Health psychology across the lifespan: uniting research, practice and policy.

The 32nd Annual Conference of the European Health Psychology Society conference took place at the University of Galway in 2018 and was the largest psychology conference to be held at the University.

A central aim of hosting the conference was to raise the profile of the University as a leading international centre for socially impactful health research. The theme of the conference was “Health Psychology Across the Lifespan: Uniting Research, Practice and Policy” and it raised awareness of the D1Now study bringing it to an international audience.

Health and Wellbeing is a key research theme in the School of Psychology and features the largest concentration of Health Psychologists and the largest programme of Health Psychology research on the island of Ireland.

The research is strongly aligned with the University’s strategic plan to engage with the wider world in key areas such as public health. To further its aims, the EHPS organises an annual conference, publishes journals, facilitates Special Interest Groups, and collaborates with other psychological organizations. All in the aim of spreading the knowledge and application of health psychology science and practice.

The conference was organised by the School of Psychology at the National University of Ireland Galway/NUIG (renamed University of Galway in 2022) under the auspices of the European Health Psychology Society.

Key highlights

The European Health Psychology Society conference had a significant social impact. Below are some key highlights:

• Brought D1Now, a project that aims to improve outcomes for young adults living with type 1 diabetes, to international attention.
• Helped identify the School of Psychology at University of Galway as a leading international research centre for socially impactful health research.
• Enabled the development of research capacity among researchers in Ireland to carry out socially impactful health research.
• Raised the profile of multiple programmes of Irish health research to an international audience.

Awards

Conference Ambassador Professor Gerry Molloy was recognised at Fáilte Ireland’s Conference Ambassador Recognition Awards 2023.

Our conference has helped raise the profile and importance of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in health research both nationally and internationally. It has also enhanced the international profile and visibility of University of Galway.

- Conference Ambassaddor Professor Gerry Molloy, University of Galway

European Health Psychology Society Annual Conference was aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals