Dr Niamh Merriman is an Assistant Professor in Community Health in Dublin City University (DCU) School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health. She is currently leading the HRB-funded HipCog Study: evaluating the impact of cognitive impairment on outcomes for older adults with hip fracture (previously at University College Dublin). The project aims to support the national Irish Hip Fracture Database to drive improvements in care quality following hip fracture for people with cognitive disorders throughout the hip fracture care pathway.
Prior to joining the DCU School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health in 2025, Niamh was a HRB Fellow in the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin. She was previously a HRB Collaboration in Ireland for Clinical Effectiveness Reviews (CICER) Research Fellow, based in the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) and Trinity College Dublin, where she conducted evidence syntheses to support the development of evidence-based recommendations in national clinical guidelines and national clinical audits. She also worked as a Senior Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Health Psychology in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), where her research focused on diagnosis and rehabilitation of post-stroke cognitive impairment.
Her PhD was in Experimental Psychology, obtained from the School of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience in Trinity College Dublin in 2016 and focused on ageing and spatial navigational abilities. She has extensive interdisciplinary experience across experimental psychology, population health, and computer graphics and expertise across a range of research methods, including qualitative and quantitative research methodology, complex intervention design, experimental study design, and evidence synthesis.
Peer Reviewed Journal
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Louise Brent; Pamela Hickey; Mary Walsh; Fidelma Fitzpatrick; Niamh A. Merriman; Elaine Byrne (2026) 'Understanding how a national clinical audit is established, maintained and sustained using the Irish Hip Fracture Database as an exemplar: a realist evaluation protocol [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]'. HRB Open Research, . [DOI] | |
| 2025 | Catherine Nora Moran; Isabelle Jeffares; Joan McCormack; Niamh A Merriman; Carlos Bruen; Agnes Jonsson; Paul Murphy; Khyber Afridi Rabbi; Joseph Harbison; David Williams; Peter Kelly; Rónán Collins; Eithne Sexton; Frances Horgan; Máirín Ní Bheacáin; Elaine Byrne; John Thornton; Collette Tully; Anne Hickey (2025) 'Enhancing acute stroke care in Ireland: A scoping review and Delphi consensus for the Irish National Audit of Stroke (INAS) dataset'. BMJ Open, . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2025 | Merriman, NA; Walsh, ME; Ferris, H; Sexton, E; O'Regan, N; Penfold, RS; Carrigan, M; Coughlan, T; Gurren, L; Adams, J; Reidy, C; Jeyaseelan, A; Doyle, P; Ashraf, M; Ó Flatharta, T; Hearne, S; Gaffey, J; Brent, L; Hickey, P; Blake, C (2025) 'Diagnostic test accuracy of screening tools for the detection of neurocognitive disorders in older adults post-trauma in acute care settings: a systematic review'. European Geriatric Medicine, . [DOI] | |
| 2025 | Merriman, NA; Penfold, RS; Walsh, ME; Sexton, E; Brent, L; Hickey, P; Coughlan, T; Ojeda-Thies, C; Johansen, A; Hall, AJ; MacLullich, AMJ; O'Regan, N; Blake, C; , (2025) 'Delirium and cognitive assessment in national hip fracture registries: a scoping review'. European Geriatric Medicine, 16 (5). [DOI] | |
