Welcome to the Pulse , Summer 2025 This Pulse is about the people the School of Medicine is here to serve – the public and the patient – focusing on ‘person-centred care’. I am particularly pleased that there is a strong presence of our medical students in this issue – evident in eight student writers and good coverage of student activity. The involvement of students is important because we need to train and cherish this and the next generation of medical professionals to value a holistic approach to healthcare, balanced with the individual needs, preferences, and values of everyone who uses our health system. This involves treating the entire person, not just their conditions. In this issue of the Pulse, we see how this can be achieved through: • healthcare workers who hear and understand patients’ concerns, fears, and hopes; • creating a strong, collaborative relationship between patients and healthcare providers based on mutual respect and open communication; • recognising that everyone is unique, with their own experience, beliefs, and goals; • empowering patients to actively participate in their care by giving information and access to care they need to make informed choices. The principles of person-centred care include timely access to healthcare advice, treatment by trusted professionals, care continuity, family involvement, good transparent communication, respect for patient preferences, empathy, and consideration of environmental and physical needs. There is good evidence that person-centred care improves worker experience, which in turn improves patient outcomes. We detail a range of person-centred research and education happening in, or of revelance to, Trinity’s School of Medicine. Kate Killeen is the woman in charge of the new Dublin Midland Health Service Executive (HSE) health region. As the relatively new Regional Executive Officer (REO), Kate tells us how the regions are one of the keys to positively improving person-centred care. The new director in charge of the Trinity Translational Medicine Institute (TTMI) Professor Mark Little tells us what he packs into a day in his life. Dr Liz Farsaci writes about Dr Hugh Kearney, the recent recipient of the School of Medicine Research Impact Award. Dr Katharine Schulmann talks to Dr Claire Poole about involving patients in applied clinical radiation research. Dr Rikke Siersbaek writes about St James’s inclusion epilepsy service, while Dr Sarah Parker details the impact of the Health Assets and Needs Assessment (HANA) report on Tallaght and its neighbourhood. Continued thanks to all the contributors, especially the student writers: Ami Aggarwal; Emily Atashkari; Aoibhinn Kelly; Muhammad Ashhad Faizan; Kiran Singh; Katrina Bulatov; Sean Healy; and Patrick Doherty. The editorial team: Liz Farsaci; Katharine Schulmann; Rikke Siersbaek; and Sarah Parker. And the production team who put this edition of the Pulse together: Cait Kane; Mary O’Neill; and Michelle Hendrick. Wishing everyone a great summer. – Sara Burke, Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Health Policy and Management Summer Edition 2025 3
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