Research output per year
Research output per year
Personal profile
Biography
Marita is a Postdoctoral Researcher within the Pregnancy Loss Research Group, INFANT Centre at University College Cork. Her background is nutrition, health promotion, and population health and health services research. Marita is passionate about conducting policy and practice-relevant research, with knowledge users. Prior to her pursuing her PhD studies via the Health Research Board-funded SPHeRE Programme, she held a variety of research-related roles, including with safefood, the Children's Research Centre at Trinity College Dublin, the National Cancer Registry and Waterford Institute of Technology. Marita began her career within the food industry, where she worked for several years following the completion of a BSc in Nutritional Sciences at University College Cork. She went on to complete a MA in Health Education and Health Promotion at the University of Limerick and a Diploma in Youth and Community Work at University College Cork.
Research Interests
Marita's research interests are broadly within the domains of public health and health services research. Topic areas include pregnancy loss (particularly early pregnancy loss), women's health, child health, men's health, and the commercial determinants of health (including conflicts of interest). Methodologically, her interests and expertise are in intervention development and evaluation, dissemination & implementation science (including integrated knowledge translation), evidence synthesis, qualitative and mixed methods research, and participatory methods (including patient and public involvement).
Research Grants
| Funding Body | Title | Period | Award |
| Health Charities Research Ireland / Health Research Board | INNEACH: Intergenerational Programmes to enhance social connectivity for people living with dementia | 01 June 2025 to 31 May 2027 | €173,821 |
| Research Ireland | Supporting maternity care staff in the aftermath of an adverse event: Development and pilot testing of a scalable psychosocial intervention | 01 December 2023 to 30 November 2025 | €105,604 |
| Irish Hospice Foundation | Parents’ experiences of pregnancy and perinatal loss: A visual narrative | November 2022 to April 2023 | €2,000 |
| Health Research Board | RE:CURRENT-KTA | December 2022 to December 2023 | €36,675.49 |
| Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth |
Qualitative research study to examine the workplace experiences of parents dealing with pregnancy loss | 14 September 2022 to 13 September 2023 | €40,000 |
| Irish Research Council | PLATFORM: Pregnancy Loss knowledge trAnslaTion FOR iMpact | October 2021 to July 2022 | €11,865 |
| safefood | Exploring the world of food – the perspective of families with children |
May 2019 to April 2020 | €98,231 |
| Health Research Board | Maximising the Impact of Visual, Creative and Participatory Methods for Health Research |
15 November 2018 to 14 November 2019 | €3,887.80 |
| Health Research Board | CHErIsH-KEDS |
07 November 2018 to 06 July 2019 | €59,343.38 |
| Health Research Board-Trials Methodology Research Network | Using documents as data within the development and evaluation of complex interventions | July 2018 to December 2018 | €1,956 |
| Irish Research Council | POCKETS: Prevention of Childhood Obesity: Knowledge, Exchange and Translation |
07 December 2016 to 06 December 2017 | €5,000 |
| Focus Ireland / Department of Health | Research study on food access and nutritional health among families experiencing homelessness in the Dublin region |
27 Oct 2016 to 26 April 2017 | €9,717.50 |
| Health Research Board | Obesity prevention during early life: Developing the evidence base to maximise the effectiveness of interventions delivered by health professionals | 2015 to 2019 | €116,800 |
Current PhD Students
| Student Name | Supervision Period |
| Dou Zhang | 2022-2026 |
Recent PhD Students
| Student Name | Supervision Period |
| Dr Laura Linehan | 2021-2024 |
External positions
Associate Editor, Health Promotion International, Oxford University Press
27 Jan 2023 → 31 Dec 2025
UCC Futures (primary)
- Children
Other research affiliations
- UCC Futures - Collective Social Futures
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 5 Gender Equality -
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics where Marita Hennessy is active. These topic labels come from the works of this person. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
- 1 Similar Profiles
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Factors that influence the implementation of animal‐assisted intervention for people with dementia in community care settings: A qualitative study
Zhang, D., Hennessy, M., Paley, N., Paley, G. & Houghton, C., 6 Apr 2026, In: Journal of Clinical Nursing. 35, 7, p. 3211–3225Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Lived experiences of pregnancy loss at work: Realizing meaningful supports
Hennessy, M., Sánchez, T. E., Leitao, S., Kelly‐Harrington, R., O'Sullivan, M., Dalton‐O’Connor, C., Donnelly, M., Murray, C., Nuzum, D. & O'Donoghue, K., 25 Apr 2026, In: Gender, Work and Organization. p. 1-20 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Perceptions and Experiences of Animal-Assisted Interventions for People Living With Dementia: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis
Zhang, D., Hennessy, M., Li, Q., Paley, N., Paley, G. & Houghton, C., 2026, In: Journal of Clinical Nursing. 35, 5, p. 2517 2536 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Psychosocial supports for staff in maternity hospitals and units following adverse events: A mapping study in the Republic of Ireland
Hennessy, M. & O'Donoghue, K., 30 Mar 2026, In: BMC Health Services Research. 26, p. 1-16 16 p., 672.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
A national survey on pregnancy loss under 24 weeks in the workplace: Experiences and supports at work
Harty, T., Kelly-Harrington, R., Hennessy, M., O'Donoghue, K., Dalton O'Connor, C., O'Sullivan, M., Donnelly, M., Murray, C., Nuzum, D. & Leitao, S., May 2025.Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review
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Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Journal)
Hennessy, M. (Reviewer)
12 May 2026 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Publication peer-review
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Health Expectations (Journal)
Hennessy, M. (Reviewer)
26 Mar 2026 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Publication peer-review
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BMC Health Services Research (Journal)
Hennessy, M. (Reviewer)
20 Mar 2026 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Publication peer-review
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Gender, Work and Organization (Journal)
Hennessy, M. (Reviewer)
26 Feb 2026 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Publication peer-review
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European Grief Conference 2026 (Event)
Hennessy, M. (Reviewer)
24 Feb 2026 → 10 Mar 2026Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Publication peer-review
Prizes
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Best in Session Award (Poster)
Hennessy, M. (Recipient), Linehan, L. (Recipient) & O'Donoghue, K. (Recipient), 15 Jun 2022
Prize
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Pro-Am Three Minute Thesis Award
Hennessy, M. (Recipient) & Linehan, L. (Recipient), 26 Apr 2023
Prize
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Research Team of the Year 2021 (Pregnancy Loss Research Group)
Hennessy, M. (Recipient) & O'Donoghue, K. (Recipient), 1 Jun 2022
Prize
Press/Media
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Lord Mayor of Cork launches pregnancy loss guide for workplaces
19/10/25
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media
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New National Resources Launched to Create More Compassionate Workplaces for People who Experience Pregnancy Loss
15/10/25
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media
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