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Dr. Aisling O'Halloran

Assistant Professor (School of Nursing & Midwifery)
TALLAGHT HOSPITAL
      
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Dr. Aisling O'Halloran

Assistant Professor (School of Nursing & Midwifery)
TALLAGHT HOSPITAL

 aiohallo@tcd.ie

 3531896 1846


I am currently Assistant Professor in Health Research at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Trinity College Dublin. Formerly, I was a Senior Research Fellow and Biobank Manager with The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) at the School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin and Mercer"s Institute for Successful Ageing (MISA) at St. James"s Hospital, Dublin. I hold a PhD in the genetic epidemiology of cardiovascular disease from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and a B.A. (Mod) in Natural Science, specializing in genetics, from Trinity College Dublin. My research interests are focused on the biology of ageing and age-related disease phenotypes including CVD, frailty and disability. My research aims to investigate biomarkers that best capture those who are experiencing accelerated biological ageing and who are therefore at risk for declining health and age-related disease. This information is utilized to inform disease prevention and management strategies, and to improve health and social care policy and service planning. I have published >60 peer-reviewed publications on studies of ageing, epidemiology, molecular biology, immunology, and genetics. As principal or co-investigator, I have received grant funding of €2.1 million from national agencies and international grant funding of €4.5 million (€850,000 to the Irish component) from the US National Institutes of Health. I have taught and supervised undergraduate and postgraduate students to PhD level. Currently, I teach on the Postgraduate Certificate on Advanced Ageing and Frailty Studies at Trinity College Dublin. I am a member of the EUGMS SIG on Frailty and Resilience in Older People, the NIH Biomarker Network, and the Irish Frailty Network. I am associate editor with the journal BMC Geriatrics and served as a member of the national executive committee of the Irish Gerontological Society (2016-2022).
  AFFECT   Age related diseases   Ageing   Ageing, memory and other cognitive processes   Ageing, stroke, dementia   Aging/Gerontology   Brain   Cardiovascular Diseases   Cardiovascular System   Elderly Health   Emotional/Mental Health--Geriatric   Epidemiology   Falls   Frailty & Resilience   Gerontology   Positive Ageing   Psychology of Aging   Quantitative genetics and genetics of complex traits
Project Title
 Frailty-related Outcomes and health Care USe (FOCUS)
From
February 2016
To
July 2017
Summary
Funding Agency
Health Service Executive (HSE)
Programme
Research Awards in Ageing
Person Months
18
Project Title
 Pathways from social disconnection to suicidal ideation in later life.
From
2023
To
2024
Summary
" ", ): Pathways from social disconnection to suicidal ideation in later life. 2023-2024. Role: Co-I. Total award: $151,127/€139,694.
Funding Agency
National Institutes of Health
Programme
Social disconnection and Suicide Risk in Late Life (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
Project Title
 SABS-TILDA: SARS-CoV-2 specific AntiBodieS in The Irish LongituDinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).
From
2020
To
2022
Summary
Funding Agency
" Health Research Board
Programme
COVID-19 Rapid Response Programme
Project Title
 Frailty in Ireland North and South
From
March 2014
To
February 2017
Summary
The unprecedented global increase in life expectancy over the past century has lead to a rapidly expanding ageing population, placing ever higher demands on publicly-funded healthcare resources in Ireland, North and South. Current trajectories indicate that such demands are unsustainable. Early identifiers of declining health will be central to measuring health risk. The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing has highlighted frailty as key to seeking a two year increase in healthy life years by 2020. Resilience and frailty represent opposite ends of a spectrum of decline from robust health to profound functional dependence. Frailty is a driver of functional and cognitive decline, predicting multi-morbidity, disability, increased health care utilisation and mortality (Fried et al, 2001, 2004). However, frailty can be ameliorated by early detection and intervention. Data from The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (TILDA) will be used to track transitions along the frailty spectrum and investigate how frailty-related biomarker profiles of physical, cognitive and psychological health at baseline (Wave 1) change and predict frailty during follow-up (Waves 2 and 3). North-South comparisons between the prevalence and characteristics of frailty using Wave 3 of TILDA and Phase 1 of the Northern Ireland Cohort for Longitudinal Ageing (NICOLA), which coincide during 2014. Will be performed. Elucidating frailty-related risk factors and resource demands in the ageing population will help to identify: (1) new evidence-based targets for pre-clinical frailty detection and intervention, and (2) specific needs that will be vital in delivering efficient, effective healthcare services and increasing healthy life-years into the future
Funding Agency
CARDI - Centre for Ageing Research in Ireland
Programme
Ageing Research Leadership Programme
Project Type
Research Fellowship
Person Months
36
Project Title
 The Irish Longitudinal Ageing Study (TILDA) Nutritional Biomarker Database Enhancement Initiative (BIO-TILDA)
From
January 2014
To
January 2016
Summary
Funding Agency
Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DARM)
Programme
FIRM/RSF/CoFoRD 2013 Research Call
Person Months
24