| 2025 | Catherine Nora Moran; Niall Pender; David J. Williams; Kathleen Bennett; Niamh A. Merriman; Frances Horgan; Peter J, Kelly; Sarah T. Pendlebury; Marie Johnston; Martin Fahy; Megan Oglesby; Jane McGlinchey; Mairéad Murray; Anne Hickey (2025) 'StrokeCog-R: Protocol for a Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial Evaluating the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Novel Cognitive Rehabilitation Intervention for Post-Stroke Cognitive Impairment'. HRB Open Research, . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2025 | Brent, L.; Thies, C.O.; Fitzpatrick, F.; Merriman, N.A.; Byrne, E. (2025) 'Understanding governance for a national hip fracture clinical audit: a scoping review'. Injury, 56 (8). [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2025 | Louise Brent; Cris Ojeda-Thies; Fidelma Fitzpatrick; Niamh Merriman; Elaine Byrne (2025) 'Protocol for a scoping review to explore governance for national hip fracture clinical audits'. HRB Open Research, . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2025 | Louise Brent; Cris Ojeda-Thies; Fidelma Fitzpatrick; Niamh Merriman; Elaine Byrne (2025) 'Protocol for a scoping review to explore governance for national hip fracture clinical audits'. HRB Open Research, . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2025 | Ferris, H.A.; Walsh, M.E.; Merriman, N.A.; Brent, L.; Hickey, P.; Regan, N.O.’.; Coughlan, T.; Romero-Ortuno, R. (2025) 'Identifying frailty in acutely hospitalised patients with hip fracture: are the clinical frailty scale and irish hip fracture database frailty index comparable for predicting adverse outcomes?'. European Geriatric Medicine, . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2024 | Walsh, ME; Kristensen, PK; Hjelholt, TJ; Hurson, C; Walsh, C; Ferris, H; Crozier-Shaw, G; Keohane, D; Geary, E; O'Halloran, A; Merriman, NA; Blake, C (2024) 'Systematic review of multivariable prognostic models for outcomes at least 30 days after hip fracture finds 18 mortality models but no nonmortality models warranting validation'. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 173 . [DOI] | |
| 2024 | Niamh A. Merriman; Rose S. Penfold; Louise Brent; Pamela Hickey; Mary E. Walsh; Eithne Sexton; Tara Coughlan; Alasdair M. J. MacLullich; Antony Johansen; Cristina Ojeda-Thies; Andrew J. Hall; Catherine Blake (2024) 'Delirium and Cognitive Screening in National Hip Fracture Registries: Scoping Review Protocol'. HRB Open Research, . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2025 | Merriman, NA; Penfold, RS; Brent, L; Hickey, P; Walsh, ME; Sexton, E; Coughlan, T; MacLullich, AMJ; Johansen, A; Ojeda-Thies, C; Hall, AJ; Blake, C (2025) 'Delirium and Cognitive Screening in National Hip Fracture Registries: Scoping Review Protocol'. HRB Open Research, 7 . [DOI] | |
| 2024 | Merriman, NA; Walsh, ME; O'Regan, N; Carrigan, M; Hickey, P; Brent, L; Blake, C (2024) 'Diagnostic test accuracy of screening tools for the detection of neurocognitive disorders in older adults post-trauma: A protocol for a systematic review'. HRB Open Research, 7 . [DOI] | |
| 2024 | Niamh A. Merriman; Mary E. Walsh; Niamh O'Regan; Marie Carrigan; Pamela Hickey; Louise Brent; Catherine Blake (2024) 'Diagnostic test accuracy of screening tools for the detection of neurocognitive disorders in older adults post-trauma: A protocol for a systematic review'. HRB Open Research, . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2023 | Chua, S; Todd, A; Reeve, E; Smith, SM; Fox, J; Elsisi, Z; Hughes, S; Husband, A; Langford, A; Merriman, N; Harris, JR; Devine, B; Gray, SL; , (2023) 'Deprescribing interventions in older adults: An overview of systematic reviews'. PLoS ONE, 19 (6). [DOI] | |
