Elaine Toomey


Contact Details

Lecturer in School of Allied Health
 
researcher

Biography

Dr Elaine Toomey is a Lecturer in the School of Allied Health in the University of Limerick. She is also a Health Research Board 'Applying Research into Policy and Practice' Research Fellow. She is a Cochrane Ireland Research Associate and a member of both the Health Research Institute (University of Limerick) and the Health Behaviour Change Research Group (National University of Ireland Galway). Elaine is a Chartered Physiotherapist and obtained her PhD from University College Dublin (2016) and her MSc and BSc from the University of Limerick (2012, 2010). Until April 2020, Elaine was Associate Director of Cochrane Ireland within Evidence Synthesis Ireland and led the implementation of the Evidence Synthesis Ireland Fellowship Scheme. Previously, Elaine was a Health Research Board (HRB) Interdisciplinary Capacity Enhancement Post-doctoral Research Fellow (2016-2019), where she co-led the development of a complex behaviour change childhood obesity prevention intervention, with a specific focus on process and implementation outcomes. Elaine was a Visiting Researcher at Hunter New England Population Health Service/Newcastle University (Newcastle, Australia) in 2018, the Centre for Studies in Family Medicine in Western University (Ontario, Canada) in 2018, and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (Ontario, Canada) in 2017 and 2018. 
Elaine's research has two main strands - 1) utilising health behaviour change for chronic disease prevention and management, and 2) enhancing the methods used for the implementation of health research into policy and practice. She has specific methodological expertise in evidence synthesis, implementation science/knowledge translation, process evaluation and fidelity/adaptation of behaviour change interventions. In 2016 Elaine was awarded a Leamer-Rosenthal Prize for Open Social Science for Emerging Researchers from the University of California Berkeley for her work in fidelity and transparency of behaviour change interventions. She is also a Catalyst for the Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences (BITSS), a member of the Health Research Board Open Research National Steering Committee and a keen advocate for open science. She is a recipient of the Irish Canadian University Foundation James M. Flaherty Early Career Scholarship (2017), the UK Society for Behavioural Medicine Early Career Award (2020), the European Health Psychology Stan Maes Early Career Award (2020) and a Euroscience European Young Researcher Award (EYRA) finalist (2020). She has published over 60 peer-reviewed journal publications as well as numerous blogposts and alternative research outputs and has secured over €3.7million in national and international research funding as Principal Investigator or co-applicant/collaborator. 

Research Interests

Health behaviour change for chronic disease prevention and management.
Implementation science/knowledge translation and informed decision-making in health policy and practice.
Health research methods, e.g. evidence synthesis, fidelity and adaptation of complex behavioural interventions, process evaluations, and behavioural intervention development and evaluation.
Open science and health research transparency, stakeholder involvement and citizen science.

