St John of God University Hospital

27/02/2026

Today at 3.30pm, we continue marking Eating Disorders Awareness Week with our live webinar, Connection as Care: Why Recovery Can’t Happen in Isolation.

This year’s theme, Eating Disorders: Exploring Community and Connection, invites us to reflect on the role relationships, understanding and community supports play in recovery. Eating disorders can be deeply isolating experiences, often affecting not just the individual but those around them.

In this session, Jane O’Riordan, Occupational Therapist with our Eating Disorders Programme, and Harriet Parsons, CEO of Bodywhys, will discuss how clinical care and community organisations work alongside families to support people as they rebuild connection in practical and sustainable ways.

Connection can be a powerful part of recovery. We look forward to welcoming you this afternoon.

Registration remains open here https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/connection-as-care-why-recovery-cant-happen-in-isolation-tickets-1982890297257?aff=oddtdtcreator

25/02/2026

We’re pleased to highlight this upcoming online event hosted by Bodywhys - The Eating Disorders Association of Ireland as part of Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

“Including Families in Eating Disorder Treatment and Recovery” will explore the practical and emotional role families can play in supporting recovery, bringing together both clinical expertise and lived experience.

We’re delighted that Muireann O’Regan, Senior Social Worker and member of our Eating Disorders Recovery team at St John of God University Hospital, will be joining the panel to contribute her perspective.

📅 Wednesday 25 February
⏰ 2.00pm–3.30pm

Families are often central to recovery. This conversation will focus on how to involve them in a way that is supportive, informed and sustainable.
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YccfvJSySDmPR36KOxSibg #/registration

25/02/2026

Eating disorders narrow a person’s world. Recovery helps to widen it again.

As Eating Disorders Awareness Week continues, we’re sharing our latest episode of The Stigma Shift, Eating Disorders: Connection and Community.

Jane O’Riordan, Occupational Therapist with our Eating Disorders Programme, and Harriet Parsons, CEO of Bodywhys, discuss how eating disorders develop as coping mechanisms, how isolation compounds struggle, and why group support, family involvement and community care are central to recovery

This conversation is particularly significant as we mark 30 years of specialist eating disorder care at St John of God University Hospital, alongside three decades of advocacy and support from Bodywhys.

We’ll continue the conversation this Friday during our live webinar, Connection as Care: Why Recovery Can’t Happen in Isolation, exploring how clinical and community services work together to support recovery in practice.

Listen to the podcast and join us for the webinar by following the link in our bio.

23/02/2026

Today marks the beginning of Eating Disorders Awareness Week, running from 23 February to 1 March.

This year’s theme, Eating Disorders: Exploring Community and Connection, speaks directly to the focus of our latest episode of The Stigma Shift, "Eating Disorders: Connection and Community".

In this conversation, Jane O’Riordan, Occupational Therapist with our Eating Disorders Programme, and Harriet Parsons, CEO of Bodywhys - The Eating Disorders Association of Ireland, explore how eating disorders isolate people from relationships, routine and even from themselves. They discuss why these illnesses develop as coping mechanisms, how loneliness compounds the struggle, and how group work, family involvement and community supports help restore hope and continuity.

As we mark 30 years of specialist care at St John of God University Hospital, and three decades of advocacy from Bodywhys, this episode reflects on what has changed, what we understand better, and why collaboration remains central to recovery.

Listen to The Stigma Shift wherever you get your podcasts: https://podfollow.com/stjohn/episode/8d2346ecc1c422750470be0d4597c92e96d355b8/view

20/02/2026

Anxiety is often framed as something negative. In reality, it is part of our biological wiring and can even be protective.

In our latest episode of The Stigma Shift, "Anxiety Unpacked: What’s Really Going On Beneath the Surface", Clinical Nurse Specialist Carol Keegan explores how anxiety works, when it becomes overwhelming, and what actually helps in the moment.

19/02/2026

We are currently experiencing some disruption to incoming calls due to a fault affecting our landlines.

A temporary solution is now in place and our main number remains operational. Please continue to contact us on 01 277 1400 as usual.

We apologise for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience while the issue is being resolved.

18/02/2026

Eating Disorders Awareness Week runs from 23 February to 1 March.

This year is a significant one. Our Eating Disorders Recovery Programme marks 30 years since it began, and Bodywhys marked the same milestone last year. Three decades on, the message remains clear: recovery is strengthened by connection.

To mark this moment, we are pleased to collaborate with Bodywhys on a series of initiatives, including our upcoming webinar, Connection as Care: Why Recovery Can’t Happen in Isolation.

