Declan is the Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation module coordinator for the new MSc Physiotherapy in UCC. He graduated from the University of Middlesex in 1998 with a BSc in Sports Injury Rehabilitation and Sport Science. In 2001 he attained a 1st class honours BSc in Physiotherapy from the University of Ulster, Jordanstown, Belfast. Following on from here Declan took up a post as a staff grade Physiotherapist in Cork University Hospital where he completed numerous rotations within the disciplines of Orthopaedics, Respiratory, Musculoskeletal physiotherapy, and finally as acting Senior Physiotherapist in “Care of the Elderly” until his departure in 2006. Building on this Declan has accomplished over 20 years of experience as a Clinical Specialist working as a private practitioner here in Cork treating musculoskeletal injuries within the general and sporting populations. In 2003 Declan took up the role of Lead Chartered Physiotherapist to the Cork Senior Hurling, U21, and Minor hurling teams which he continued to perform until 2015 when he commenced his role as the Performance Manager with responsibility for Strength & Conditioning and Physiotherapy services for the senior hurling team. During his tenure with the Cork County Board he has played an integral role in Cork's All-Ireland Championship Final preparations of 2003-2006, 2013 and 2018.

 Academically Declan has continued to demonstrate his desire to deepen his knowledge further. In 2006 he received a higher diploma in Sport & Exercise Medicine from the University of Ulster and in 2011 he achieved a 1st Class Honors MSc in Strength & Conditioning from the prestigious Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. Declan has taught across many domestic undergraduate and postgraduate educational programs within the field of Physiotherapy, Sports Medicine, and Sport Science. Declan commenced his Ph.D. in June 2019 on the role of Social Prescribing in chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions. His principal advisor is Dr. Joseph McVeigh, Head of the Discipline of Physiotherapy, School of Clinical Therapies, Brookefield, UCC. 

Declan is an active member of the UCC GAA club. In 1992, he won an All-Ireland Freshers Hurling Medal with UCC and also represented the university in the Fitzgibbon Cup Hurling All-Ireland Championship Final the same year. He has been coach and selector to the universitiey's Freshers hurling team since 2020. 

My  Ph.D research is focused on- "The effectiveness of social prescribing in the management of long-term musculoskeletal conditions in community-dwelling adults". I have established a multidisciplinary team of experts including international expertise to support my Ph.D. studies. My supervisory team consists of Professor Lindsay Bearne, St Georges University of London, Dr. Janas Harrington, School of Public Health UCC, and Dr. Joseph McVeigh Discipline of Physiotherapy UCC. For my first study, I am also working with Professor Jefferson Cardoso, University of Londrina, Brazil. My research will consist of four linked studies:
1.            The effectiveness of social prescribing interventions in the management of long-term conditions in community-based adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
2.            Experiences and perceptions of scoial prescribing interventions in people living with long-term conditons, link workers, doctors and community-based services: A qualitative study.
3.            Based on the outcome of the systematic review and the qualitative work with GPs and patients a Social Prescription framework for long-term musculoskeletal conditions will be developed
4.            Design and evaluate a feasibility study of an exercise intervention implemented via a social prescription framework for people with long-term musculoskeletal conditions.  

Declan is a keen advocate for the role of physical activity in the management of chronic musculoskeletall conditions.  Other research interests are the role of POCUS in the management of tendon injury and return to play pathways. 

Social Prescribing, Tendon research, Lower limb  Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation Research

Declan is the module coordinator for PP6007 (10 credits) / PP6008 (5 credits) MSK Rehabilitation of the lower and Upper Quadrants.
Declan's approach to learning and teaching is guided by the same values that underpin his practice as a clinician and indeed are reflected in UCC’s core values, respect for others, compassion, fairness, professionalism, ethical and evidence-based practice, and most importantly putting the student at the centre of all he does. As an educator, he sees his role as facilitating young people to become autonomous, independent reflective practitioners with highly developed clinical reasoning skills. To facilitate student learning, He encourages independent active learning, encouraging students to problem solve and develop solutions to ‘real life’ clinical problems. An important aspect of his approach to learning and teaching is the constructive alignment of effective assessment practices with learning outcomes, used for learning as well as to evaluate it. Point of care ultrasound, marker-based motion capture and muscle emg are all integrated in his teachings. 

Models of Clinical Reasoning, Musculoskeletal Medicine, Chronic Pain, Constructive Alignment of Assessment Methods