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
2021 'Fidelity of Interventions to Reduce or Prevent Stress and/or Anxiety from Pregnancy up to Two Years Postpartum: A Systematic Review'
Gorman G;Toomey E;Flannery C;Redsell S;Hayes C;Huizink A;Kearney PM;Matvienko-Sikar K; (2021) 'Fidelity of Interventions to Reduce or Prevent Stress and/or Anxiety from Pregnancy up to Two Years Postpartum: A Systematic Review'. Maternal And Child Health Journal, 25 (2) [DOI] [Details]
2021 'Enhancing the translation of health behaviour change research into practice: a selective conceptual review of the synergy between implementation science and health psychology'
Presseau J;Byrne-Davis LMT;Hotham S;Lorencatto F;Potthoff S;Atkinson L;Bull ER;Dima AL;van Dongen A;French D;Hankonen N;Hart J;Ten Hoor GA;Hudson K;Kwasnicka D;van Lieshout S;McSharry J;Olander EK;Powell R;Toomey E;Byrne M; (2021) 'Enhancing the translation of health behaviour change research into practice: a selective conceptual review of the synergy between implementation science and health psychology'. Health Psychology Review, [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2020 'Limited engagement with transparent and open science standards in the policies of pain journals: a cross-sectional evaluation'
Cashin AG,Bagg MK,Richards GC,Toomey E,McAuley JH,Lee H, (2020) 'Limited engagement with transparent and open science standards in the policies of pain journals: a cross-sectional evaluation'. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, [DOI] [Details]
2020 'Developing an open educational resource for open research: Protocol for the PaPOR TRAIL project'
Egan S;Tobin M;Palmer B;Coffey A;Dahly D;Houghton C;Ó Carragáin E;Toomey E;Dockray S;Matvienko-Sikar K; (2020) 'Developing an open educational resource for open research: Protocol for the PaPOR TRAIL project'. Hrb Open Research, 3 [DOI] [Details]
2020 'Exploring healthcare professionals' views of the acceptability of delivering interventions to promote healthy infant feeding practices within primary care: a qualitative interview study'
Toomey E;Flannery C;Matvienko-Sikar K;Olander EK;Hayes C;Heffernan T;Hennessy M;McHugh S;Queally M;Kearney PM;Byrne M;Heary C; (2020) 'Exploring healthcare professionals' views of the acceptability of delivering interventions to promote healthy infant feeding practices within primary care: a qualitative interview study'. Public Health Nutrition, [DOI] [Details]
2020 'Promoting scientific integrity through open science in health psychology: results of the Synergy Expert Meeting of the European health psychology society'
Kwasnicka D;Ten Hoor GA;van Dongen A;Gruszczy¿ska E;Hagger MS;Hamilton K;Hankonen N;Heino MTJ;Kotzur M;Noone C;Rothman AJ;Toomey E;Warner LM;Kok G;Peters GJ;Luszczynska A; (2020) 'Promoting scientific integrity through open science in health psychology: results of the Synergy Expert Meeting of the European health psychology society'. Health Psychology Review, [DOI] [Details]
2020 'Exploring factors that influence the practice of Open Science by early career health researchers: a mixed methods study'
Ze¿evi¿ K;Houghton C;Noone C;Lee H;Matvienko-Sikar K;Toomey E; (2020) 'Exploring factors that influence the practice of Open Science by early career health researchers: a mixed methods study'. Hrb Open Research, 3 [DOI] [Details]
2020 'Focusing on fidelity: narrative review and recommendations for improving intervention fidelity within trials of health behaviour change interventions'
Toomey E.;Hardeman W.;Hankonen N.;Byrne M.;McSharry J.;Matvienko-Sikar K.;Lorencatto F. (2020) 'Focusing on fidelity: narrative review and recommendations for improving intervention fidelity within trials of health behaviour change interventions'. Health Psychology And Behavioral Medicine, 8 (1):132-151 [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2020 'Investigating and evaluating evidence of the behavioural determinants of adherence to social distancing measures - A protocol for a scoping review of COVID-19 research'
Noone C;Warner N;Byrne M;Durand H;Lavoie KL;McGuire BE;Mc Sharry J;Meade O;Morrissey E;Molloy G;O'Connor L;Toomey E; (2020) 'Investigating and evaluating evidence of the behavioural determinants of adherence to social distancing measures - A protocol for a scoping review of COVID-19 research'. Hrb Open Research, 3 [DOI] [Details]
2020 'Personal protective equipment for preventing highly infectious diseases due to exposure to contaminated body fluids in healthcare staff'
Verbeek JH;Rajamaki B;Ijaz S;Sauni R;Toomey E;Blackwood B;Tikka C;Ruotsalainen JH;Kilinc Balci FS; (2020) 'Personal protective equipment for preventing highly infectious diseases due to exposure to contaminated body fluids in healthcare staff'. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 4 [DOI] [Details]
