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Ms. Tracey O'Neill

Assistant Professor (School of Nursing & Midwifery)
DOLIER STREET - SCHOOL OF NURSING
      
Profile Photo

Ms. Tracey O'Neill

Assistant Professor (School of Nursing & Midwifery)
DOLIER STREET - SCHOOL OF NURSING

 troneill@tcd.ie

 3531896 4161


Tracey O' Neill is an Assistant Professor in Children's Nursing, a PhD candidate and the Senior Sophister B.Sc Course Coordinator in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin. She is a Registered Children's Nurse, a Registered Nurse in Intellectual Disability, and a Registered Nurse Tutor. Tracey is an active member of interdisciplinary research teams and is affiliated with several research centres in Trinity College Dublin, including TRiCC (Trinity Research in Childhood Centre), the Child Health & Well-being Research Theme within the Trinity Centre for Maternity Care Research (TCMCR), and the Trinity Centre for Practice and Healthcare Innovation (TCPHI). Her research focuses on child and family health, with expertise in domestic violence, childhood diabetes, and diabetes technology. She is committed to ethical, child-centred inquiry, with specific expertise in participatory research methods involving children. Tracey has successfully disseminated her research nationally and internationally, developing a strong track record in peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and invited seminars. She has also contributed to the launch of funded research reports and has an emerging record of success in national and international grant applications. An experienced and skilled educator, Tracey teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in children's nursing. She is known for her innovative teaching approaches, including work with Academic Practice to embed AI in teaching and learning, and the use of high-fidelity clinical simulation. She is also actively engaged in developing collaborative relationships with clinical partners to enhance student learning and research collaborations.
  Child centred research questions, study design, data analysis   Children's Nursing   Domestic Violence   Nursing   Promotion of child centred research
Project Title
 An Evaluation of the Community Children's Programme for Meath Women's Refuge and Support Services (MWRSS).
From
1/4/2024
To
31/03/2025
Summary
The project aims to evaluate the practice and impact of the Community Children's Programme at Meath Women's Refuge and Support Services (MWRSS).
Funding Agency
Katharine Howard Foundation
Project Title
 BainnE: Breastfeeding Experiences of Mothers of Children with Down Syndrome in Ireland: A Sequential Explanatory Mixed Methods Case Study
From
To
Summary
Breast milk confers numerous documented benefits, including the provision of optimal nutrition, promotion of appropriate growth and development, and reduction in the incidence of infectious diseases among infants. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months of age and continuation alongside complementary feeding until the age of 2 years. The advantages of breastfeeding extend to both the mother and infant, including not only physiological and medical outcomes but also psychological and emotional well-being through maternal"infant bonding. Ireland's breastfeeding rates are amongst the lowest in Europe, with breastfeeding rates of infants with Down Syndrome being even lower. Several factors contribute to these low rates for infants with Down Syndrome, such as medical complications, including anatomical structural barriers. The proposed project presented in this application seeks to explore the breastfeeding experiences of mothers of children with Down Syndrome in Ireland to help develop more effective and responsive support services. This seed funding will facilitate a two-phased approach to explore breastfeeding initiation, exclusivity and duration amongst this cohort of breastfeeding mothers. Findings will inform breastfeeding and maternal-child health strategies. Furthermore, it will offer new insights with the potential to revolutionise breastfeeding support for families of children with Down Syndrome. Phase 1 of the project will proceed without funding
Funding Agency
Deans Research Initiatives Fund
Project Title
 Design-a-Study Day: A Co-Design PPI Workshop with Children on Managing Chronic Illness at School
From
To
Summary
This half-day PPI event, titled Design-a-Study Day, invites primary school-aged children with and without chronic illnesses (e.g., asthma, epilepsy) to participate in a co-design workshop that explores how health is experienced and supported in schools. Through structured, child-friendly mini-workshops, children will brainstorm, prioritise themes, and co-create research questions and project ideas that reflect their experiences of how their health is managed during the school day. The workshop will promote equity, empower children as co-researchers, and provide valuable insight into child-centred research design. Parents will be invited to remain on-site in a supportive "coffee corner," ensuring a welcoming and safe environment. The workshop findings will inform future research on health supports in schools, led by the applicants.
Funding Agency
Trinity PPI Festival Fund 2025
Project Title
 A case study evaluation of the use of webcams in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
From
To
Summary
Funding Agency
The Rotunda Foundation
Project Title
 NEXT-REALITY: EXTENDED REALITY AND CITIZEN SCIENCE-BASED PREPAREDNESS ECOSYSTEM FOR VULNERABLE POPULATION"S RESPONSE TO DISASTER AND HEALTH EMERGENCIES (NEXT-REALITY)
From
To
Summary
neXt-Reality aims to improve preparedness for and management of disasters and health emergencies by developing and implementing an eXtended Reality and Citizen Science-based preparedness ecosystem to empower vulnerable groups, particularly children and young people (C&YP).
Funding Agency
HORIZON-AG

