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DrMary Kennedy

Lecturer/Assistant Professor

School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice

Orcid identifier0000-0002-8991-2609 (opens in a new tab)⁠
  • Lecturer/Assistant Professor
    School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice
  • 353 1716 8585
  • University College Dublin, School of Social Policy Social Work and Social Justice, Sheehy-Skeffington Building Belfield Dublin 4

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Mary's research interests include the following:

Acute adult mental health social work practice,
Use of implementation science in social work practice,
The importance of adopting a life course perspective in social work education and practice,
The impact of adversity and trauma across the lifespan,
Health and social care professionals’ ACEs and background trauma as a consideration in practice,
Social workers’ understanding and application of epidemiological research data in practice,
The need for clinical/counselling supervision for social workers &
The importance of evidence based perpetrator interventions in domestic violence social work education and practice.

GRANTS

  • GRANT
    From Detection to Design: Student-Partnered AI-Transparent Assessment in Social Work (opens in a new tab)⁠
    SATLE (Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement) Funding, University College Dublin (UCD).1 Sep 2026 - 31 Dec 2027
    Artificial intelligence is already transforming higher education and professional practice. Rather than attempting to prohibit or simply detect AI use, this SATLE-funded student-partnered project recognises that the future of assessment lies in helping students use AI ethically, transparently, and critically. Working in partnership with Professional Master of Social Work (PMSW) students, the project will co-design, pilot, and evaluate innovative assessment approaches that make AI use explicit, support deeper learning, and strengthen students' digital capability and professional judgement. By foregrounding the role of AI in social work education, the project aims to prepare future practitioners to engage confidently and responsibly with emerging technologies in practice. The project will produce a transferable digital toolkit and evidence-informed guidance to support educators across disciplines in designing assessment that is authentic, transparent, and fit for an AI-enabled future.
  • GRANT
    Pioneering an evidence base for lifecourse informed psychoeducation for depression: An Irish multi-generational cohort study. (opens in a new tab)⁠
    UCD College of Social Sciences and Law1 Nov 2025 - 31 Dec 2027
    The interdisciplinary (social work and psychiatry) pilot study aims to find out which common life events affect depressive illnesses in an Irish multi-generational cohort. This study is the first part of a longer term project. The results will help create a life-course informed psychoeducational programme to educate people about depression, using the experiences and wisdom of those who have lived with it, their spouses/partners, and mental health professionals. To meet this longer-term objective, this pilot study will focus on developing a survey to measure life events that impact depressive illnesses. Once the survey has been developed it will be tested with three participant cohorts (adults with a past or current diagnosis of depressive illness attending community mental health services, their spouse/partners, and mental health multi-disciplinary team members).
  • GRANT
    Are human rights negated for women in addiction seeking domestic violence support and refuge?
    Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission1 Jan 2024 - 1 Jul 2024
    This IHREC funded study will investigate whether human rights are negated for women in addiction seeking domestic violence support and refuge. The funding was sought by The SAOL Project, an integrated programme of education, rehabilitation, advocacy and childcare in Dublin 1 and the research will be coordinated and managed by myself as principal investigator.