2020 'Feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial evaluating a theory-driven group-based complex intervention versus usual physiotherapy to support self-management of osteoarthritis and low back pain (SOLAS)'
Hurley DA;Jeffares I;Hall AM;Keogh A;Toomey E;McArdle D;McDonough SM;Guerin S;Segurado R;Matthews J; (2020) 'Feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial evaluating a theory-driven group-based complex intervention versus usual physiotherapy to support self-management of osteoarthritis and low back pain (SOLAS)'. Trials, 21 (1) [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2020 'Classification of aerosol-generating procedures: a rapid systematic review'
Jackson T;Deibert D;Wyatt G;Durand-Moreau Q;Adisesh A;Khunti K;Khunti S;Smith S;Chan XHS;Ross L;Roberts N;Toomey E;Greenhalgh T;Arora I;Black SM;Drake J;Syam N;Temple R;Straube S; (2020) 'Classification of aerosol-generating procedures: a rapid systematic review'. Bmj Open Respiratory Research, 7 (1) [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2020 'The Efficacy of Workplace Interventions on Improving the Dietary, Physical Activity and Sleep Behaviours of School and Childcare Staff: A Systematic Review'
Nathan N;Murawski B;Hope K;Young S;Sutherland R;Hodder R;Booth D;Toomey E;Yoong SL;Reilly K;Tzelepis F;Taylor N;Wolfenden L; (2020) 'The Efficacy of Workplace Interventions on Improving the Dietary, Physical Activity and Sleep Behaviours of School and Childcare Staff: A Systematic Review'. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health, 17 (14) [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2020 'The efficacy of PPE for COVID-19-type respiratory illnesses in primary and community care staff'
Khunti K.;Adisesh A.;Burton C.;Chan X.H.S.;Coles B.;Durand-Moreau Q.;Jackson T.;Ross L.;Straube S.;Toomey E.;Greenhalgh T. (2020) 'The efficacy of PPE for COVID-19-type respiratory illnesses in primary and community care staff'. The British Journal Of General Practice : The Journal Of The Royal College Of General Practitioners, 70 (697):413-416 [DOI] [Details]
2020 'Extended use or reuse of single-use surgical masks and filtering face-piece respirators during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: A rapid systematic review'
Toomey EC;Conway Y;Burton C;Smith S;Smalle M;Chan XS;Adisesh A;Tanveer S;Ross L;Thomson I;Devane D;Greenhalgh T; (2020) 'Extended use or reuse of single-use surgical masks and filtering face-piece respirators during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: A rapid systematic review'. Infection Control And Hospital Epidemiology, [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2020 'Are questionable research practices facilitating new discoveries in sport and exercise medicine? The proportion of supported hypotheses is implausibly high'
Büttner F;Toomey E;McClean S;Roe M;Delahunt E; (2020) 'Are questionable research practices facilitating new discoveries in sport and exercise medicine? The proportion of supported hypotheses is implausibly high'. British journal of sports medicine, 54 (22) [DOI] [Details]
2019 'Barriers and enablers to screening and diagnosing depression and diabetes distress in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus; protocol of a qualitative evidence synthesis'
McGrath N;McHugh S;Kearney PM;Toomey E; (2019) 'Barriers and enablers to screening and diagnosing depression and diabetes distress in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus; protocol of a qualitative evidence synthesis'. Hrb Open Research, 2 [DOI] [Details]
2020 'A core outcome set for trials of infant-feeding interventions to prevent childhood obesity'
Matvienko-Sikar, K,Griffin, C,Kelly, C,Heary, C,Pedersen, MLP,McGrath, N,Toomey, E,Harrington, J,Hennessy, M,Queally, M,Hayes, C,McSharry, J,Devane, D,Byrne, M,Kearney, PM (2020) 'A core outcome set for trials of infant-feeding interventions to prevent childhood obesity'. International Journal Of Obesity, [DOI] [Details]
2020 'A collaborative approach to developing sustainable behaviour change interventions for childhood obesity prevention: Development of the Choosing Healthy Eating for Infant Health (CHErIsH) intervention and implementation strategy'
Toomey, E,Matvienko-Sikar, K,Doherty, E,Harrington, J,Hayes, CB,Heary, C,Hennessy, M,Kelly, C,McHugh, S,McSharry, J,O'Halloran, J,Queally, M,Heffernan, T,Kearney, PM,Byrne, M (2020) 'A collaborative approach to developing sustainable behaviour change interventions for childhood obesity prevention: Development of the Choosing Healthy Eating for Infant Health (CHErIsH) intervention and implementation strategy'. British Journal Of Health Psychology, [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2019 'The effectiveness of health professional-delivered interventions during the first 1000 days to prevent overweight/obesity in children: A systematic review'
