BLOSSOM - Brightening Lives
Occupational performance Supporting Skills and Opportunities for Meaningful participation.
Redefining High-Risk: A Neurodevelopmental Framework for Complex Medical and Surgical Neonates.
High-risk infants are traditionally defined by prematurity, low birthweight, and neonatal encephalopathy; however, this definition overlooks a growing population of medically and surgically complex neonates. These infants, often requiring prolonged ventilation, multiple surgeries, and extended hospitalisation, face comparable risks of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, yet lack consistent access to structured follow-up pathways. Early identification remains critical, particularly within sensitive periods of brain development, to enable timely, targeted intervention.
The BLOSSOM initiative aim to address this gap by examining neurodevelopmental and occupational performance outcomes in complex neonates alongside those currently classified as high-risk. Grounded in relationship-based, family-centred care, it aims to better understand infants’ participation in everyday life particularly across the first year of life. Incorporating caregiver and clinician perspectives, the research will explore the need for more inclusive follow-up models and identify factors influencing parent–infant relationships, caregiver wellbeing, and family quality of life.
By generating evidence to inform practice, BLOSSOM seeks to expand current definitions of high-risk infants, and support more equitable access to early detection and intervention services, ultimately improving developmental outcomes and meaningful participation for infants and their families.
Research Team & Collaborators
Professor Eleanor Molloy, Neonatology & Neurodisability, Children’s Health Ireland; Discipline of Paediatrics, Trinity College Dublin & Trinity Research in childhood centre (TRICC)
Dr Michelle Spirtos, PhD, MSc, BSc.Associate Professor, Discipline of Occupational Therapy, Chair School of Medicine Research Ethics Committee, Trinity College Dublin.
Dr Deanna Gibbs BAppSc(OT), MOT, Grad Cert Res Meth, PhD, Director of Clinical Research for Neonates and Children (Nursing & AHP), Barts Health NHS Trust; Honorary Reader, Blizard Institute (Genomics and Child Health), Queen Mary University of London
Elaine Mc Mahon, Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist, Neonatology, Children’s Health Ireland; Research Coordinator, Discipline of Paediatrics, Trinity College Dublin & Trinity Research in childhood centre (TRICC).