Funded PhD: Empowering people with cerebral palsy through digital health – perspectives on and codesign of a shared digital portal

• Principal investigator(s) Prof. Jennifer Ryan , Prof. Denise McDonald, Prof. Simon Woodworth , Dr Grace Lavelle
• Research theme Population Health and Health Services

CP is the most common cause of lifelong physical disability in childhood. It results from damage to the developing brain and primarily affects movement and posture. The impact of CP can change across the lifespan, with individuals often experiencing secondary complications such as pain, fatigue and musculoskeletal conditions.

As a result, individuals with CP and their families have frequent interactions with healthcare services and generate substantial amounts of health information throughout their lives. Despite this, people with CP and their families often have limited opportunities to access, understand or make use of the health data collected about them.

The successful candidate will explore the perspectives of people with CP and families on the use of health data, and co-design, develop and evaluate a digital portal linked to the Irish Cerebral Palsy Registry.

A defining feature of this project is its strong focus on co-design and user-centred design. Working in partnership with people with CP, families, healthcare professionals, researchers and software developers, the successful candidate will use design thinking and human-centred design approaches to understand user needs, generate solutions, develop prototypes and conduct user testing.

Through workshops, interviews and iterative evaluation activities, the project will ensure that the portal is shaped by the priorities, preferences and lived experiences of the people who will ultimately use it.

The project will also explore the perspectives of people with CP and their families regarding the use, access and sharing of electronic health data. This will help identify how digital solutions can be designed to promote trust, transparency, accessibility and meaningful engagement with health information.

The objectives of the project are to:

• Explore the perspectives of people with CP and families regarding the use, access and sharing of electronic health data.
• Understand the information needs, preferences and priorities of people with CP and their families.
• Codesign a prototype patient/parent portal and personal health record linked to the Irish Cerebral Palsy Registry.
• Evaluate the usability, accessibility, acceptability and implementation of the portal among families and healthcare professionals.

This project offers an exciting opportunity for a PhD researcher interested in digital health, user experience (UX), human-centred design, health technology, implementation science and patient-centred innovation.

The successful candidate will gain expertise in co-design, qualitative and mixed-methods research, usability testing and digital health evaluation, while contributing to the development of a novel digital solution with the potential to improve the lives of people with CP and their families.

The project will be based within the CP-Life Research Centre in the School of Physiotherapy at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, which is dedicated to generating and translating high-quality research into improvements in services, supports and health outcomes for people with cerebral palsy across the lifespan.

This research project is funded by Research Ireland.

Tenure: Three years

Start date: 1 March 2027

Specification

Minimum requirements

• Have an upper second class (2.1) honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject or; MB/BAO/BCh degrees or; an MSc degree in a relevant subject.
• Demonstrated proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Demonstrated interest in research and evidence-based healthcare.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.

Desirable candidate specifications

• Experience involving patients, families or the public in research, service design, or user design.
• Knowledge of co-design, participatory design, human-centred design or design thinking methodologies.
• Experience conducting quantitative or qualitative research.
• Knowledge of user-centred design, usability testing or UX evaluation methods.
• Awareness of data governance, GDPR and ethical considerations in health data research.
• Interest in disability research, rehabilitation, health services research or person-centred care.
• Passionate about improving healthcare experiences through innovation and technology.
• Comfortable working with diverse stakeholders, including people with lived experience, clinicians, researchers and software developers.
• Creative, curious and motivated to solve real-world healthcare challenges.
• Interested in translating research into practical solutions that improve outcomes for patients and families.
• Enthusiastic about developing expertise across research, digital health, implementation science and user experience design.

Application process

Please apply for the research project through the link below.

Applications must include:

• A completed application form
• English language requirements