Posted on: 19 March 2013
The Trinity Health Kidney Centre, an integrated hub of patient care, translational research and innovative education was launched on World Kidney Day, March 14 last. The Nephrology clinical service at Tallaght and St James’s Hospitals is forming a strategic alliance with the academic Nephrology Department in Trinity College Dublin under the auspices of Trinity Health Ireland. The new centre will combine clinical expertise, excellence in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, and cutting edge research in kidney disease.
The benefits of such a centre include enhanced clinical care. Formally linking clinical services on the Tallaght and St James’s sites will lead to the development of shared clinical guidelines and management protocols. Each unit will focus on providing complementary services to their respective hospital catchment areas with ultimately shared referral pathways and administrative structures. In particular, an integrated approach to managing the massive expansion in chronic kidney disease referrals will be employed in collaboration with local primary care physicians.
It will also give rise to more effective translational research. Close apposition of patient care and basic science is at the heart of research translation in both directions between the bench and bedside. High quality education will also be provided through the new centre to medical students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Those involved include Professor Mark Little (Consultant Nephrologist, academic lead), Ms Evonne Healey (Senior nurse practitioner), Dr Peter Lavin (Consultant Nephrologist), Dr George Mellotte (Consultant Nephrologist, clinical lead), Dr Catherine Wall (Consultant Nephrologist, education lead).
