The Department of General Practice's overall research aim is to enhance evidence-based general practice and chronic disease diagnosis and management.  The Department has many active research interests including supporting medicines optimisation in general practice, multimorbidity management, risk prediction of adverse health outcomes and older person care (especially in the management of dementia).   There are currently HRB-funded research projects ongoing in the areas of characterising problematic polypharmacy in older people and the development and dissemination of evidence-based updates to GPs, in collaboration with the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP). Other research interests include GP management of common dermatological conditions and interprofessional learning.

We collaborate and have partnerships with researchers from a wide range of disciplines and institutions and use mixed methods in our research including quantitative analysis of large, routine datasets; randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews and qualitative studies.

GP departmental academic staff hold several leadership positions nationally.

Professor Wallace is Chair of the Association of University Departments of General Practice in Ireland, Chair of the ICGP Quality and Safety in Practice Committee, Associate Director of the Irish Clinical Academic Training (ICAT) PhD programme and sits on the scientific advisory boards of TILDA and the HRB Primary Care Clinical Trials Network.

Professor Foley is co-convener of the ICGP’s Clinical Competency Test, a member of the scientific advisory board of The Alzheimer Society of Ireland and a member of the National Dementia Strategy Programme Implementation board.