Jane O’Riordan, Occupational Therapist, and Harriet Parsons of Bodywhys will explore how clinical and community supports work together, why isolation can hinder recovery, and what meaningful connection looks like in practice. The session will include a live Q&A and is open to anyone with an interest in eating disorder recovery.

Registration is available via here: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/connection-as-care-why-recovery-cant-happen-in-isolation-tickets-1982890297257?aff=oddtdtcreator

17/02/2026

We hear the word anxiety everywhere. But what is actually happening beneath it?

In this episode of The Stigma Shift, Clinical Nurse Specialist Carol Keegan challenges one of the biggest misconceptions in mental health. Anxiety is not always the enemy. It is a primary emotion designed to protect us.

We explore the difference between everyday stress and clinical anxiety, why breathing techniques work physiologically, and how sleep, connection and movement shape resilience more than we realise.

Listen wherever you usually find your podcasts: https://podfollow.com/stjohn/episode/bc7776af6d13991e0d620b072ebbae9f2567f59a/view

16/02/2026

Eating Disorders Awareness Week runs from 23 February to 1 March.

As part of this year’s programme, St John of God University Hospital is hosting a live webinar, Connection as Care: Why Recovery Can’t Happen in Isolation, in conjunction with Bodywhys .

Recovery from an eating disorder is rarely a solitary process. It relies on clinical expertise, trusted relationships and the right community supports at the right time. In this session, Jane O’Riordan, Occupational Therapist, and Harriet Parsons of Bodywhys will explore why connection is not an optional extra in recovery, but a core part of it.

The webinar will include a live Q&A and is open to anyone with an interest in eating disorder recovery, whether professionally or personally.

Registration is available via Eventbrite here: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/connection-as-care-why-recovery-cant-happen-in-isolation-tickets-1982890297257?aff=oddtdtcreator

Eating Disorders Awareness Week Webinar- Connection as Care: Why Recovery Can’t Happen in Isolation

10/02/2026

Today we mark a significant milestone as Brother Hugh Gillan celebrates his Diamond Jubilee, 60 years as a St John of God Brother.

Brother Hugh is a deeply valued member of our organisation and an integral part of the Pastoral Care Department at St John of God University Hospital. Through his presence and practice, he consistently embodies our hospital values of hospitality, compassion and respect- offering calm, reassurance and understanding to patients, visitors, and colleagues alike.

We extend our sincere thanks to Brother Hugh for his six decades of service and for the lasting contribution he continues to make to our hospital community.

09/02/2026

Our latest episode of The Stigma Shift is now live.

In Anxiety Unpacked: What’s Really Going On Beneath the Surface, Carol Keegan, Clinical Nurse Specialist at St John of God University Hospital, explores anxiety in a way that is practical, compassionate and grounded in clinical reality.

The conversation unpacks the difference between everyday stress and clinical anxiety, challenges some of the most common misconceptions, and explains why anxiety is not always something to eliminate. Carol also shares clear, accessible strategies that can help in the moment, including breathing techniques, grounding approaches and the role of sleep, nutrition, movement and connection in building resilience over time.

The episode provides a clearer understanding of what anxiety really is, this episode offers reassurance, perspective and tools you can put into practice.

Listen now here: https://podfollow.com/stjohn/episode/bc7776af6d13991e0d620b072ebbae9f2567f59a/view

In this episode, we’re joined by Carol Keegan, Clinical Nurse Specialist at St John of God University Hospital, to explore the realities of living with anxiety. Carol breaks down the difference ...

06/02/2026

Today marks the launch of the Research & Innovation Hub at St John of God University Hospital.

As a university hospital, our responsibility extends beyond delivering high-quality care. We also have a duty to contribute to the evidence, education and innovation that shape how mental health services are designed, delivered and improved. The Research & Innovation Hub brings this commitment into focus.

Developed in partnership with leading academic institutions including University College Dublin, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and Trinity College Dublin, the Hub provides a single, coordinated structure to support multidisciplinary research, service improvement and education. It is designed to support projects from early design through to delivery, publication and implementation, ensuring research is embedded in clinical practice.

The Hub will support work across priority areas such as prescribing guidelines, precision psychiatry, psychological interventions and implementation research, informed by the priorities of frontline teams and shaped by lived experience. This approach reflects a clear ambition: to translate evidence into meaningful change for patients, families and services.

To underpin this work, the Hospital is investing in sustained research capacity, including long-term funding for established research programmes, new research roles, and dedicated support for clinicians who want to contribute to and lead research within a busy healthcare environment.

The Research & Innovation Hub builds on a strong track record of research and education at the Hospital. More importantly, it creates the conditions for future impact: deeper collaboration, stronger evidence, and care that continues to evolve in response to what patients and services need most.