DrMarion Rowland

Epidemiological studies, which provide large cohorts of well-characterized participants, are a key platform to enable the translation of new technologies and laboratory techniques into real advances in patient care. As an island nation I believe we have a unique opportunity to contribute to future advances in translational research in a number of areas. My research has focused on long-term epidemiological studies, which seek to increase our understanding of the disease process/phenotype in the areas of Cystic Fibrosis, Helicobacter pylori, and Functional Disorders in Children. Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis [CF] is the commonest life-shortening inherited disease of Caucasians. Our research interest is in cystic fibrosis liver disease, which affects 10% of children with CF. We are attempting to identify the risk factors for severe liver disease because of its associated reduced life expectancy. Following on from our earlier studies we are now undertaking a long-term national study of all children with CF in Ireland to characterize the different phenotypes in CF liver disease and to provide a better understanding of the disease process as we search for new therapeutic options. This requires close collaboration with our clinical colleagues across Ireland who provide care for patients with CF. Helicobacter pylori . Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) causes peptic ulcer disease, which in the past resulted in 20% of all acute hospital admissions. H. pylori is also a risk factor for stomach cancer. Our studies on H. pylori which have been funded by The Wellcome Trust (UK) and the Health Research Board (Ireland) have focused on the prevalence and transmission of infection among families. These studies depend on the co-operation of a network of dedicated family/general practitioners throughout Ireland. The results of these studies have been published on number of occasions in Gastroenterology, the highest-ranking international gastroenterology journal. Functional Disorders in Children I lead and collaborate with studies in the area of cyclical vomiting (CVS) and functional abdominal pain in children. The Irish Pediatric Surveillance Unit provided us with a unique opportunity to examine the incidence of CVS, which is considered to be a rare condition in children. Using well-defined criteria for CVS with the IPSU format of monthly surveys of Pediatricians we found that CVS is a relatively common and very distressing condition for children and their families. In raising awareness of CVS among pediatricians nationally we believe that we have also improved the management and outcome of CVS for children in Ireland. We are now engaged in clinical studies on the natural history of CVS with Professor Billy Bourke the pediatric gastroenterologists. Providing a research support to liaison psychiatry and pediatric gastroenterology we helped identify the key factors in the successful management of functional abdominal pain in children. I believe it is a responsibility for clinical epidemiologists to support clinicians who are undertaking clinical research projects in their own area. It is often difficult for young clinicians to initiate research because of the challenges involved in study design and analysis of data. This has resulted in my involvement in projects across a wide range of specialties varying from oral Crohns disease, dermatology to colorectal surgery.