SHE Mentors
We work with external academics and researchers to support projects and to develop our thinking and expertise.
Dr Katie Liston
Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences of Sport, Ulster University
Dr Katie Liston is a former high-performance sportswoman: holder of youth national athetics titles, GAA All Star and All Ireland medal winner, Irish representative player in soccer and rugby. She holds national league titles in soccer, north and south. She has also held a number of administrative roles in womens sport clubs. She completed her PhD in sport and gender at University College Dublin and worked at the University of Chester for a number of years, before joining Ulster University (Jordanstown) in 2008. Katie is a senior lecturer in the social sciences of sport, and has published on a wide range of topics and issues, drawn mainly from sociology. These include gender and womens sports, pain and injury, national identity, concussion, policy and media-sport. She is author of a 2005 Joint Committee report on womens sport and physical activity and has presented to the Stormont Assembly
On the same topic. Katie is a regular media contributor who works to raise the profile of research on sport, health and physical activity. Her role in SHE is the support all members to bridge the gender data gap in sport-related research, to embed gender equality into teaching and research activities and to collaborate with key stakeholders in the dissemination of research that will inform future policy.
Dr Kirsty Elliot-Sale
Associate Professor, Nottingham Trent University
Kirsty completed her undergraduate degree and PhD [Exercise Physiology] at Liverpool John Moores University. Her PhD examined the effects of female reproductive hormones on muscle strength and since then her work has mainly focused on female athletes. She worked as a Lecturer at Brunel University and the University of Brighton before undertaking a four-year Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at Kings College London. Kirsty joined Nottingham Trent University (NTU) in September 2009. In addition to her research on female athletes, which includes the menstrual cycle, hormonal contraceptives, the Female Athlete Triad and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, her work in recent years has involved designing exercise interventions for weight management in overweight and obese pregnant and postpartum women. She is an Associate Professor [Reader] of Female Physiology and the Head of the Musculoskeletal Physiology Research Group at NTU.
Kirsty has tween-aged twin boys and has lived in the UK for 25 years. She is married to another academic, who she often collaborates and publishes with. She is originally from Ireland, Dundalk to be precise. A very long time ago she was an international level kickboxer! Since hitting the big 40, she has taken up running and is currently trying to upgrade herself from half-marathons to full marathons
Professor Helene McNulty
Director of Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE) Professor of Human Nutrition & Dietetics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University
Helene is Director of NICHE, a centre of excellence for nutrition research at Ulster University.
Having graduated from Trinity College Dublin (BSc and PhD in Nutrition) and Dublin Institute of Technology (Diploma in Dietetics), Helene joined Ulster University in 1992 and was promoted to Professor of Human Nutrition & Dietetics, in 2001.She is an elected Member of the Royal Irish Academy (since 2008), Fellow of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (since 2017), and was co-Chair of the 13th FENS European Nutrition Conference (Dublin, Oct2019).
Helene’s research programme aims to provide greater understanding of nutrition-related health issues and achieve impacts in food and health policy. She has particular expertise in B vitamins research and has published extensively in this field, building impacts in early life and ageing nutrition and frequently delivering keynote presentations at scientific conferences worldwide.
Helene is actively involved in teaching at BSc and MSc levels and programme administration in Food, Nutrition & Dietetics, and has supervised 30 PhD students to date.
https://www.ulster.ac.uk/staff/h-mcnulty
On the same topic. Katie is a regular media contributor who works to raise the profile of research on sport, health and physical activity. Her role in SHE is the support all members to bridge the gender data gap in sport-related research, to embed gender equality into teaching and research activities and to collaborate with key stakeholders in the dissemination of research that will inform future policy.
Shirley O'Shea
Senior Health Promotion Office for Physical Activity in the HSE
Shirley O’Shea is Senior Health Promotion Office for Physical Activity in the HSE. Shirley worked in the Early Years sector before completing her BA (Hons) Health Promotion in 1996 from Liverpool John Moores University. In 1999 she received her Masters in Education from Liverpool Hope University College. Shirley has worked in the health services for over 20 years in the area of Education, Physical Activity and Behaviour Change, working on the development of the National Physical Activity Guidelines and the National GP Exercise Referral Programme. Shirley is currently a member of the Project Team of the Irish Physical Activity Research Collaboration (IPARC) a member of the REP’s Ireland Council and is trainer for the HSE’s behaviour change programme ‘Make Every Contact Count’
Tony Wheat
Westmeath Local Sports Partnership
Tony Wheat became the Sports Partnership Coordinator of Westmeath Sports Partnership in July 2019, moving over to Ireland after 20 years working in England. After graduating from Staffordshire University in 1996 with a B.A (Hons) Sport and Leisure Studies degree, he built a career in the sport and leisure sector, beginning as a sports coach before eventually becoming a Sports Development Officer for Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. In 2008 he became Sports Development Manager and in 2011 became Leisure Services Manager. Throughout his time in the sector he has worked with numerous agencies including Sport England, National Governing Bodies of sport, private leisure facility operators, sports clubs, community groups and educational establishments. A family move brought him to Ireland where he began his current role with Westmeath Sports Partnership. The role involves collaborating with a wide range of agencies including Sport Ireland and Healthy Ireland, to increase participation in sport and physical exercise in Westmeath. The Sports Partnership has a universal offer but also has specific target groups including women and girls, older adults, people with disabilities and socially excluded groups. Away from work he played rugby at semi professional level for 20 years in England and enjoyed a season in New Zealand. He is now a Judicial Officer for the English and Irish Rugby Unions, European Professional Club Rugby and Pro 14, and is also a qualified World Rugby Match Commissioner and game analyst.