Hennessy, M,Heary, C,Laws, R,van Rhoon, L,Toomey, E,Wolstenholme, H,Byrne, M (2019) 'The effectiveness of health professional-delivered interventions during the first 1000 days to prevent overweight/obesity in children: A systematic review'. Obesity Reviews, 20 (12):1691-1707 [DOI] [Details]
2019 'Behaviour change techniques and theory use in healthcare professional-delivered infant feeding interventions to prevent childhood obesity: a systematic review'
Matvienko-Sikar, K,Toomey, E,Delaney, L,Flannery, C,McHugh, S,McSharry, J,Byrne, M,Queally, M,Heary, C,Kearney, PM (2019) 'Behaviour change techniques and theory use in healthcare professional-delivered infant feeding interventions to prevent childhood obesity: a systematic review'. Health Psychology Review, 13 :277-294 [DOI] [Details]
2019 'Using theatre as an arts-based knowledge translation strategy for health-related information: a scoping review protocol'
Hall A,Furlong B,Pike A,Logan G,Lawrence R,Ryan A,Etchegary H,Hennessey T,Toomey E, (2019) 'Using theatre as an arts-based knowledge translation strategy for health-related information: a scoping review protocol'. BMJ Open, 9 (10) [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2019 ''Influence of providing information to participants about development of trial outcomes on response rates and attitudes to questionnaire completion: Protocol for a study within a trial''
Griffin, C, Toomey, E, Queally, M, Hayes, C, Kearney, P. and Matvienko-Sikar, K. (2019) ''Influence of providing information to participants about development of trial outcomes on response rates and attitudes to questionnaire completion: Protocol for a study within a trial''. HRB Open Research, [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2019 'Implementation of a Calorie Menu Labeling Policy in Public Hospitals: Study Protocol for a Multiple Case Study'
Kerins, C., Houghton, C., McHugh, S., Geaney, F., Toomey, E., Hayes, C., Perry, I.J. & Kelly, C. (2019) 'Implementation of a Calorie Menu Labeling Policy in Public Hospitals: Study Protocol for a Multiple Case Study'. International Journal Of Qualitative Methods, 18 [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2019 'Health professional-delivered obesity prevention interventions during the first 1,000 days: A systematic review of external validity reporting'
Hennessy M,Heary C,Laws R,Van Rhoon L,Toomey E,Wolstenholme H,Byrne M, (2019) 'Health professional-delivered obesity prevention interventions during the first 1,000 days: A systematic review of external validity reporting'. HRB Open Research, 2 [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2019 'Physician-reported barriers to using evidence-based recommendations for low back pain in clinical practice: a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative studies using the Theoretical Domains Framework'
Hall AM,Scurrey SR,Pike AE,Albury C,Richmond HL,Matthews J,Toomey E,Hayden JA,Etchegary H, (2019) 'Physician-reported barriers to using evidence-based recommendations for low back pain in clinical practice: a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative studies using the Theoretical Domains Framework'. Implementation science : IS, 14 (1) [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2019 'Choosing Healthy Eating for Infant Health (CHErIsH) study: protocol for a feasibility study'
Matvienko-Sikar, K,Toomey, E,Queally, M,Flannery, C,Neill, KO,Dinan, TG,Doherty, E,Harrington, JM,Hayes, C,Heary, C,Hennessy, M,Kelly, C,Mc Hugh, SM,McSharry, J,Stanton, C,Heffernan, T,Byrne, M,Kearney, PM (2019) 'Choosing Healthy Eating for Infant Health (CHErIsH) study: protocol for a feasibility study'. BMJ Open, 9 [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2019 'Adapting health interventions for local fit when scaling-up: a realist review protocol'
Power J,Gilmore B,Valli¿s F,Toomey E,Mannan H,McAuliffe E, (2019) 'Adapting health interventions for local fit when scaling-up: a realist review protocol'. BMJ Open, 9 (1) [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2018 'Surveying knowledge, practice and attitudes toward intervention fidelity within trials of complex healthcare interventions'
McGee, D, Lorencatto, F, Matvienko-Sikar, K, Toomey, E. (2018) 'Surveying knowledge, practice and attitudes toward intervention fidelity within trials of complex healthcare interventions'. Trials, 19 (1) [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2018 'Addressing fidelity within complex health behaviour change interventions: A protocol of a scoping review of intervention fidelity frameworks and models'
Roy, R, Colquhoun, H, Byrne, M, Lorencatto, F,Matvienko-Sikar, K, McCleary, N, Nathan, N, Toomey, E. (2018) 'Addressing fidelity within complex health behaviour change interventions: A protocol of a scoping review of intervention fidelity frameworks and models'. HRB Open Research, [version 1; referees: 2 approved] [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2018 'Developing a Core Outcome Set for Childhood Obesity Prevention: A Systematic Review'
