Personal profile
Biography
Dr Karen Matvienko-Sikar is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Public Health, a health psychologist, and Principal Investigator of the HRB funded SCOPE project (Standardised Measurement for Childhood Obesity Prevention). Karen previously led a HRB funded Applying Research into Policy and Practice project to reduce maternal stress in the period from conception to 2 years postpartum (the first 1000 days).
Karen completed her undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Applied Psychology in University College Cork, focusing on maternal mental health and well-being. She joined the School of Public Health in 2016 as a postdoctoral researcher on the HRB ICE project to develop, implement and examine a childhood obesity prevention in primary care in Ireland. Karen is the former Chair of the Psychological Society of Ireland Division of Health Psychology. Karen was awarded the European Association for the Study of Obesity New Investigator Award in Childhood Obesity (2020); the European Health Psychology Society Stan Maes Early Career Award (2019); and the from the Psychological Society of Ireland Division of Health Psychology Hannah McGee Award for Excellence in Research/Practice (2018). She is also Royal Irish Academy Charlemont Scholar and a Catalyst of the Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences. Karen has also received awards and recognition for her work on Open Research.
Research Interests
Karen's research interests are, broadly, in maternal and child health. Within this, her research has two main strands. The first focuses on infant feeding and childhood obesity, particularly development, implementation, evaluation of prevention strategies and interventions. This includes development and use of appropriate approaches to assessment of intervention effects. Karen is particularly interested in infant feeding and parent-infant interactions in the development and prevention of childhood obesity. Karen is a co-investigator with EPOCH-Translate: Translating early prevention of childhood obesity. The second focuses on perinatal mental health, particularly development of supports and strategies at a population level for women. Karen has particular expertise in perinatal stress and anxiety, including psychophysiological indicators of well-being such as cortisol. She also has expertise in examination of the impact of perinatal mental health on maternal and child health outcomes.
Methodologically, Karen has expertise in intervention development, outcomes research, evidence syntheses and trial methodology. She is particularly interested in outcomes research, including development and use of core outcome sets to improve measurement and reporting of outcomes in trials. She is also interested in outcome reporting bias, particularly in health psychology and behavioural medicine. Karen is also passionate about open research and led development of the Principles and Practices of Open Research (PaPOR TRaIL) course, which is a free open access introductory course in what open research is and how to do it.
Teaching Activities
Research Grants
|
Project Title |
Funding Body |
Start Date |
End Date |
Award |
|
CO-PRIME (CO-producing and Promoting Research & Innovation in Mental hEalth) |
Health Research Board |
1.12.25 |
30.11.30 |
€999,965 |
|
Supporting Perinatal Mental Health at population level in Ireland: Evidence to date and plans for the future. |
Health Research Board |
June 2024 |
May 2025 |
€4922 |
|
Examining healthcare professional perspectives, and reaching agreement on refinements to the CHErIsH childhood obesity prevention intervention and trial processes |
Health Research Board Primary Care Clinical Trials Network Ireland |
Jan 2025 |
Jan 2026 |
€12,135 |
|
Refining the Choosing Health Infant feeding for Infant Health intervention and implementation strategy: Re-CHErIsH |
Health Research Board Primary Care Clinical Trials Network Ireland |
Jan 2023 |
Jan 2024 |
€12,495 |
|
Maximise support for breastfeeding for sustainable population health and wellbeing: Integrated knowledge translation approach MaxSBF |
Health Research Board |
01-DEC-23 |
31-MAY-28 |
€2,445,579.00 |
|
Promoting Open Science Teaching: A Positive, Inclusive and Participatory Program for Educators (POST-Edu) |
01-DEC-23 |
01-JAN-24 |
€49,948.00 | |
|
