Dr McCullagh was awarded a Health Professional Fellowship (HRB) to fund her PhD training in 2018. Her PhD project measured walking activity in frail inpatients and the effectiveness of an augmented exercise programme on their health outcomes and healthcare utilisation. Her main areas of interest lie in exercise prescription and self-management strategies to maintain physical activity and exercise in older adults and people with Parkinson's. Ruth currently supervises PhD students exploring exercise and falls prevention in people living in residential care, in older adults at risk of falling, in people with metastatic breast cancer (IRC PG Scholarship & HRB SPHeRE Scholarship), and in people with Parkinson's (IRC PG Scholarship). She is also a named co-applicant on the Frailty Care Bundle, an implementation study of evidence-based principles of mobilisation, nutrition and cognitive engagement in the acute hospitalised patients. (PI Prof Corina Naughton, UCC. HRB APA award 2019). She is the principal investigator of the FaME Ireland study, an evaluation of early adopter sites of the Falls Management Exercise Programme (HRB APA 028 2022).
Ruth has worked clinically in the areas of Neurology and Gerontology since qualifying in Ireland, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. She held senior clinical roles, management role (Addenbrooke's NHS Trust, UK, 1999-2001) and clinical research (Tallaght Hospital, 2001-2004) (exercise in people with Multiple Sclerosis).
Ruth is CORU registered, a member of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists and reviews for many international peer reviewed journals such as Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation, BMC Geriatrics, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and HRB Open.
I am a member of the PD Research Cluster. I work closely with the Parkinson's Association of ireland, who have part-funded a PhD research Project (IRC-funded) exploring self- management and behavioural strategies in people with Parkinson's.
I am also a member of the ISS21 Ageing Research Cluster. My PhD was a HRB-funded RCT measuring the effectiveness of an augmented exercise programme for frail inpatients in the acute setting. I have supervised HSE-funded MSc(Res) projects evaluating a community-based early supported discharge programme and a falls management programme. I continue to work with clinical colleagues to effectively implement the training and delivery of a falls-management programme. I currently co-supervise PhD projects; one exploring self management and behavioural change in older community-dwellers, and the second exploring falls prevention programmes in residential care settings.
I am currently co-supervising an IRC-funded project to develop an early and ongoing personalised rehabilitative physiotherapy programme for people with metastatic breast cancer.
Biography
Dr. Ruth McCullagh a Lecturer in Physiotherapy at the School of Clinical Therapies, University College Cork. Her areas of interest lie in older adult rehabilitation, falls and frailty, and Parkinson's. She graduated from Cardiff School of Physiotherapy (1992), was awarded an MSc Neurorehabilitation (Brunel University, 1998) and her PhD (University College Cork, 2018). Ruth began lecturing in the School of Physiotherapy at the Royal College of Surgeons (2004-2005) and Trinity College Dublin (2005-2007) before teaching in University College Cork when the Physiotherapy programme opened in 2018.Dr McCullagh was awarded a Health Professional Fellowship (HRB) to fund her PhD training in 2018. Her PhD project measured walking activity in frail inpatients and the effectiveness of an augmented exercise programme on their health outcomes and healthcare utilisation. Her main areas of interest lie in exercise prescription and self-management strategies to maintain physical activity and exercise in older adults and people with Parkinson's. Ruth currently supervises PhD students exploring exercise and falls prevention in people living in residential care, in older adults at risk of falling, in people with metastatic breast cancer (IRC PG Scholarship & HRB SPHeRE Scholarship), and in people with Parkinson's (IRC PG Scholarship). She is also a named co-applicant on the Frailty Care Bundle, an implementation study of evidence-based principles of mobilisation, nutrition and cognitive engagement in the acute hospitalised patients. (PI Prof Corina Naughton, UCC. HRB APA award 2019). She is the principal investigator of the FaME Ireland study, an evaluation of early adopter sites of the Falls Management Exercise Programme (HRB APA 028 2022).
Ruth has worked clinically in the areas of Neurology and Gerontology since qualifying in Ireland, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. She held senior clinical roles, management role (Addenbrooke's NHS Trust, UK, 1999-2001) and clinical research (Tallaght Hospital, 2001-2004) (exercise in people with Multiple Sclerosis).
Ruth is CORU registered, a member of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists and reviews for many international peer reviewed journals such as Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation, BMC Geriatrics, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and HRB Open.
