Academic biography

Dr Carol Barron (Dip Folklore, PhD, MSc, BA (Hons), Dip Pharmacology, RNT, RSCN, RGN is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, Dublin City University. Dr Barron holds academic qualifications in anthropology, folklore, child development, and nursing (neonatal, child and adult).

Research Interests  
Her research interests include children’s play and games, physical activity  play and childhood obesity and participatory research methodologies with children. Dr Barron has consulted widely with children and young people across Ireland about their play and recreation needs and the findings and recommendations have been implemented in numerous county wide play policies.

She is the European elected member of The Association for The Study of Play (TASP) and was the Chairperson of Súgradh – the National Association promoting the child’s right to play. She also has a special interest in archival research, folk medicine, medical anthropology and has conducted research and  published in these areas.  

Teaching and Education
Dr Barron teaches across undergraduate and master’s programmes in Nursing and Health and Society. She leads the master’s Dissertation module within the School, the research dissertation module on the Health and Society degree Programme. the child and adolescents in society module and the introduction to children’s nursing module on the post graduate paediatric nursing programme. As a Registered Nurse Tutor with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) she has played a very strategic and significant role within DCU developing and leading both undergraduate and masters programmes to successful accreditation. This include leading the development and accreditation of the MSc in Nursing: Advanced Practice programme, BSc Children and General Nursing and re accreditation of the BSc General Nursing, BSc Intellectual disabilities and BSc Psychiatric Nursing. Additionally, Dr Barron developed and implemented Problem Based Learning within the undergraduate Nursing Curriculum. She has worked internationally in Ireland, England and Saudi Arabia.