Nowadays, talking about design thinking in business is increasingly usual. And it is not surprising given design’s role in how we approach addressing present and future directions in our digital world. However, many business professionals experience confusion and frustration when participating in implementation projects of design thinking for the first time. This annotated bibliography is an initial attempt to pull together sources when we need to understand design thinking a

A love of research, a passion for learning, a drive for self-development or career development – these are all common motivations for someone to embark on a PhD. However, you’ll rarely hear someone say they’re in it for the love of academic writing. Despite how integral it is to the PhD process, writing is something I think we all have complex feelings about – from exhaustion and frustration to satisfaction and enjoyment I’m currently finishing up writing a scoping review and

After two years doing the PhD, I can confirm and affirm that it is a very hard process of learning, knowledge, iteration, failures, sleepless nights, dream of research... many hours reading and writing and many others trying to obtain wellbeing and balance in my body and mind. #catchitn #EU #H2020 #MSCA #PhD #ESR #research #career #SDU

#catchitn #MSCA #EU #H2020 #research #career #ESR #PhD #secondment #Deusto

It's been almost 3 years, and you only realize everything we've experienced when you review the photos during this time. Taiwan, Qatar, Finland, Denmark, Spain, Ireland, England, many countries, many friendships, much effort and learning so far. All puzzle pieces begin to take shape and fit #catchitn #MSCA #EU #H2020 #ESR #PhD #SDU #life #career #education

Even doing an industrial PhD, which involves spending time outside academia, a PhD is mainly a research-based educational program, and it is mandatory to earn credits from educational modules at your host university. In my case, I’m based outside academia, in a Private Oncology Clinic (Oncoavanze, Seville, Spain), as part of a European Industrial Doctorate and my secondment is in Academia, in my case, University College Dublin, UCD. Being involved in an educational program me

Attending and presenting at the World Confederation of Physical Therapists (WCPT) Congress 2019 has been a true highlight of my PhD studies so far. This biennial event brought 4,300 physiotherapists from all over the world together in Geneva for three days of presentations, seminars and CPD. As you can see, it was also a good chance for members of the Irish Society of Physiotherapists to meet each other and catch up! At the conference opening ceremony WCPT president Dr Emma S

Last November, I went to the European Lifestyle Medicine Congress in Geneva, Switzerland. I presented some data from the VidaON Project that we have in Andalusia, Spain. VidaON proposes a physical activity program focused on breast cancer survivors. The program involves group activities such as Nordic Walking and Deep Water Running in cooperation with the University of Seville, Spain. Lifestyle Medicine is growing and gets more and more attention in health care. It is well es

In March, I attended the joint British Psychosocial Oncology Society and National Cancer Research Institute’s Psychosocial Oncology and Survivorship Clinical Studies Group annual conference. It took place across two days in Chester, UK, and brought together practitioners, researchers, patient advocates, as well as students, all with the shared interest of enhancing supportive care in oncology and, ultimately, the quality of life of those affected by cancer. Joint BPOS & NCRI

In my last blog post I’ve briefly explained the research topics related to my PhD project and how I aim to design of a physical activity app for breast cancer survivors, while also exploring personalization/tailoring theory to increase user engagement. In this blog post I will provide a brief review of physical activity apps, found in published literature that were specifically designed for this population. I’ve extracted papers from 3 online databases (PubMed, ACM and SCOPUS

This week marks the start of the third year of my PhD, and I’m feeling in a reflective mood…deadlines, presentations, secondments come and go and it’s easy to get caught up in my weekly to-do list. But right now I’m taking a step back to think of the big picture and what my project is all about, and I wanted to share this with you! Every year, nearly 500,000 women in Europe are diagnosed with breast cancer, many of whom will need to have surgery as a crucial part of their tre

Last week of November I finished an 11-months study. It was a qualitative study based mostly on semi-structured interviews. For everyone who doesn’t know me, well, I’m a trained computer engineer with a Masters degree on pervasive computing and sustainable development who is now working on an algorithm to predict the care journeys for future cancer patients. It is not common for engineers to get training in qualitative research, so here I'll present some tips to conduct one.

Sharing knowledge has long been a cornerstone to advancing scientific fields. Traditionally, knowledge exchange has been achieved through peer reviewed publications and academic conferences. However, conferences are fast becoming the new method for sharing valuable information. Conferences are formal gatherings of people with a shared interest and these individuals are generally experts in their field. This provides an excellent learning opportunity for those who attend, as

They say a problem shared is a problem halved. If you have ever felt that weight leave your shoulders after talking through a problem with a friend, you’ll know that there is some truth to this statement. However sometimes it is easier to discuss concerns with a complete stranger than it is with a friend or relative. This may be particularly true as one tries to come to terms and cope with a life changing event, such as being diagnosed with cancer for example. In such situati

Just over a year ago, I wrote "I'm already in Denmark! This is how my Marie Curie adventure begins...” and I only have words of thanks for the incredible learning experience, growth, strength, disappointments, and undoubted achievements I have experienced both personally and professionally. When you make a decision to do an International PhD, you can imagine what a trip it is to get it; however… you do not exactly know all the stuff it involves in the first year. I want to ex

In the management literature, it is commonly mentioned that the current market challenges and changes constantly force companies to look for new ways to build a competitive advantage, promoting the use of new tools and processes to create distinctive products and services. In the last few years, design thinking has become a buzzword among managers. It has gained popularity and it is now seen as a new paradigm for dealing with problems in various sectors: IT, business, educati

In this blog post I will generally describe the main concepts related to my PhD work. European Project CATCH My project is part of the Marie Curie project CATCH - “Cancer: Activating Technology for Connected Health”. The overall aim of the project is to activate technology-supported physical exercise in bridging the gap between cancer survivors’ depleted physical and emotional state, and their ability to return to a fully functional and healthy state. Physical Activity in Can

Last week, Apple released the new iPhone XS. At the annual iPhones launch event, an amazing show that rarely disappoints, a new version of Apple's smartwatch was also announced. As you can see from the recorded talk on the company website, much of the presentation of Apple Watch 4 was devoted to health. Image: Apple Watch 4, principal areas of interest: Connectivity, Fitness & Health “Apple Watch has become an intelligent guardian for your health!” - Jeff Williams, Apple’s ch

I recently started practising yoga regularly again, and I'm loving it. Over the course of the summer, I’ve found it increasingly easier to twist into awkward positions with deceptively-endearing names or hold my balance on one leg while impersonating a tree blowing in the wind. What I'm saying is, I’m feeling stronger, more flexible and more relaxed. As I lie on the grass after class (yes, in Seville we do yoga in the park 😍), it doesn’t take long for my mind to go to that p

I have recently returned to Dublin from Seville after 6 months on secondment at Oncoavanze, a private clinical facility which provides oncology services to the people of Seville. The last 6 months has seen me interact and provide exercise rehabilitation services to oncology patients who have completed or are undergoing chemotherapy for a variety of cancer types. This rehabilitation service involved the use of electrical stimulation (NMES) to augment their rehab and improve mu