Dara has been creating surgical educational tools for medical, nursing, surgical trainees and healthcare workers since 2012. In this time, he has gained clinical experience, and a thorough knowledge of anatomy and clinical procedures and practices.  In his role he manages the AV/IT, research, training and simulation office within University Hospital Limerick. Dara introduces students and trainees to surgical instruments and facilitates access to surgical simulators and the Robotic Surgery Simulators. Furthermore, he is involved in clinical video recording, editing, live streaming, the archiving of surgical procedures for educational purposes, tele medicine, medical illustration for education and remote monitoring/teaching.

Dara’s involvement in the robotic program at ULH has given him an appreciation of the benefits of simulation training at the highest levels. He has gained this appreciation by helping consultant, trainees, nurses, students and other health professionals utilise the robotic technology both “Hands on” and digitally simulated and evaluating and measuring their effectiveness in preparing for real-world application.  “The importance of students reviewing simulations in conjunction with constructive debriefing is where much of the learning will achieved” 

The unique medical illustrations and 3d models Dara has created, clearly demonstrate for the first time the structure of the “Mesentery”. Dara has shown that the medical/anatomy textbooks for the last 150 years have been incorrect and will need updating. Dara has collaborated on the first reference textbook on mesenteric science and surgery (Mesenteric Principles of Gastrointestinal Surgery). 

Dara’s mesentery images from the paper “The mesentery: structure, function, and role in disease” published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology have been used/discussed on the worlds stage, and that paper is currently has the highest ranking Altmetric score of all monitored UL papers/research.  Dara is passionate about medical education through simulation and how emerging technologies can complement and facilitate steep medical and surgical learning curves without putting patients in harm’s way.

Dara’s Medical illustrations have appeared on the front covers of “Journal of Crohn's and Colitis” and “Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology”

Academic Qualifications: 

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Architectural Technology  
  • Robotic Surgery (Xi for Residents/Fellows (P5/P5b/P6)), Intuitive Surgical Online Certificate

Professional Experience: 

  • Feb 2012 – July 2019 | ULGEMS- University Hospital Limerick - Research assistant
  • July 2019 – Current | ULGEMS- University Hospital Limerick -     Post Doctoral Researcher for Simulation Academic Programme

Research Interests: 

  • The mesentery: structure, function, and role in disease
  • The mesenteric organ and the role of mesenteric resection in Crohns disease
  • Using 3D modeling techniques to enhance teaching of difficult anatomical concepts
  • Robotic Surgery
  • Medical & surgical simulation in education
  • Patient-specific 3D printed and augmented reality for surgical planning and education
Publications

Book

1. Mesenteric Principles of Gastrointestinal Surgery; Basic and Applied Science 
John Calvin Coffey, Ian Lavery, Rishabh Sehgal, Dara Walsh     (ISBN 9781498711227)


Papers

2.  The mesenteric organ: new anatomical concepts and an imaging-based review on its diseases, Hanna R.F. Dalla Pria MD , Ulysses S. Torres MD, PhD , Fernanda Velloni MD , Rafael A. Santiago MD , Marina S. Zacarias MD , Luis F.D. Silva MD , Fernando Tamamoto MD , Dara Walsh , Augusto C. von Atzingen MD, PhD , John C. Coffey MB., B.Ch., BAO., B.MedSci., PhD, FRCSI , Giuseppe DÕIppolito MD, PhD, Seminars in Ultrasound CT and MRI (2019), doi: https://doi.org/10.1053/j.sult.2019.02.001

3.  3D modelling of non-intestinal colorectal anatomy Eoin White, Muireann McMahon, Michael Walsh, J. Calvin Coffey, Leon Walsh, Dara Walsh, Leonard O’Sullivan
International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery (2019) 14:73–82
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-018-1863-y

4.  The Mesentery, Systemic Inflammation, and Crohn’s Disease
Edgardo D Rivera, John Calvin Coffey, Dara Walsh, Eli D Ehrenpreis, 
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Volume 25, Issue 2, February 2019, Pages 226–234, https://doi.org/10.1093/ibd/izy201

5.  Initial experience with a dual-console robotic-assisted platform for training in colorectal surgery Bolger, J.C., Broe, M.P., Zarog, M.A. et al. Tech Coloproctol (2017) 21: 721. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10151-017-1687-8

6.  Using fluorescence lymphangiography to define the ileocolic mesentery: proof of concept for the watershed area using real-time imaging. Keller, D.S., Joshi, H.M., Rodriguez-Justo, M. et al. Tech Coloproctol (2017) 21: 757. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10151-017-1677-x

7.    Is Mesenteric Fat a Risk Factor for Coronary Artery Disease? McCumisky M, John Birrane, Samuel Yellin, D. Peter O'Leary, Dara Walsh, Ronstan Lobo, Thomas J Kiernan, John Calvin Coffey March 2017. Irish Journal of Medical Science 186(Suppl 2):S88

8.    A case study demonstrating tumour heterogeneity in protein kinase C in a triple negative metaplastic carcinoma Mary McCumiskey, Catriona Dowling, Maurice Murphy, Elizabeth Kelly, Dara Walsh, Shona Tormey, B. Anne Merrigan, Ashish Lal, Tara Dalton, Patrick Kiely. May 2016    European Journal of Surgical Oncology  DOI: 10.1016/j.ejso.2016.02.264