Matvienko-Sikar, K, Griffin, C, McGrath, N, Toomey, E, Byrne, M, Kelly, C, Heary, C, Devane, D, Kearney, P.M. (2018) 'Developing a Core Outcome Set for Childhood Obesity Prevention: A Systematic Review'. Maternal & Child Nutrition, [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2018 'Intervention Fidelity Within Trials of Infant Feeding Behavioral Interventions to Prevent Childhood Obesity: A Systematic Review'
Toomey, Elaine,Matvienko-Sikar, Karen,Heary, Caroline,Delaney, Lisa,Queally, Michelle,B Hayes, Catherine,M Kearney, Patricia,Byrne, Molly,Choosing Healthy Eating for Infant Health (CHErIsH) study team (2018) 'Intervention Fidelity Within Trials of Infant Feeding Behavioral Interventions to Prevent Childhood Obesity: A Systematic Review'. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, NULL (NULL) [Details]
2018 'Adapting Health Interventions for Local Fit when Scaling-up: A Realist Review Protocol'
Power, J, Gilmore, B, Valli¿s, F, Toomey, E, Mannan, H, McAuliffe, E. (2018) 'Adapting Health Interventions for Local Fit when Scaling-up: A Realist Review Protocol'. BMJ Open, [Details]
2018 'Do mothers accurately identify their child¿s overweight/obesity status during early childhood? Evidence from a nationally representative cohort study'
Queally, M, Doherty, E, Matvienko-Sikar, K, Toomey, E, Cullinan, J, Harrington, J, Kearney, P. (2018) 'Do mothers accurately identify their child¿s overweight/obesity status during early childhood? Evidence from a nationally representative cohort study'. International Journal Of Behavioral Nutrition And Physical Activity, 15 (56) [ULIR Link] [Details]
2018 'Transparent and reproducible pain research: a critical review'
Lee, H, Lamb, SE, Bagg, M, Toomey, E, Cashin, A, Moseley, L. (2018) 'Transparent and reproducible pain research: a critical review'. Pain, [ULIR Link] [Details]
2018 'The CHARMS pilot study: A multi-method assessment of the feasibility of a sexual counselling implementation intervention in cardiac rehabilitation in Ireland'
Murphy, P, Noone, C, D¿Eath, M, Casey, D, Doherty, S, Jaarsma, T, Murphy, A, O¿Donnell, M, Fallon, N, Gillespie, P, Jalali, A, McSharry, J, Newell, J, Toomey, E, Steinke, E, Byrne, M (2018) 'The CHARMS pilot study: A multi-method assessment of the feasibility of a sexual counselling implementation intervention in cardiac rehabilitation in Ireland'. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, [ULIR Link] [Details]
2017 'Addressing Intervention Fidelity Within Physical Therapy Research and Clinical Practice'
Toomey, E, Hardeman, W (2017) 'Addressing Intervention Fidelity Within Physical Therapy Research and Clinical Practice'. Journal Of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 47 (12):895-898 [DOI] [Details]
2017 'Behaviour change and self-management interventions in persistent low back pain'
Mansell, G, Hall, A, Toomey, E. (2017) 'Behaviour change and self-management interventions in persistent low back pain'. Best Practice & Research In Clinical Rheumatology, [ULIR Link] [Details]
2017 'Effects of healthcare professional delivered early feeding interventions on feeding practices and dietary intake: A systematic review'
Matvienko-Sikar, K, Toomey, E, Delaney, L, Harrington, J, Byrne, M, Kearney, P, CHErIsH study team (2017) 'Effects of healthcare professional delivered early feeding interventions on feeding practices and dietary intake: A systematic review'. Appetite, [DOI] [Details]
2017 'Development of an infant feeding core outcome set for childhood obesity interventions: study protocol'
Matvienko-Sikar, K,Byrne, M,Kelly, C,Toomey, E,Hennessy, M,Devane, D,Heary, C,Harrington, J,McGrath, N,Queally, M,Kearney, PM (2017) 'Development of an infant feeding core outcome set for childhood obesity interventions: study protocol'. Trials, 18 [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2017 'Parental experiences and perceptions of infant complementary feeding: A qualitative evidence synthesis'
Matvienko-Sikar, K, Sinnott, C, Byrne, M, Kelly, C, Toomey, E, McSharry, J, Heary, C, Houghton, C, Kearney, P. (2017) 'Parental experiences and perceptions of infant complementary feeding: A qualitative evidence synthesis'. Obesity Reviews, [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2017 'Augmenting home exercise programmes in multiple sclerosis with ¿exercise buddies¿: A pilot study'
Toomey, E, Coote, S (2017) 'Augmenting home exercise programmes in multiple sclerosis with ¿exercise buddies¿: A pilot study'. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 24 (2):54-61 [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2017 'Using mixed methods to assess fidelity of delivery and its influencing factors in a complex self-management intervention for people with osteoarthritis and low back pain'
