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Dr. Stephen Byrne from the University of Cork College became Dalhousie's first Dobbin Scholar in March of this year. He was hosted by the College of Pharmacy and funded by the Ireland Canada University Foundation's Dobbin Scholarship. Started in 1993, the Dobbin Scholarship is awarded to several academics from both Ireland and Canada each year, with the aim of promoting the exchange of knowledge and ideas between the two countries.

The visit allowed Dr. Byrne to extend his collaboration with Dalhousie researchers.  Dr. Byrne and his PhD student David O'Sullivan recently worked with researchers Barbara Hill-Taylor (Pharmacy), Ingrid Sketris (Pharmacy), Jill Hayden (Community Health and Epidemiology) and Russell Christie (Masters in Community Health and Epidemiology student) to conduct a recently published systematic review of the impact of the use of the STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Person's potentially inappropriate Prescriptions) and START (Screening Tool to Alert doctors to the Right Treatment) criteria.*  These criteria, developed in Cork, are widely used to assist health professionals in identifying and managing potentially inappropriate prescribing in older adults.  During his visit, Dr. Byrne developed plans to compare drug use patterns in Ireland and other parts of the European Union with Nova Scotia.

To learn more about Dr. Byrne and his visit to Dalhousie, read the DalNews story.

*Hill Taylor B, Sketris I, Hayden J, Byrne S, O'Sullivan D, Christie R.  Application of the STOPP/START Criteria: A systematic review of the prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescribing in older adults and evidence of clinical, humanistic and economic impact.  Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.  2013 April 2.  Doi: 10.1111/jcpt.12059.  View online - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcpt.12059/abstract