| 2021 | Bruen, C; Merriman, NA; Murphy, PJ; McCormack, J; Sexton, E; Harbison, J; Williams, D; Kelly, PJ; Horgan, F; Collins, R; Ní Bhreacáin, M; Byrne, E; Thornton, J; Tully, C; Hickey, A (2021) 'Development of a national stroke audit in Ireland: scoping review protocol'. HRB Open Research, 4 . [DOI] | |
| 2021 | Sexton, E; Donnelly, NA; Merriman, NA; Hickey, A; Wren, MA; O'Flaherty, M; Bandosz, P; Guzman-Castillo, M; Williams, DJ; Horgan, F; Pender, N; Feeney, J; de Looze, C; Kenny, RA; Kelly, P; Bennett, K (2021) 'StrokeCog Markov Model: Projected Prevalent and Incident Cases of Stroke and Poststroke Cognitive Impairment to 2035 in Ireland'. Stroke, 52 (12). [DOI] | |
| 2021 | Jeffares, I; Merriman, NA; Doyle, F; Horgan, F; Hickey, A (2021) 'Inclusion of stroke patients in expanded cardiac rehabilitation services: a cross-national qualitative study with cardiac and stroke rehabilitation professionals'. Disability and Rehabilitation, 44 (14). [DOI] | |
| 2021 | Jeffares, I; Merriman, NA; Doyle, F; Horgan, F; Hickey, A (2021) 'Designing stroke services for the delivery of cognitive rehabilitation: A qualitative study with stroke rehabilitation professionals'. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 33 (1). [DOI] | |
| 2021 | Merriman, NA; Roudaia, E; Ondřej, J; Romagnoli, M; Orvieto, I; O'Sullivan, C; Newell, FN (2021) 'CityQuest, A Custom-Designed Serious Game, Enhances Spatial Memory Performance in Older Adults'. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 14 . [DOI] | |
| 2021 | Quinn, TJ; Richard, E; Teuschl, Y; Gattringer, T; Hafdi, M; O'Brien, JT; Merriman, N; Gillebert, C; Huyglier, H; Verdelho, A; Schmidt, R; Ghaziani, E; Forchammer, H; Pendlebury, ST; Bruffaerts, R; Mijajlovic, M; Drozdowska, BA; Ball, E; Markus, HS (2021) 'European Stroke Organisation and European Academy of Neurology joint guidelines on post-stroke cognitive impairment'. European Stroke Journal, 6 (3). [DOI] | |
| 2021 | Quinn, TJ; Richard, E; Teuschl, Y; Gattringer, T; Hafdi, M; O'Brien, JT; Merriman, N; Gillebert, C; Huygelier, H; Verdelho, A; Schmidt, R; Ghaziani, E; Forchammer, H; Pendlebury, ST; Bruffaerts, R; Mijajlovic, M; Drozdowska, BA; Ball, E; Markus, HS (2021) 'European Stroke Organisation and European Academy of Neurology joint guidelines on post-stroke cognitive impairment'. European Journal of Neurology, 28 (12). [DOI] | |
| 2020 | Merriman, NA; Gillan, D; Pender, N; Williams, DJ; Horgan, F; Sexton, E; Johnston, M; Bennett, KE; Donnelly, NA; Wren, MA; Hickey, A (2020) 'The StrokeCog study: development and description of a cognition-focused psychological intervention to address cognitive impairment following stroke'. PSYCHOLOGY & HEALTH, 36 (7). [DOI] | |
| 2020 | Donnelly, NA; Sexton, E; Merriman, NA; Bennett, KE; Williams, DJ; Horgan, F; Gillespie, P; Hickey, A; Wren, MA (2020) 'The Prevalence of Cognitive Impairment on Admission to Nursing Home among Residents with and without Stroke: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Nursing Homes in Ireland'. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17 (19). [DOI] | |
| 2019 | Merriman, NA; Sexton, E; McCabe, G; Walsh, ME; Rohde, D; Gorman, A; Jeffares, I; Donnelly, NA; Pender, N; Williams, DJ; Horgan, F; Doyle, F; Wren, MA; Bennett, KE; Hickey, A (2019) 'Addressing cognitive impairment following stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis of non-randomised controlled studies of psychological interventions'. BMJ Open, 9 (2). [DOI] | |
| 2019 | Merriman, NA; Bruen, C; Gorman, A; Horgan, F; Williams, DJ; Pender, N; Byrne, E; Hickey, A (2019) 'I'm just not a Sudoku person: analysis of stroke survivor, carer, and healthcare professional perspectives for the design of a cognitive rehabilitation intervention'. Disability and Rehabilitation, 42 (23). [DOI] | |