Toomey, E, Matthews, J, Hurley, D. (2017) 'Using mixed methods to assess fidelity of delivery and its influencing factors in a complex self-management intervention for people with osteoarthritis and low back pain'. BMJ Open, 7 (8) [ULIR Link] [Details]
2016 'Sexual counselling for patients with cardiovascular disease: protocol for a pilot study of the CHARMS sexual counselling intervention'
Murphy, Patrick J,Mc Sharry, Jenny,Casey, Dympna,Doherty, Sally,Gillespie, Paddy,Jaarsma, Tiny,Murphy, Andrew W,Newell, John,O'Donnell, Martin,Steinke, Elaine E,Toomey, Elaine,Byrne, Molly (2016) 'Sexual counselling for patients with cardiovascular disease: protocol for a pilot study of the CHARMS sexual counselling intervention'. BMJ Open, 6 (66) [ULIR Link] [Details]
2016 'Development of a Feasible Implementation Fidelity Protocol Within a Complex Physical Therapy-Led Self-Management Intervention'
Toomey E,Matthews J,Guerin S,Hurley DA, (2016) 'Development of a Feasible Implementation Fidelity Protocol Within a Complex Physical Therapy-Led Self-Management Intervention'. Physical therapy, 96 (8) [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2016 'Sexual counselling for patients with cardiovascular disease: protocol for a pilot study of the CHARMS sexual counselling intervention'
Murphy, P. J., Mc Sharry, J., Casey, D., Doherty, S., Gillespie, P., Jaarsma, T., Murphy, A. W., Newell, J., O'Donnell, M., Steinke, E. E., Toomey, E., & Byrne, M. (2016) 'Sexual counselling for patients with cardiovascular disease: protocol for a pilot study of the CHARMS sexual counselling intervention'. BMJ Open, 6 [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2016 'Sexual counselling for patients with cardiovascular disease: protocol for a pilot study of the CHARMS sexual counselling intervention'
Murphy P, McSharry J, Casey D, Doherty S, Gillespie P, Jaarsma T, Murphy A, Newell J, O'Donnell M, Steinke E, Toomey E, Byrne M (2016) 'Sexual counselling for patients with cardiovascular disease: protocol for a pilot study of the CHARMS sexual counselling intervention'. BMJ Open, [Details]
2016 'Using intervention mapping to develop a theory-driven, group-based complex intervention to support self-management of osteoarthritis and low back pain (SOLAS)'
Hurley DA,Murphy LC,Hayes D,Hall AM,Toomey E,McDonough SM,Lonsdale C,Walsh NE,Guerin S,Matthews J, (2016) 'Using intervention mapping to develop a theory-driven, group-based complex intervention to support self-management of osteoarthritis and low back pain (SOLAS)'. Implementation science : IS, 11 [DOI] [ULIR Link] [Details]
2015 'Implementation fidelity of physiotherapist-delivered group education and exercise interventions to promote self-management in people with osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain: a rapid review part II'
Toomey E,Currie-Murphy L,Matthews J,Hurley DA, (2015) 'Implementation fidelity of physiotherapist-delivered group education and exercise interventions to promote self-management in people with osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain: a rapid review part II'. Manual Therapy, 20 (2) [DOI] [Details]
2015 'The effectiveness of physiotherapist-delivered group education and exercise interventions to promote self-management for people with osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain: a rapid review part I'
Toomey E,Currie-Murphy L,Matthews J,Hurley DA, (2015) 'The effectiveness of physiotherapist-delivered group education and exercise interventions to promote self-management for people with osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain: a rapid review part I'. Manual Therapy, 20 (2) [DOI] [Details]
2013 'Between-rater reliability of the 6-minute walk test, berg balance scale, and handheld dynamometry in people with multiple sclerosis'
Toomey E,Coote S, (2013) 'Between-rater reliability of the 6-minute walk test, berg balance scale, and handheld dynamometry in people with multiple sclerosis'. International journal of MS care, 15 (1) [DOI] [Details]
2013 'Exploring the use of ¿Exercise Buddies¿ to augment physiotherapy in the community for people with Multiple Sclerosis'
Toomey, E, Coote, S (2013) 'Exploring the use of ¿Exercise Buddies¿ to augment physiotherapy in the community for people with Multiple Sclerosis'. Physiotherapy Ireland, 34 (2):67-74 [DOI] [Details]
2012 'Physical rehabilitation interventions in nonambulatory people with multiple sclerosis: a systematic review'
Toomey E,Coote SB, (2012) 'Physical rehabilitation interventions in nonambulatory people with multiple sclerosis: a systematic review'. International Journal Of Rehabilitation Research. Internationale Zeitschrift Fu¿R Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue Internationale De Recherches De Re¿Adaptation, 35 (4) [DOI] [Details]