A Standardised Approach to Measuring Infant Feeding Outcomes to Prevent Childhood Obesity |
Health Research Board |
09-JAN-23 |
08-JAN-27 |
€791,130.00 |
|
Using a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to increase Core Outcome Set uptake and impact |
01-DEC-23 |
01-DEC-24 |
€35,172.00 | |
|
Rethinking maternal perinatal mental health and childhood obesity. |
Enterprise Irl |
18-APR-23 |
17-APR-25 |
€15,729.00 |
|
TOPCHILD-translate: Understanding end-users' needs for an implementation-ready evidence base for the prevention of obesity in young children. |
Medical Research Council |
02-APR-23 |
06-JAN-25 |
€16,134.00 |
|
Open Research Training Programme |
Other: Not Listed |
21-NOV-22 |
01-DEC-23 |
€189,993.00 |
|
Rethinking maternal perinatal mental health and childhood obesity |
Enterprise Ireland |
04-JUL-22 |
31-OCT-22 |
€15,859.00 |
|
Using behavioural science to enhance use of core outcome sets in trials |
Health Research Board |
17-FEB-22 |
€9,223.00 | |
|
Centre for Research Excellence in the Early Prevention of Childhood Obesity- Translate (Funder: Australian National Health and Medical Research Council) |
03-JAN-22 |
€1,598,031.00 | ||
|
Reducing Maternal Stress in Ireland |
Health Research Board |
€247,446.00 | ||
|
Early Identification of Suicide and Self-Harm Risk and Comorbid Mental and PHysical Disorders: An INterdisciplinary TrAining, Research and InterventioN Programme (MHAINTAIN) |
Health Research Board |
€1,500,000.00 | ||
|
Prenatal mental health, health behaviours, and support needs during the COVID-19 pandemic |
Health Research Board |
€2,000.00 | ||
|
Teaching and Learning Open Research in Higher Education |
National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education |
€1,000.00 | ||
|
Developing an intervention to reduce natural-disaster related distress |
Royal Irish Academy |
€2,000.00 | ||
|
Knowledge and Attitudes about Core Outcome Sets |
Health Research Board |
29-JUN-20 |
21-AUG-20 |
€2,000.00 |
|
Supporting Teaching and Learning of Open Research Principles and Practices |
National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education |
06-JAN-20 |
21-DEC-20 |
€65,000.00 |
|
A National survey to Investigate the use of Complementary & Alternative Medicine in Irish Oncology Patients |
Irish Cancer Society |
06-JAN-20 |
€64,871.00 | |
|
Fidelity of stress-reduction interventions in the first 1000 day |
Health Research Board |
03-JUN-19 |
13-SEP-19 |
€2,400.00 |
|
CHErIsH KEDS |
Health Research Board |
01-DEC-18 |
02-DEC-19 |
€57,888.00 |
|
Maternal stress and child overweight and obesity: psychological, physiological and behavioural mechanisms |
Enterprise Ireland |
€16,000.00 | ||
|
Developing a Core Outcome Set of Infant Feeding Outcomes for Obesity Prevention Interventions. |
Irish Research Council |
19-DEC-16 |
21-JUL-17 |
€4,850.00 |
|
To determine if provision of information about a core outcome set (COS) increases response rates and attitudes toward trial questionnaire completion |
Health Research Board |
01-JAN-18 |
€10,000.00 | |
|
Effects of parental stress, depression, and self-esteem on feeding practices at 18 months (funded by: Children's Research Network) |
Other: Not Listed |
02-APR-18 |
€9,190.00 | |
|
Measuring Core Infant Feeding Outcomes in Childhood Obesity Trials |
Health Research Board |
01-JUN-17 |
28-JUL-17 |
€2,000.00 |
|
What's on your child's plate? Food portion sizes and the proportion of different food groups eaten by children on the island of Ireland. Funded by Safefood |
Other: Not Listed |
€97,274.00 | ||
|
Determining the most feasible and acceptable methods of cortisol sampling in pregnancy |
Royal Irish Academy |
02-JAN-17 |
01-DEC-17 |
€1,723.00 |
Available PhD Projects
I welcome potential PhD projects on the following:
- Perinatal Mental Health (women and/or partners)
- The transtion to parenthood
- Infant feeding
- Trials methodology, especially related to outcomes
Recent PhD Students
| Dr Elizabeth Bodunde | Understanding the impact of pregnancy and birth complications on long-term maternal mental health |
| Dr Nadine Ferris-France | From self-stigma to self-worth: understanding self-stigma through developing, implementing and evaluating a selfstigma intervention among people living with HIV and AIDS “Change your thoughts and you change the world” |
| Dr Tamara Escanuela Sanchez | Rethinking stillbirth through behaviour change |