| 2019 | Hickey, A.; Merriman, N.A.; Bruen, C.; Mellon, L.; Bennett, K.; Williams, D.; Pender, N.; Doyle, F. (2019) 'Psychological interventions for managing cognitive impairment after stroke'. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2019 . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2019 | Jeffares, I; Merriman, NA; Rohde, D; McLoughlin, A; Scally, B; Doyle, F; Horgan, F; Hickey, A (2019) 'A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of cardiac rehabilitation interventions on cognitive impairment following stroke'. Disability and Rehabilitation, 43 (6). [DOI] | |
| 2018 | Merriman, NA; Sexton, E; Donnelly, NA; McCabe, G; Walsh, ME; Rohde, D; Gorman, A; Jeffares, I; Pender, N; Williams, D; Horgan, F; Doyle, F; Wren, MA; Bennett, KE; Hickey, A (2018) 'Managing cognitive impairment following stroke: protocol for a systematic review of non-randomised controlled studies of psychological interventions'. BMJ Open, 8 (1). [DOI] | |
| 2018 | Sexton, E; McLoughlin, A; Williams, DJ; Merriman, NA; Donnelly, N; Rohde, D; Hickey, A; Wren, MA; Bennett, K (2018) 'Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of cognitive impairment no dementia in the first year post-stroke'. European Stroke Journal, 4 (2). [DOI] | |
| 2018 | Merriman, N.A.; Roudaia, E.; Romagnoli, M.; Orvieto, I.; Newell, F.N. (2018) 'Acceptability of a custom-designed game, CityQuest, aimed at improving balance confidence and spatial cognition in fall-prone and healthy older adults'. BEHAVIOUR & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, 37 . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2017 | Rohde, D; Merriman, NA; Doyle, F; Bennett, K; Williams, D; Hickey, A (2017) 'Does cognitive impairment impact adherence? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between cognitive impairment and medication non-adherence in stroke'. PLoS ONE, 12 (12). [DOI] | |
| 2017 | O'Callaghan, G; O'Dowd, A; Stapleton, J; Merriman, NA; Roudaia, E; Newell, FN (2017) 'Changes in Regional Brain Grey-Matter Volume Following Successful Completion of a Sensori-Motor Intervention Targeted at Healthy and Fall-Prone Older Adults'. Multisensory research, 31 (3-4). [DOI] | |
| 2016 | Ondřej, J.; Ennis, C.; Merriman, N.A.; O'Sullivan, C. (2016) 'FrankenFolk: Distinctiveness and attractiveness of voice and motion'. ACM Transactions on Applied Perception, 13 . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2015 | Merriman, NA; Ondřej, J; Roudaia, E; O'Sullivan, C; Newell, FN (2015) 'Familiar environments enhance object and spatial memory in both younger and older adults'. Experimental Brain Research, 234 (6). [DOI] | |
| 2015 | Whyatt, C; Merriman, NA; Young, WR; Newell, FN; Craig, C (2015) 'A Wii Bit of Fun: A Novel Platform to Deliver Effective Balance Training to Older Adults'. Games For Health Journal, 4 (6). [DOI] | |
| 2015 | Merriman, N.A.; Whyatt, C.; Setti, A.; Craig, C.; Newell, F.N. (2015) 'Successful balance training is associated with improved multisensory function in fall-prone older adults'. Computers in Human Behavior, 45 . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2015 | Merriman, NA; Ondřej, J; Rybicki, A; Roudaia, E; O'Sullivan, C; Newell, FN (2015) 'Crowded environments reduce spatial memory in older but not younger adults'. Psychological Research, 82 (2). [DOI] | |
| 2014 | Dundon, NM; Dockree, SP; Buckley, V; Merriman, N; Carton, M; Clarke, S; Roche, RA; Lalor, EC; Robertson, IH; Dockree, PM (2014) 'Impaired auditory selective attention ameliorated by cognitive training with graded exposure to noise in patients with traumatic brain injury'. Neuropsychologia, 75 . [DOI] | |