Page 1 of 2
Details Date
Member of the National Clinical Programme for People with Disability Steering Group: The adaptation of the National Frailty Education Programme (NFEP) for the ID sector. Project Lead: Ms.Deirdre Lang NFEP Lead NCPOP. 24-Jan-2025
Associate Editor for the open access peer -reviewed journal BMC Geriatrics (Impact Factor 4.10). 13-June-2016
Research Lead Of the TILDA Biomarker Working Group.
Founding member of the Irish Frailty Network. 2019
Research Lead Of the IDS-TILDA Intrinsic Capacity Working Group.
Research Lead Of the IDS-TILDA Microbiniome Working Group.
Research Lead of the TILDA Frailty Working Group.
Executive Committee Member, Irish Gerontological Society 18-Oct-2016
Reviewer for BMC Geriatrics Journal
Reviewer for Nutrition Research Reviews
Reviewer for Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
German Basic Basic Basic
Irish Medium Medium Medium
Details Date From Date To
Executive Committee Member, Irish Gerontological Society 2016- 2022
Irish Gerontological Society 2010- present
Irish Frailty Network (IFN) - Founding Member 2019 present
British Geriatrics Society (BGS) 2012-
European Union Geriatric Medicine Society (EUGMS) 2012-
National Institute of Ageing (NIA) Biomarker Network. 2013-
Gerontological Society of America (GSA) 2016
Belinda Hernández; Eric Klopack; Frank Moriarty; Padraic Fallon; Nollaig Bourke; Eileen Crimmins; Rose-Anne Kenny; Cathal Mc Crory; Aisling O'Halloran, An ageing biomarker signature predicts chronic disease cluster trajectories, physical function and mortality: validation in the TILDA and HRS cohorts, Age and Ageing, 55, (5), 2026, p11 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
Emma Connolly, Sineád McLoughlin, Aisling M O'Halloran, Ann Hever, Kanika Nautiyal, Margaret McCormack, Vivion Crowley, Rose Anne Kenny, Assessing Long-Term Stability of Lipoprotein(a) in Frozen Blood Plasma Samples: A 14-Year Analysis from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), HRB Open Research, 9, 2026, p25-, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Caoimhe McGarvey, R. Briggs, Louise Newman, Siobhán Scarlett, Aisling M O'Halloran, Cathal McCrory, Rose Anne Kenny, Donal J. Sexton, The Association Between Cerebral Oxygenation and CKD in Older Adults, Kidney360, 2026, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Crimmins EM, Hernandez B, Potter C, Kim JK, Higgins-Chen A, Kenny RA, O'Halloran AM, McGuinness B, Smyth LJ, Hill C, Fiorito G, Faul J, McKnight AJ, McCrory C., Epigenetic Clocks Relate to Four Age-Related Health Outcomes Similarly across Three Countries., The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2025, pglaf036 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Aisling M. O'Halloran, Peter Hartley, David Moloney, Christine McGarrigle, Rose Anne Kenny, Roman Romero-Ortuno, Informing patterns of health and social care utilisation in Irish older people according to the Clinical Frailty Scale, HRB Open Research, 2021, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Fiorito, G., Polidoro, S. Dugue, P.A., Kivimaki, M., Ponzi, E., Matullo, G., Guarrera, S., Assummaa, M.B. Georgiadis, P., Kyrtopoulos, S.O. Krogh, V. Palli, D., Panico, S., Sacerdote, C. Tumino, R., Chadeau-Hyam, M., Stringhini, S., Severi, G., Hodge, A.M., Giles, G.G., Marioni, R., Linnér, R.K. O'Halloran, A., Kenny, R.A., Layte, R., McCrory, C., Baglietto, L., Milne, R.L., Vineis, P. (2017)., Social adversity and epigenetic aging: a multi-cohort study on socioeconomic differences in peripheral blood DNA methylation., Scientific Reports, 7, (1), 2017, p16391 - 16395, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
Mische-Jasmine McKelvie, Sharon Cruise, Mark Ward, Roman Romero-Ortuno, Frank Kee, Rose Anne Kenny, Dermot O"Reilly, Aisling M O"Halloran, Frailty on the island of Ireland: evidence from the NICOLA and TILDA studies, European Journal of Public Health, 34, (4), 2024, p710 - 716, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Moran R, Beatty S, Stack J, O'Halloran AM, Feeney J, Akuffo KO, Peto T, Kenny RA, Nolan JM., The Relationship Between Plasma Concentrations of Lutein and Zeaxanthin with Self-Reported and Actual Prevalence of AMD in an Irish Population-Based Sample., Current eye research, 2017, p383-390 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Roe LD, Normand C, Wren MA, Browne J, O'Halloran AM., The impact of frailty on healthcare utilisation in Ireland: evidence from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing. , BMC Geriatrics, 17, (203), 2017, Notes: [DOI 10.1186/s12877-017-0579-0], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Feeney J, O'Leary N, Moran R, O'Halloran AM, Nolan JM, Beatty S, Young IS, Kenny RA. , Plasma Lutein and Zeaxanthin Are Associated With Better Cognitive Function Across Multiple Domains in a Large Population-Based Sample of Older Adults: Findings from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging., The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences, Jan, 2017, p1-6 , Notes: [https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glw330], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
  

