Researcher profile

John O'Donoghue

Interest in eHealth/Digital Health within the Department of Business Information Systems, Cork University Business School at University College Cork, Ireland. Formerly a Senior Lecturer in eHealth at Imperial College London in the Department of Primary Care and Public Health. I am Principal Investigator for eHealth within the Global Health Research Group at University College Dublin and a Visiting Associate Professor in the School of Medicine at UCD. Editorial board member for the journal of the BMC Digital Health & PLOS Digital Health. I hold a B.Sc. in Computer Science and an M.Sc. in Real-Time Systems and Simulation from the Munster Technology University, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from University College Cork. My research work operates across two roles: Founder and Director of the Malawi eHealth Research Centre, http://www.ehealthmalawi.org/ Mission statement: To establish long-term sustainable eHealth capacity in the areas of education, research and innovation, in order to enhance the effectiveness of healthcare services. Founder and Chair of the CLEAR Consortium, https://www.clearesearch.org/ Mission statement: Our mission is to advance evidence-based research and policy that strengthens the quality, accessibility, and equity of online consultations and telehealth. We work to inform best practices, guide innovation, and support systems that ensure safe, effective, and patient-centered digital health care for all. Awards/Memberships • WHO SPI-DDH Working group member 2024-present. • University College Cork, President’s Award for Teaching Excellence, 2024. • Member of the Malawian Ministry of Education Working Group, 2022-present. • Appointed a Fellow at the Higher Education Authority (HEA), 2016-present. • Member of the Malawi Ministry of Health, mHealth Working Group, 2016-present. • Appointed a Fellow at the British Computer Society (BCS), 2015-present. • University College Cork, Early-Stage Researcher of the Year, 2013. • Irish Healthcare Awards for best use of I.T. in Healthcare (e-NEWS project), 2011. • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Ballou & Pazer Data & Information Quality, 2008. • Irish Healthcare Awards for best use of I.T. in Healthcare (A&E WBAN project), 2008. My research interests and expertise lie in digital health in primary care across both developed and developing country contexts, with a strong emphasis on telehealth, online consultations, and mobile health applications. Much of my work focuses on the design, implementation, and evaluation of digital interventions, including wearable technologies such as smartwatches, and their role in supporting patient engagement, self-management, and data sharing with healthcare providers. I also investigate the compliance of digital health applications with international clinical guidelines and the broader issues of governance, data quality, and interoperability in digital health systems. In addition, I work extensively on health systems strengthening in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Malawi, where I lead initiatives to build sustainable eHealth capacity in education, research, and clinical practice. This includes addressing questions of equity and access to digital health services, as well as the development of sustainable ICT infrastructures that can support long-term healthcare delivery in resource-constrained settings. My total research funding as a PI/Co-PI/Collaborator exceeds 38 million Euros via Research Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, EU funding and multiple industry partners. Methodologically, my research employs mixed methods to evaluate feasibility, usability, acceptability, and cost-effectiveness, with the goal of generating robust evidence to inform digital health policy and practice. My publications span a wide range of topics, including digital health literacy, mobile app evaluation, patient-centred telehealth models, sustainable ICT infrastructures, and the ethical, social, and regulatory implications of digital health. Do contact me if you are interested in pursuing masters or doctoral research within my areas of interest: john.odonoghue@ucc.ie.