| 2012 | Barrett, M.; Cullen, B.; Maguinness, C.; Merriman, N.; Roudaia, E.; Stapleton, J.; Stienen, B.M.C.; Newell, F.N. (2012) 'A glance back on 50 years of research in perception'. Irish Journal of Psychology, 33 . [Link] [DOI] |
Other Publication
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Sexton, E; Merriman, NA; Donnelly, NA; Wren, MA; Hickey, A; Bennett, KE (2019) Poststroke Cognitive Impairment in Model-Based Economic Evaluation: A Systematic Review. [DOI] | |
| 2022 | Merriman, N.; Mackey, L.; Fernandez, E. G.; Curran, F.; Caulfield, B.; Power, D.; O'Shea, D.; Doyle, R.; Blake, C. (2022) 192 CONNECTED HEALTH SUSTAINING HOME STAY IN DEMENTIA (CHESS): 12-MONTH TRAJECTORY OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA. [DOI] | |
| 2022 | Blake, C.; Merriman, N.; Mackey, L.; Fernandez, E. G.; Curran, F.; Caulfield, B.; O'Shea, D.; Doyle, R.; Power, D. (2022) 193 CONNECTED HEALTH SUSTAINING HOME STAY IN DEMENTIA (CHESS): HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN CAREGIVERS OF PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA. [DOI] | |
| 2022 | Blake, C.; Merriman, N.; Mackey, L.; Fernandez, E. G.; Curran, F.; Caulfield, B.; O'Shea, D.; Doyle, R.; Power, D. (2022) 194 CONNECTED HEALTH SUSTAINING HOME STAY IN DEMENTIA (CHESS): SMART HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABILITY BY INFORMAL CAREGIVERS OF PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA. [DOI] | |
| 2022 | Moran, C. N.; Jeffares, I; Merriman, N. A.; McCormack, J.; Harbison, J.; Sexton, E.; Williams, D.; Kelly, P. J.; Horgan, F.; Collins, R.; Bhreacain, M. Ni; Byrne, E.; Thornton, J.; Tully, C.; Hickey, A. (2022) 119 ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF STROKE CARE IN IRELAND-DEVELOPMENT OF AN IRISH NATIONAL STROKE AUDIT. [DOI] | |
| 2022 | Merriman, N.; Mackey, L.; Fernandez, E. G.; Curran, F.; Caulfield, B.; Power, D.; O'Shea, D.; Doyle, R.; Blake, C. (2022) 190 CONNECTED HEALTH SUSTAINING HOME STAY IN DEMENTIA (CHESS): FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BURDEN EXPERIENCED BY CAREGIVERS OF PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA. [DOI] | |
| 2020 | Sexton, E.; Merriman, N. A.; Donnelly, N. A.; Wren, M. A.; Bandosz, P.; Guzman-Castillo, M.; O'Flaherty, M.; Hickey, A.; Bennett, K. (2020) THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF COGNITIVE REHABILITATION ON THE FUTURE BURDEN OF POST-STROKE COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IN IRELAND TO 2035: PRELIMINARY RESULTS USING A MODEL-BASED APPROACH. [DOI] | |
| 2019 | Sexton, E.; Donnelly, N. A.; Merriman, N.; Guzman-Castillo, M.; Bandosz, P.; Wren, M. A.; Hickey, A.; O'Flaherty, M.; Bennett, K. (2019) PROJECTING THE INCIDENCE AND PREVALENCE OF POST-STROKE COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AND DEMENTIA IN THE IRISH POPULATION AGED 40+YEARS FROM 2015-2025. [DOI] |
Pre-print
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Catherine Nora Moran; Isabelle Jeffares; Joan McCormack; Niamh A. Merriman; Carlos Bruen; Agnes Jonsson; Paul J. Murphy; Khyber Afridi Rabbi; Joseph Harbison; David J Williams; Peter J. Kelly; Rónán Collins; Eithne Sexton; Frances Horgan; Máirín Ní Bheacáin; Elaine Byrne; John Thornton; Collette Tully; Anne Hickey (2024) Development of a National Stroke Audit to Enhance the Quality of Acute Stroke Care in Ireland: A Scoping Review and Delphi Consensus Synthesis. PREPRINT [Link] [DOI] |
Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2026) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.
Employment
Reviews
Research Interests
Ageing Perception and Cognition, Delirium, Dementia, Stroke Rehabilitation, Mixed Methods, Spatial Navigation