Research Interests
My areas of interest are in falls and frailty, Parkinson's and people with metastatic breast cancer. I am interested in determining the optimal exercise prescription and ways to support people in maintaining that dosage of exercise in order to improve independence, self-efficacy and quality of life.I am a member of the PD Research Cluster. I work closely with the Parkinson's Association of ireland, who have part-funded a PhD research Project (IRC-funded) exploring self- management and behavioural strategies in people with Parkinson's.
I am also a member of the ISS21 Ageing Research Cluster. My PhD was a HRB-funded RCT measuring the effectiveness of an augmented exercise programme for frail inpatients in the acute setting. I have supervised HSE-funded MSc(Res) projects evaluating a community-based early supported discharge programme and a falls management programme. I continue to work with clinical colleagues to effectively implement the training and delivery of a falls-management programme. I currently co-supervise PhD projects; one exploring self management and behavioural change in older community-dwellers, and the second exploring falls prevention programmes in residential care settings.
I am currently co-supervising an IRC-funded project to develop an early and ongoing personalised rehabilitative physiotherapy programme for people with metastatic breast cancer.
Research Grants
| Project | Funding Body | Start Date | End Date | Award | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PD ACTIVE (Parkinson's Disease: improving ACcessibility to physical acTIVity and Exercise to promote self-management: A new exercise initiative). | Irish Research Council | 01-SEP-21 | 31-AUG-24 | €82,500.00 | |
| Improving Quality of Life (QOL) for Palliative Care Patients (PCPs) and their caregivers with an early and ongoing personalised rehabilitative physiotherapy programme in a primary care setting. | 01-JAN-21 | ||||
| Implementation of a Frailty Care Bundle for older adults in acute care | 01-NOV-19 | 31-OCT-21 | |||
| A randomised controlled trial to measure the effects of an augmented prescribed exercise program on physical ability, quality of life and health utilisation for frail older medical inpatients | Health Research Board | 02-SEP-13 | 03-SEP-18 | €171,976.00 |
Publications
Peer Reviewed Journals
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2023) | 'Implementation strategies to support fall prevention interventions in long-term care facilities for older persons: a systematic review' Neah Albasha;Leanne Ahern;Lauren Oâ¿¿Mahony;Ruth McCullagh;Nicola Cornally;Sheena McHugh;Suzanne Timmons; (2023) 'Implementation strategies to support fall prevention interventions in long-term care facilities for older persons: a systematic review'. BMC Geriatrics, [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2022) | 'Implementation strategies supporting fall prevention interventions in a long-term care facility for older persons: a systematic review protocol' Albasha, N.;McCullagh, R.;Cornally, N.;McHugh, S.;Timmons, S.; (2022) 'Implementation strategies supporting fall prevention interventions in a long-term care facility for older persons: a systematic review protocol'. BMJ open, [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2022) | 'Can behavioural change interventions improve self-efficacy and exercise adherence among people with Parkinsonâ¿¿s? A systematic review protocol' Leanne Ahern;Prof Suzanne Timmons;Prof Sarah E Lamb;Dr Ruth McCullagh; (2022) 'Can behavioural change interventions improve self-efficacy and exercise adherence among people with Parkinsonâ¿¿s? A systematic review protocol'. HRB Open Research, [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2020) | 'Augmented exercise in hospital improves physical performance and reduces negative post hospitalization events: a randomized controlled trial' McCullagh R.;O'Connell E.;O'Meara S.;Dahly D.;O'Reilly E.;O'Connor K.;Horgan N.;Timmons S. (2020) 'Augmented exercise in hospital improves physical performance and reduces negative post hospitalization events: a randomized controlled trial'. BMC geriatrics, 20 (1) [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2018) | '231Patient Perception of an Augmented Prescribed Exercise Programme During Medical Inpatient Stay' Michael McInerney;Ruth McCullagh;Siobhan Fox;Mary McCarthy;Suzanne Timmons; (2018) '231Patient Perception of an Augmented Prescribed Exercise Programme During Medical Inpatient Stay'. Age and Ageing, [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2017) | 'Frail older adults’ perceptions of an in-hospital structured exercise intervention' O'Hare, L. and Savage, E. and