Dr. Leona Bannon
Leona Bannon is a critical care nurse and Assistant Professor in General Nursing at Dublin City University. As an early career researcher, she is committed to driving a collaborative programme of nurse-led critical care research to improve patient outcomes in intensive care settings. In 2015, Dr. Bannon was awarded a Doctoral Fellowship from the Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland (£150,350), where she led the design of her doctoral studies in collaboration with Professor Bronagh Blackwood. She contributed to impactful trials as part of the Northern Ireland Clinical Trials Unit (NICTU), including HARP 2 and LEOPARDS, working with Professor Danny McAuley. Leona is a registered nurse with a BSc (Hons) Nursing Science (2004), and earned her PhD in Medicine (2021) at Queen’s University Belfast.
Leona is also an active member of the HRB Irish Critical Care Clinical Trials Network (HRB-ICC-CTN), the Irish Critical Care Nurse Researcher Group (ICCNRG), Irish Association of Critical Care Nurses (IACCN) (research lead) and has strong collaborations with the Northern Ireland Clinical Research Network for Critical Care. In addition to her role as a COST2CARE study collaborator, Leona received funding from the Irish Critical Care Clinical Trials Group in 2024 to investigate delirium management in Irish ICUs. Her research has directly contributed to the evidence base for non-pharmacological interventions for delirium, including conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis (Intensive Care Medicine), qualitative stakeholder interviews (Australian Critical Care Nursing Journal, Best Research Paper Award, 2018), and the development of protocols and study materials.
Leona’s research agenda focuses on advancing the uptake of evidence-based delirium management interventions, integrating contemporary theory and robust methodology, and enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration in nursing research and practice
Research Interests
My research interests center on improving outcomes for critically ill patients through the prevention and management of delirium, with a strong emphasis on non-pharmacological interventions within intensive care and acute healthcare settings. I am committed to designing, testing, and implementing multicomponent nursing interventions supported by contemporary theories and sound methodological frameworks, aiming to reduce delirium incidence and duration while promoting patient safety and recovery. A core aspect of my work involves advancing the uptake and integration of evidence-based interventions into routine clinical practice, addressing barriers to implementation, and evaluating their effectiveness in real-world settings. I am also interested in exploring strategies for facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration and supporting nurses in the translation of research findings, guidelines, and protocols to enhance patient care and professional development.
Teaching Interests
My teaching interests are anchored in advancing evidence-based nursing education, with a particular focus on postgraduate learners and clinical practice integration. I am passionate about developing educational materials, designing innovative assignments, and guiding students through research proposal writing, reflective practice, and competency-based assessments in both classroom and clinical settings. As an assistant professor, I have coordinated modules on nursing professional conduct, ethics, and research methods, and have supervised projects that bridge theory and practice in acute and critical care contexts. My approach values student-centered, active learning and emphasizes the development of clinical reasoning, leadership, and lifelong learning skills necessary for professional nursing practice. I also enjoy creating engaging multi-modal content, such as podcasts and video interviews, to further enhance nursing students’ exposure to current professional challenges and reflective opportunities.