Dept of Health and Sports Science

29/10/2026

A big well done to our fantastic fourth-year students who recently helped out at the Dublin City Marathon Expo! 👏

It was a great opportunity for our students to get involved behind the scenes of a major sporting event, supporting the registration of the 22,500 runners taking part in the Marathon.

We’re delighted to see our students gaining valuable hands-on experience, putting their skills into practice and making the most of opportunities beyond the classroom. Well done to everyone involved!

23/10/2026

Congratulations Jack Sweeney who successfully completed his Viva today.
Jacks supervisors are Dr Noel Richardson and Dr P.J White his internal supervisor was Dr Dean McDonnell his external supervisor Dr Phillipe Roy and the chair today was Dr David Culleton

22/10/2026

Dr Ciara O Hagan presenting at the All Island Institute of Public Health webinar “Stronger for Longer: Building Strength and Muscle as We Age”

She presented on community-based strength training research carried out with Dr Conor Dowling, Dr Lawrence King, and Brian Mulhare”

20/10/2026

Congratulations Dr Kevin O Brien who graduated yesterday from DCU.
Kevin’s thesis is called Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Vascular Structure and Function in First-Year Post-Primary School Students

15/10/2026

Dr Sharon Kinsella taking part in a panel discussion at Active Disability Ireland launch of a new training and education framework at the Sports Ireland Campus

13/10/2026

Building Strength, One Rep at a Time!
Our first year Athletic Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation students have been putting theory into practice in their Strength & Conditioning – Resistance Training module!
This session focused on structuring an effective upper-body horizontal push workout, learning the key coaching points for each exercise and putting their skills to the test by coaching their classmates.
Developing practical skills, building confidence and learning to coach for performance!

08/10/2026

I am a 3rd year Athletic therapy and sports Rehabilitation student. This year one of our modules is Sports nutrition.

In our sports nutrition lab, we are currently investigating how carbohydrate intake can affect blood glucose levels and energy levels during high intensity exercise. Recently we have started some testing procedures on participants. In this sports lab, we are investigating the effects of a carbohydrate (CHO) drink compared with a placebo drink during two separate 60-minute time trials.

Participants consumed either the carbohydrate drink or placebo while completing the exercise test. It is blind testing meaning the participant nor the examiner knows which drink the participant is consuming. Blood glucose levels were measured at different stages of the test to observe how carbohydrate intake affects blood glucose during intense exercise. Other variables such as heartrate, RPE and VO2 were also measured as part of this testing.

The results help us understand the role of carbohydrates in providing energy and maintaining blood glucose during exercise and the effects carbohydrates have on other body systems during exercise.

07/10/2026

06/10/2026

Strength & Conditioning in Action!

Our first-year Sports Rehabilitation & Athletic Therapy students are getting hands-on in their Strength & Conditioning module! 🏋️‍♀️

This week, they’re learning how to perform and coach push exercises, including:
🔹 Press-ups
🔹 Dumbbell presses

Building strong foundations in technique, movement and training principles from day one! 💪