Conference Publications

  Year Publication
2017 Psychology, Health and Medicine
Toomey, E, Kearney, P, Matvienko-Sikar, K, Queally, M, Hayes, C, Doherty, E, Harrington, J, McHugh, S, Kelly, C, McSharry, J, Delaney, L, Heary, C, Byrne, M. (2017) The implementation fidelity of infant feeding interventions to prevent childhood obesity: a systematic review. Psychology, Health and Medicine 2017 Psychology, Health and Medicine [Details]
2016 The Society for Back Pain Research Conference
Toomey, E, Matthews, J, Hurley, D.A. (2016) ¿Exploring implementation fidelity of a complex behavior change self-management intervention for people with chronic low back pain and osteoarthritis¿ The Society for Back Pain Research Conference [Details]
2016 OARSI World Congress on Osteoarthritis
Hurley, D.A., Currie-Murphy, L., Hayes, D., Hall, A.M., Toomey, E., McDonough, S.M., Lonsdale, C., Walsh, N.E., Guerin, S. and Matthews, J. (2016) ¿Development of a complex group self-management intervention and feasibility trial for osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain¿ OARSI World Congress on Osteoarthritis [Details]
2015 The Society for Back Pain Research Conference
Toomey, E, Matthews, J, Currie-Murphy, L, Hurley, D.A. (2015) ¿The effectiveness of physiotherapist- delivered group education and exercise interventions to promote self-management for people with osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain: a rapid review part I¿ The Society for Back Pain Research Conference [Details]
2013 29th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, 18th Annual Conference of Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS)
Toomey, E, Coote, S (2013) ¿Augmenting physiotherapy home exercise programmes: a pilot evaluation of the ¿exercise buddy¿ model¿ 29th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, 18th Annual Conference of Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) Copenhagen, Denmark, [Details]
2012 17th Annual Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis (RIMS) Conference
Toomey, E, Coote, S (2012) ¿Rehabilitation and management of physical function in non-ambulatory people with Multiple Sclerosis ¿ a systematic review¿ 17th Annual Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis (RIMS) Conference [Details]

Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
2014 Early Career Researcher Travel Award UK Society for Back Pain Research
2020 European Health Psychology Society Stan Maes Early Career Award EHPS
2020 European Young Researcher Award (finalist) Euroscience
2020 Applying Research into Policy and Practice Fellowship (€249,518.92) Health Research Board
2020 UK Society for Behavioural Medicine Early Career Award UK Society for Behavioural Medicine
2009 HRB Summer Student Scholarship Health Research Board
2017 James M. Flaherty Early Career Research Award (€7200) Irish Canadian University Foundation
2016 Leamer-Rosenthal Emerging Researcher Prize for Open Social Science ($10,000) Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences, University of California, Berkeley
2013 Early Career Researcher Travel Award UK Society for Back Pain Research
2015 Early Career Researcher Travel Award UK Society for Back Pain Research

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
European Health Psychology Society Open Science Special Interest Group Co-Chair /
Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists Member /

Teaching Interests

I teach across allied health sciences and health psychology disciplines, using strategies aimed at maximising engagement, critical reflexivity and peer-learning including problem-based learning, groupwork and technology-supported methods. My teaching focuses predominantly in the following areas:

Evidence-based practice 
Chronic disease prevention and management
Health behaviour change
Physical activity promotion and exercise participation in the community
Health research methods
Social determinants of health
Knowledge translation and communication in healthcare