| Dr Ailbhe Spillane | The impact of suicidal behaviour on family members in Ireland: a mixed methods study |
Current PhD Students
| Pawel Hursztyn | How should mental healthcare services in Ireland and Australia prepare for public health emergencies? An exploratory mixed methods study. |
| Katrina Dennehy | Adolescent Mental Health |
UCC Futures (primary)
- Future of Health
Other research affiliations
- UCC Futures - Children
PhD Supervision
- Available for PhD supervision
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 5 Gender Equality -
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities -
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Health outcomes related to infant feeding in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland: A scoping review protocol [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]
Hanley, E., Bourke, J., Hanratty, J., Lehane, E., Mulcahy, H., O'Donovan, R., Long, A., Murphy, M., Matvienko-Sikar, K., Ward, S., Leahy-Warren, P., Jane, B., Jane, B., Jane, B., Jane, B., Jane, B., Jane, B., Edina, H., Edina, H. & Edina, H. & 35 others, , 23 Jan 2026, In: HRB Open Research.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Health outcomes related to infant feeding in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland: A scoping review protocol [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]
Hanley, E., Bourke, J., Hanratty, J., Lehane, E., Mulcahy, H., O'Donovan, R., Long, A., Murphy, M., Matvienko-Sikar, K., Ward, S. & Leahy-Warren, P., 23 Jan 2026, In: HRB Open Research.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Addressing fidelity within complex health behaviour change interventions: a scoping review of fidelity frameworks and models
Toomey, E., To, D., Nathan, N., Byrne, M., Lorencatto, F., Matvienko-Sikar, K., McCleary, N. & Colquhoun, H., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Health Psychology Review.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
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Behavioural components and delivery features of early childhood obesity prevention interventions: intervention coding of studies in the TOPCHILD Collaboration systematic review
on behalf of the TOPCHILD Collaboration, Dec 2025, In: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 22, 1, 14.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open Access -
Explanation & Elaboration document of the COSMIN Reporting Guideline 2.0 for studies on measurement properties of patient-reported outcome measures
PROM Reporting Group, Jul 2025, In: Quality of Life Research. 34, 7, p. 1891-1899 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Activities
- 2 Editorial work
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Annals of Behavioral Medicine (Journal)
Matvienko-Sikar, K. (Editor)
2020 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Editorial work
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Women and Birth (Journal)
Matvienko-Sikar, K. (Editor)
2020 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Editorial work
Prizes
Press/Media
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-
Study finds new mothers need increased health supports, especially in the first two years
Looney, E. & Matvienko-Sikar, K.
1/12/24
2 items of Media coverage
Press/Media
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Research on Mental Health Diseases and Conditions Published by Researchers at University College Cork (Factors influencing mental health service delivery during public health emergencies: a scoping review protocol [version 1; peer review: 2 ...)
Nyhan, M., Matvienko-Sikar, K. & Browne, J. P.
6/08/24
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media
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New Findings from University College Cork in the Area of Anxiety Disorders Described (Pregnancy and Birth Complications and Long-term Maternal Mental Health Outcomes: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis)
Khashan, A., Maher, G., Mccarthy, F., Matvienko-Sikar, K. & Maher, M.
17/07/24
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media
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HRB provides €15 million to support emerging health researchers
4/09/23
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media