Edel Burton

Edel Burton is a Pharmacist and HRB SPHeRE PhD Scholar at the School of Public Health, University College Cork (UCC). Her research focuses on chronic disease prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, and pharmacotherapy optimization in aging populations, with a particular emphasis on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prehospital emergency care for stroke and transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs). She holds First Class Honours degrees in Pharmacy (BPharm, 2019) and Master of Pharmacy (2020), supported by the UCC Quercus Taught Masters Academic Scholarship. Her Master’s thesis explored antimicrobial processes in Irish hospitals.

Education & Awards:

• Bachelor of Pharmacy (First Class Honours), UCC, 2019
• Master of Pharmacy (First Class Honours), UCC, 2020
• UCC Quercus Taught Masters Academic Scholarship

Research Experience: Edel has clinical experience in community and hospital settings, including work on the Horizon 2020-funded OPERAM clinical trial. She currently collaborates with the ESPRIT research team to address health-services challenges in chronic disease prevention and emergency care. Her PhD project examines pandemic-related disruptions to stroke/TIA emergency care pathways.

Research Themes: Her work bridges clinical practice and policy, addressing antimicrobial stewardship, geriatric pharmacotherapy, and pandemic resilience in healthcare systems. She employs mixed-methods approaches to analyze prescribing patterns, healthcare disparities, and system-level interventions.

Grants & Collaborations: Funded by the HRB SPHeRE Programme, her research aligns with national priorities in chronic disease management and public health preparedness. She contributes to interdisciplinary networks like IPERN to advance paramedicine education and emergency care research.

Labs/Teams: Member of the ESPRIT research team at UCC’s School of Public Health.