicine and Health Autumn Conferrings.

Dr Jacopo Proietti was the first joint PhD with INFANT, UCC and the University of Verona.

Huge congratulations and best wishes to you all💜

20/10/2025

🎉Congratulations to our Clinical Research Fellow, Dr Danielle Clifford!

Danielle has been awarded the Conor Ward Essay Prize from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) for her essay, “Managing Complexity in Paediatrics: A Trainee’s Perspective on Chronic Illness in Childhood” this prize recognises the best original and thought-provoking paediatric narrative/essay.

She received the award at the RCPI Faculty of Paediatrics Autumn Conference.

👏 A fantastic achievement, well done Dr Clifford

20/10/2025

🏆 MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS to Mark O'Sullivan, CEO and Co-founder of University College Cork and INFANT Research Centre spin-out company NeuroBell who was awarded the Enterprise Ireland High-Potential Start-Up (HPSU) Founder of the Year for 2025! 👏

These awards recognise and celebrate the dedication of entrepreneurs and start-ups working to build world-class companies of the future.

Prof Geraldine Boylan, INFANT Director said: "We are immensely proud of Mark and his team. His journey from a PhD student at the INFANT Research Centre at University College Cork to CEO of NeuroBell is a wonderful example of how world-class research and innovation can lead to real societal impact. His success is a testament to his vision and determination, and this recognition from Enterprise Ireland is richly deserved."

💡 NeuroBell's first product, Luna, is a portable brain monitor with AI-powered seizure detection, that enables neonatal ICU staff to quickly diagnose seizures without subspecialty expertise, ensuring timely intervention and treatment.

🎉 Well done Mark!

16/10/2025

Our Clinical Research Fellow Dr. Danielle Clifford and Comms & EPE Manager Michelle had the pleasure of attending a recent Whitechurch Breastfeeding Group for a Research Education Coffee Morning ☕.

Danielle shared key insights into the exciting research taking place at the INFANT Research Centre, highlighting the ELEVATE Research Programme and offering some helpful tips for supporting your baby’s development 💡

A huge thank you to the group for the warm welcome - it was wonderful to meet and chat with so many of you - a lovely way to kick off National Breastfeeding Week (1-7 Oct).

14/10/2025

"New national resources launched to create more compassionate workplaces for people who experience pregnancy loss"

🤝 Two new resources to help create more compassionate workplaces for people who experience pregnancy loss have been launched at an event hosted by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Fergal Dennehy, in City Hall last week.

The resources, developed by our colleagues at the Pregnancy Loss Research Group (PLRG) at University College Cork (UCC), include a toolkit for employers and employees, and a book that shines a light on the experiences of pregnancy loss at work. Both resources are informed by findings from the Project which explored how to better support people in the workplace who experience the loss of a pregnancy under 24 weeks. 💜

The free resources are available to download here: https://lnkd.in/eJaxi5Nc

14/10/2025

"UCC launches Irelands first Pregnancy Loss Support Policy for University staff"

👏 Huge congratulations to all involved in the supporting and implementation of this policy at University College Cork, in particular to our colleagues, INFANT PI Prof Keelin O'Donoghue and INFANT Postdoctoral Researcher Dr Marita Hennessy and all the Pregnancy Loss Research Group (PLRG) team for driving this forward.

🤝 The policy aims to provide employees with dedicated leave, resources and support they need following a pregnancy loss under 23 weeks. It was informed by findings of the project report (2024) which was funded by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality.

👉 Read more: https://www.ucc.ie/en/news/2025/ucc-launches-irelands-first-pregnancy-loss-support-policy-for-university-staff.html

06/10/2025

🌍 That’s a wrap for World Cerebral Palsy Day 2025!💚

Today, we celebrated the strength and achievements of the CP community, highlighted our ongoing CP research to improve outcomes, shared our messages for World CP Day, and united together.


Thank you to our team, our supporters and advocates, and everyone who raised their voice today. Thank you to University College Cork for sharing their support and lighting up green for .

Here’s to continuing the movement beyond today.