Dr. Rachel McCauley

Dr Rachel McCauley is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health at Dublin City University. She completed her PhD in Health Sciences at Trinity College Dublin as a recipient of the Provost's PhD Award Scholarship and previously obtained an MSc in Health Psychology from the University of Galway as a recipient of the Hardiman Scholarship.

Rachel's research focuses on the psychological and social determinants of health, and marginalised communities, with particular interests in palliative care, bereavement, mental wellbeing, and the experiences of people living with complex health conditions. Her work employs qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods approaches to explore how individuals, families and healthcare professionals experience illness, caregiving and loss, with a strong emphasis on patient and public involvement (PPI) and translating research into improvements in healthcare policy, education and practice.

Rachel has published in leading international journals and presented her research at national and international conferences. Her work has received several awards, including the Vlček Family Foundation Young Researcher Award for paediatric palliative care, and has contributed to educational initiatives being implemented within the Irish healthcare system. She has recently completed the Cost2Care project alongside colleagues Dr. Marcia Kirwan (PI), Dr. Anna Connolly, Prof. Anne Matthews and Prof. Anthony Staines. More information and publications from the Cost2Care project can be found here.