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Details Date
Current member of the NCNN (Ireland's National Children's Nursing Network).
Current representative of the Children's Nursing Discipline from TCD on the Children's Health Ireland (CHI) Nurse Practice Committee.
Current member of the ISPAD Diabetes in Schools Special Interest Group 2024
Current member of TriCC (Trinity Research in Childhood Centre) 2023
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
Details Date From Date To
Registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) as a Registered Children's Nurse (RCN), Registered Nurse in Intellectual Disability (RNID), and Registered Nurse Tutor (RNT). 2000 Present
NCNN: Ireland's National Children's Nursing Network A national network connecting children's nursing professionals across Ireland to advance the discipline through collaboration, knowledge sharing, and advocacy for children's nursing practice and education. August 2023. present
ISPAD: International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes, including the Diabetes in Schools Special Interest Group An international society dedicated to improving the lives of children and young people with diabetes through research, education, and advocacy. Member of the Diabetes in Schools Special Interest Group, which focuses on supporting children with diabetes in educational settings internationally. August 2024 present
TRiCC: Trinity Research in Childhood Centre An interdisciplinary research centre at Trinity College Dublin dedicated to advancing research on children's health, wellbeing, and rights. TRiCC brings together researchers across disciplines to generate evidence that improves outcomes for children and families in Ireland and internationally August 2023 present
PPI Shared Learning Group in University College Cork A collaborative group bringing together PhD researchers from Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork to share learning, experiences, and best practice in Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) in doctoral research August 2023 present
Kirwan, L., & O'Neill, T., From co-pilot to care plans: Integrating generative AI into undergraduate children"s nursing education, Trinity Health and Education International Research Conference 2026, Dublin, Ireland, 3-5th March, 2026, 2026, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Smith, M., & O'Neill, T., Nurses experiences of caring for maltreated children in the acute care setting: An integrative review of the literature, Trinity Health and Education International Research Conference 2026, Dublin, Ireland, 3-5 March 2026, 2026, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Lennon S., Kirwan L., O'Neill T. & Coyne I., Student Nurses Perceptions, Experiences and Challenges with using Irish National Early Warning System in Clinical Practice., Trinity Health and Education International Research Conference (THEconf2026), School of Nursing and Midwifery, D'Olier Street, 05/03/2026, 2026, Oral Presentation, PUBLISHED
Hollywood, E., and O'Neill, T., Supporting women and children who have experienced domestic violence and abuse in the community setting, European Conference on Domestic Violence 2025, Barcelona, Spain, 3-5th September 2025, 2025, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Dr. Eleanor Hollywood, Tracey O Neill, Muluken Basa, Parental satisfaction in the management of their children's Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in the primary school environment., Trinity Health and Education International Research Conference 2025 (THEconf2025) 'Healthcare in times of crisis: adaptive responses and global innovations', Trinity College Dublin, 4th - 6th March 2025, 2025, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Hollywood, E., O"Neill, T and Basa, M., Parental satisfaction in the management of their children's Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in the primary school environment., Trinity Health and Education International Research Conference 2025 (THEconf2025)., School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, 5th - 6th March, 2025, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Tracey O Neill, Lisa Kirwan, Using GenAI to transform teaching methods and enhance students' learning outcomes in Children's and General Nursing students, Teaching & Learning Symposium 2025, Trinity College Dublin, 28/05/2025, 2025, Centre for Academic Practice TCD, Invited Talk, PUBLISHED  URL
Dr Eleanor Hollywood, Tracey O Neill, `Truly Be Me Supporting Children in the Community who have Experienced Domestic Violence and Abuse, Report launch of `Truly Be Me" Supporting Children in the Community who have Experienced Domestic Violence and Abuse, Cuan, the Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV) Agency 34-37 Clarendon Street, Dublin 2, D02DE61, 12th June 2025, 2025, Invited Talk, PUBLISHED
Tracey O Neill, Dr Eleanor Hollywood Dr Thelma Begley, The Use of Technology in the Management Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in the primary school environment: The Experiences of Irish school-aged children and their parents., Trinity Health and Education International Research Conference 2025 (THEconf2025) 'Healthcare in times of crisis: adaptive responses and global innovations', Trinity College Dublin, 4th - 6th March 2025, 2025, Poster, PUBLISHED
Hollywood, E and O'Neill, T, `Truly Be Me' Supporting Children in the Community who have Experienced Domestic Violence and Abuse, Trinity College Dublin, April, 2025, p1 - 95, Report, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text
  

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Tracey O'Neill is an Assistant Professor in Children's Nursing at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, and a doctoral researcher in the final stages of her PhD. Her research focuses on two complementary areas of child health and wellbeing: Diabetes care for school aged children in the primary school environment, and the experiences of children and young people affected by domestic violence. Tracey's primary research programme centres on how children with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and their families navigate diabetes care and the use of diabetes technology in educational settings. Her PhD study explores the experiences of school-aged children, their parents, and school personnel in Ireland. A scoping review arising from this work has been published in JBI Evidence Synthesis and the full review is currently in press. This research has been disseminated at national and international level, including at the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) conference in Lisbon (2024) and through the ISPAD Diabetes in Schools Research Interest Group. Tracey is also a co-investigator on funded research examining the experiences of children and young people affected by domestic violence in community settings. The 'Truly Be Me' report, co-authored with Dr Eleanor Hollywood and funded by the Katharine Howard Foundation, was published in April 2025 and launched at CUAN, the statutory agency under the remit of the Department of Justice dedicated to tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in Ireland. A peer-reviewed manuscript arising from this work is in press. Tracey is committed to child-centred and participatory research methodologies, embedding meaningful Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) across her research programme in collaboration with the PPI Ignite office at Trinity College Dublin. She is an active member of the Trinity Research in Childhood Centre (TRiCC) and the National Children's Nursing Network (NCNN). Her research has been supported by funding from the Katharine Howard Foundation, the Trinity PPI Festival Fund, the SNM Research Capacity-Building Scheme, and the Rotunda Hospital, and she has been a co-applicant on grant applications to Horizon Europe, the Health Research Board, and Tusla.