9.    The importance of selecting the appropriate reference genes for quantitative real time PCR as illustrated using colon cancer cells and tissue Catríona Maria Dowling, Dara Walsh, John Calvin Coffey, Patrick A Kiely Mar 2016F1000 Research  
DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.7656.2

10.    An appraisal of the computed axial tomographic appearance of the human mesentery based on mesenteric contiguity from the duodenojejunal flexure to the mesorectal level
Coffey JC, Culligan K, Walsh LG, Sehgal R, Dunne C, McGrath D, Walsh D, Moore M, Staunton M, Scanlon T, Dewhurst C, Kenny B, O'Riordan C, O'Brien JM, Quondamatteo F, Dockery P. July 2015. European Radiology 26(3)  DOI: 10.1007/s00330-015-3883-0

11.    Mesenteric-Based Surgery Exploits Gastrointestinal, Peritoneal, Mesenteric and Fascial Continuity from Duodenojejunal Flexure to the Anorectal Junction - A Review
Coffey J.C., Dillon M., Sehgal R., Dockery P., Quondamatteo F., Walsh D., Walsh L.
June 2015. Digestive surgery 32(4):291-300

12.    Ego depletion in surgical trainees M. McCumiskey, D. Dorris, Frank Doyle, Dara Walsh, Eva Doherty, John Calvin Coffey March 2015.  Irish Journal of Medical Science 184:S164-S164

13.    Development of a process by which a three-dimensional reference standard of the human mesentery can be generated Leon G Walsh, Dara Walsh, John Calvin Coffey
March 2015. Irish Journal of Medical Science 184:S175-S175

14.    Terminology and nomenclature in colonic surgery: universal application of a rule-based approach derived from updates on mesenteric anatomy. Coffey JC, Sehgal R, Culligan K, Dunne C, McGrath D, Lawes N, Walsh D. Tech Coloproctol. 2014 Sep;18(9):789-94. doi: 10.1007/s10151-014-1184-2. 

15.    Digital sculpting in surgery: a novel approach to depicting mesosigmoid mobilization.
Peirce C, Burton M, Lavery I, Kiran RP, Walsh DJ, Dockery P, Coffey JC. Tech Coloproctol. 2014 Jul;18(7):653-60. doi: 10.1007/s10151-013-1116-6

Conference Talks

16.    Computed tomography measured mesenteric adiposity is associated with diverticulitis.
McCumiskey M, Connelly T, Malik Z, Sehgal R, Walsh D, Peirce C, Byrnes GJ, Coffey JC.
Mesentery Peritoneum 2019            doi: 10.21037/map.2019.AB079    

17.    Digital reconstruction of human mesentery development. Byrnes KG, Walsh D, Walsh L, Mirapeix R, Lamers W, Dockery P, McDermott K, Coffey JC. Mesentery Peritoneum 2019;3:AB060.   doi: 10.21037/map.2019.AB060

18.    Robotic assisted ultra-low anterior resection with intersphincteric dissection post neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer. Aamir A, Connolly T, Mohan H, Ashfaq S, Walsh D, Coffey JC, Peirce C. Mesentery Peritoneum 2019;3:AB012.           doi: 10.21037/map.2019.AB012

19.    What is the relationship between mesenteric adiposity and coronary artery disease?
McCumiskey M, Birrane J, Yellin S, Heelan M, O’Leary DP, Walsh D, Lobo R, Ibrahim A, Cahill C, Bolger J, Shelly M, Kiernan T, Coffey JC. Mesentery Peritoneum 2018;2:AB061.         doi: 10.21037/map.2018.AB061

20.    The peritoneal reflection: structural importance and role in colorectal disease.
Walsh LG, Walsh D, Kiely PA, Dockery P, Coffey JC. Mesentery Peritoneum 2018;2:AB074.         doi: 10.21037/map.2018.AB074

21.    Development of a Novel Cloud Based Educational Tool for Undergraduate Medical Student and Postgraduate Surgical Training. Jindal, A, Coyle, P, Walsh, D, McGrath, D, Coffey, JC (2015) British Journal of Surgery, 102:s1: International Surgical Congress of the ASGBI, 30 April–2 May 2014, Harrogate, UK

Articles

22.    The Mesentery, Systemic Inflammation, and Crohn's Disease
Edgardo D Rivera, John Calvin Coffey, Dara Walsh, Eli D Ehrenpreis
January 2018  Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Poster

23.    Application of virtual and augmented reality to the visualisation of mesenteric anatomy. Ullah MF, Byrnes KG, Hashmi O, Walsh D, Westby D, Coffey JC. 
Mesentery Peritoneum 2018;2:AB162.         doi: 10.21037/map.2018.AB162

Training Videos (non-Surgical)

1.    Emergence evacuation procedure from the birthing pool    
2.    Cataract Surgical Instruments                
3.    Sub tenon's anaesthesia setup                
4.    Phaco Setup Rev 6                        
5.    Tips for Theatre                        
6.    Porters patient request and transfer process         
7.    ULGEMS students visit robotic theatre            
8.    ITD at University Hospital Limerick                
9.    Robotic Surgery Live Stream                
10.    iPMS at University Hospital Limerick Group            
11.    Safe Surgery Checklist Video