McCullagh, R. and Bantry White, E. and Fitzgerald, E. and Timmons, S. (2017) 'Frail older adults’ perceptions of an in-hospital structured exercise intervention'. Physiotherapy, 103 (4):478-484 [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2017) | 'Frail older adults' perceptions of an in-hospital structured exercise intervention' O'Hare, L; Savage, E; McCullagh, R; White, EB;Fitzgerald, E;Timmons, S (2017) 'Frail older adults' perceptions of an in-hospital structured exercise intervention'. Physiotherapy, 103 :478-484 [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2017) | 'Step-Count Accuracy of 3 Motion Sensors for Older and Frail Medical Inpatients' McCullagh, R;Dillon, C;O'Connell, AM;Horgan, NF;Timmons, S (2017) 'Step-Count Accuracy of 3 Motion Sensors for Older and Frail Medical Inpatients'. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 98 :295-302 [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2016) | 'Walking in hospital is associated with a shorter length of stay in older medical inpatients' McCullagh, R,Dillon, C,Dahly, D,Horgan, NF,Timmons, S (2016) 'Walking in hospital is associated with a shorter length of stay in older medical inpatients'. Physiological Measurement, 37 :1872-1884 [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2016) | 'A Review of the Accuracy and Utility of Motion Sensors to Measure Physical Activity of Frail, Older Hospitalized Patients' Ruth McCullagh,Noeleen M. Brady,Christina Dillon,N. Frances Horgan,Suzanne Timmons (2016) 'A Review of the Accuracy and Utility of Motion Sensors to Measure Physical Activity of Frail, Older Hospitalized Patients'. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 24 (3):465-475 [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2016) | 'A study protocol of a randomised controlled trial to measure the effects of an augmented prescribed exercise programme (APEP) for frail older medical patients in the acute setting' McCullagh, R;O'Connell, E;O'Meara, S;Perry, I;Fitzgerald, A;O'Connor, K;Horgan, NF;Timmons, S (2016) 'A study protocol of a randomised controlled trial to measure the effects of an augmented prescribed exercise programme (APEP) for frail older medical patients in the acute setting'. BMC geriatrics, 16 [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2016) | 'A Review of the Accuracy and Utility of Motion Sensors to Measure Physical Activity of Frail, Older Hospitalized Patients' McCullagh R;Brady NM;Dillon C;Horgan NF;Timmons S; (2016) 'A Review of the Accuracy and Utility of Motion Sensors to Measure Physical Activity of Frail, Older Hospitalized Patients'. Journal Of Aging And Physical Activity, 24 (3) [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2015) | 'Perceptions, expectations, and informal supports influence exercise activity in frail older adults' Broderick, L. and McCullagh, R. and Bantry White, E. and Savage, E. and Timmons, S. (2015) 'Perceptions, expectations, and informal supports influence exercise activity in frail older adults'. SageOpen, 5 (2) [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2014) | 'The functional decline of hospitalised older patients - are we doing enough?' McCullagh R, Fitzgerald E, O'Connor K, Broderick L, Kennedy C, O'Reilly N, Martin R, Timmons S (2014) 'The functional decline of hospitalised older patients - are we doing enough?'. Physiotherapy Practice and Research, [Details] | |
| (2014) | 'The functional decline of hospitalised older patients-are we doing enough?' McCullagh, R.;Fitzgerald, E.;O'Connor, K.;Broderick, L.;Kennedy, C.;O'Reilly, N.;Martin, R.;Timmons, S.; (2014) 'The functional decline of hospitalised older patients-are we doing enough?'. Physiotherapy Practice and Research, [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2013) | 'Perceptions, expectations and informal supports influence exercise activity in frail older adults' Broderick L, McCullagh R, Bantry-White E, Savage E, Timmons S (2013) 'Perceptions, expectations and informal supports influence exercise activity in frail older adults'. Irish Journal Of Medical Scienceirish Journal Of Medical Science, 182 :S224-S224 [Details] | |
| (2008) | 'Long term benefits of exercising on quality of life and fatigue in multiple sclerosis patients with mild disability' McCullagh R, Fitzgerald AP, Murphy R, Cooke G. (2008) 'Long term benefits of exercising on quality of life and fatigue in multiple sclerosis patients with mild disability'. Clinical Rehabilitation, [Details] |
Professional Activities
Honours and Awards
| Year | Title | Awarding Body | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Best Platform Presentation | Irish Gerontological Society Scientific Meeting |