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O'Halloran, AM, Recognising Frailty: Insights from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)., : Integrated Care Approach for Frailty in the Older Person Conference. , Galway, Ireland, March 8th , 2017, Health Service Executive and Saolta Hospital Group, 1pp, Invited Talk, PRESENTED
Daniel Carey, Orna Donoghue, Sarah Gibney, Joanne Feeney, Rose Anne Kenny, Eamon Laird, Christine McGarrigle, Sinead McLoughlin, Triona McNicholas, Irene Mosca, Charles Normand, Aisling O'Halloran, Mary O'Shea, Lorna Roe, Siobhan Scarlett, Katie Tobin, Stephen Thomas, Dominic Trepel, Niall Turner, Mark Ward, Wellbeing And Health In Ireland's Over 50s 2009-2016. , Dublin, Ireland, The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing 2018, November, 2018, Report, PUBLISHED
Roe L, O'Halloran AM, Normand C, Murphy C., The impact of frailty on public health nurse service utilisation. Findings from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). , Dublin, Ireland, The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing., September, 2016, 1-28, Report, PUBLISHED
Aisling M. O'Halloran, Falls and Frailty in Ireland - Evidence from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), AGM of Chartered Physiotherapists of Ireland in Neurology and Gerontology, Dublin, Ireland, May 17, 2014, Chartered Physiotherapists of Ireland, Invited Talk, PRESENTED
Aisling O'Halloran, Mature Matters: Ageing, 2012, - 1, Miscellaneous, PUBLISHED
O'Halloran AM, Frailty and Falls in Ireland North and South: Preliminary Evidence from TILDA and NICOLA. , Joint Public Health Conference. , Belfast, UK, 8th November, 2018, Public Health Agency Northern Ireland and Health Service Executive, Invited Talk, PRESENTED
O'Halloran AM, Targeting Frailty to Prevent Disability: Insights from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). , National Disability Authority Annual Conference, Dublin, Ireland, 25th September, 2018, National Disability Authority, Invited Talk, PRESENTED
Tools for Assessing Frailty in Older People: General Concepts. in, editor(s)Nicola Veronese , Frailty and Cardiovascular Diseases, Switzerland, Springer, Cham, 2020, pp9 - 19, [Martin FC, O'Halloran AM.], Notes: [Series Print ISSN 0065-2598], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
O'Halloran AM, Frailty in Ireland - A developing landscape, Paul Wagstaff Commemorative Lecture, Dublin, Ireland, 9th September , 2019, Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists, Invited Talk, PRESENTED
Deirdre O'Connor , Anne M. Molloy , Eamon Laird, Rose Anne Kenny and Aisling M. O"Halloran, Sustaining an ageing population: the role of micronutrients in frailty and cognitive impairment, Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, Conference on `Food and nutrition: Pathways to a sustainable future" Symposium four: Sustaining an ageing population, (82), 2023, pp315-328 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED

  


Page 1 of 2
Award Date
Platform Presentation Award, Irish Gerontological Society Annual Scientific Meeting, Athlone. 05/10/2024
Best Abstract Award at Falls Frailty and Bone Health Europe Conference, Dublin. 10/11/2017
Best Presentation Medal at Irish Gerontological Society Annual Scientific Meeting, Kilarney 01/10/2016
CARDI Ageing Research Leadership Award March 2014
Best Research Presentation. Medical Gerontology Annual Research Meeting, Trinity College, Dublin March 2012
Commendation Award for Scientific Presentation at Irish Gerontological Society Annual (IGS) Scientific Meeting, Dublin September 2011
America-Ireland Fund Undergraduate Scholarship Award, Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin and School of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA May 1998
My research interests are focused on the biology of the ageing and age-related disease phenotypes including CVD, frailty and disability. I am also interested in maintaining resilience and intrinsic capacity as we age. My research aims to investigate biomarkers (genetics, epigenetics, metabolites, proteins, microbiomes and objective health measures) that best capture those who are experiencing accelerated biological ageing and who are therefore at risk for declining health and age-related disease/phenotypes. This information is utilized to inform disease prevention, detection and management strategies, and to improve health and social care policy and service planning. Also, this work will raise public awareness of frailty on the island of Ireland.