Dr Laura Keyes is the Director of the newly launch Centre for Implementation Research at University of Limerick, a cross-disciplinary centre dedicated to developing, supporting, and enhancing the implementation of evidence-based research, policies, programmes, and professional practices into routine practice for the effective delivery of public services, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable members of society.

Dr Keyes has worked at the interface of research and evidence and, policy and practice for over fifteen years. Her experience spans epidemiology, public health, health and social care research and implementation science.

After her gaining her PhD in public health nutrition from University College Cork, Dr Keyes completed a fellowship in epidemiology in Cambridge University after which she took up a senior lectureship position at Manchester Met University where she led a research cluster for health professions, developing the research skills of staff and fostering opportunities for research collaborations and funding. Returning to Ireland in 2018 she took up a senior research manager position with the health and social care regulator in Ireland. There she led a team of researchers and PhD students and her focus has been on working with policy makers, regulatory bodies and national organisations to design and implement positive change within the health and social care system.

Notable projects that Dr Keyes has led include the LENS Project (Learning from Notifications in Social Care), development of the Lexicon for Social Care, evidence base for public health guidance during COVID, reduction of the use of restrictive practices in residential care and the implementation of the sugar sweetened beverage tax in the UK.

Dr Keyes has a considerable high quality peer-reviewed publication record in the areas of implementation science, health services research and epidemiology. She has been involved in the development of numerous strategy and policy documents, including leading the Health Information Strategic Objectives 2020-2022, revision of the Regulations for Social Care in collaboration with the Department of Health, development of the Impact Framework for assessing national interventions and the revision of the definitions for serious injuries for regulatory reporting purposes informing national regulation and legislative change.

Dr Keyes strives to put the voices of the people most impacted by the work at the centre of her research, she has a key interest in the evaluation of impact of interventions and is motivated by a goal to have policy and practice that meet the needs of people and society.