Prof Darragh Flannery talks Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) and KBS Research Impact

In this episode, Finbarr and Erin chat with their colleague from the Department of Economics, Prof Darragh Flannery about his research projects and the real impact on community and healthcare in Ireland.

Prof Flannery discusses one of his impactful projects, partnering with Debra (https://www.debra.ie/what-is-eb/), an advocacy group for people with EB, presented to the government, on Epidermolysis Bullosa a rare and debilitating disease that impacts approximately 300 people in Ireland. Prof Flannery's research illustrates the relatively small investment it would take by the government to change people's lives.

"Imagine if your skin was as fragile as a butterfly wing. If it broke, teared, and blistered at the slightest touch. If you had skin that took four hours every day to bandage to keep you alive. Or skin that would not allow you to walk without your feet splitting and burning."

They also discuss his research on single-sex secondary schools from a performance perspective. Listeners will be surprised at the results!

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/education/2023/02/22/single-sex-schools-provide-no-academic-advantage-study/

Dr. Darragh Flannery is an Associate Professor in economics at the University of Limerick. He completed his doctoral studies at the National University of Ireland, Galway on the Economics of Higher Education. Darragh's research focuses on using applied micro-econometric methods to examine policy issues in education, and more recently in health economics.
More specifically, he has conducted research in areas such as student loans, geographical and socioeconomic influences in higher education participation, student mental health services, and the returns to education. He has published his work on these issues in journals such as Economics of Education Review, International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, Studies in Higher Education, Oxford Economic Papers, Empirical Economics, Manchester School, and Applied Health Economics and Health Policy.

He is currently working on a number of different research projects in the education and health space including an examination of single-sex schooling and academic performance, the economic costs of the rare skin disease Epidermolysis Bullosa, and the impacts of international student mobility on labor market outcomes. The latter project forms part of EU COST Action CA20115; European Network on International Student Mobility.

Debra is dedicated to transforming the lives of people living with EB, caring for someone with EB, or bereaved by EB, through care, research, and advocacy.

https://www.debra.ie/what-is-eb/

https://www.ul.ie/research/dr-darragh-flannery

This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala