Professional 100 - 2022

Dr Naomi Algeo, St James’s Hospital Dublin

Dr Naomi sits on the World Health Organisation Development Group for Cancer Rehabilitation. She specialises in cancer survivorship, with a focus on employment reintegration post-cancer diagnosis, cancer-related fatigue, and cancer-related brain fog. In 2022, she was jointly awarded the Irish Cancer Society Allied Health Professional Cancer Research Award to explore the unmet needs of Adolescents and Young Adults (AYAs) with cancer, in the context of reintegration into education and employment. She will act as Clinical Lead alongside Prof. Deirdre Connolly (Discipline of Occupational Therapy, Trinity College Dublin) as Academic Lead.

Ahmad Bahlool, PhD Scholar, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Ahmad Bahlool is a pharmacist currently undertaking a PhD in translational drug delivery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He is interested in developing inhalable targeted nanomedicines for treatment of tuberculosis. This year he received the DDL Career Development Grant - Glad to receive the DDL Career Development Grant by Drug Delivery to the Lungs (DDL) to support his career development and the late stages of my ongoing PhD work on developing inhalable ATRA-loaded nanoparticles as host directed immunotherapy for tuberculosis.

Professor Andrew Bowie, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute

Professor Bowie has featured on the 2022 annual Highly Cited Researchers™ list from Clarivate, which identifies researchers who have demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field or fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the past decade.

Andrew is Professor of Innate Immunology in Trinity’s School of Biochemistry and Immunology, based in the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Instutute (TBSI).

Dr Alex Boychak, St Lukes Radiation Oncology Network

Dr Boychak, a Consultant Radiation Oncologist responded to the war in Ukraine by setting up an initiative to help send medical supplies to Ukraine - he and colleagues have set up a website, medicalhelpukraine.com, to send medical supplies. It is accepting donations of money and supplies. Already a number of ambulances carrying supplies have been sent. Their cargos have been guided by what medics on the ground say they need: painkillers, bandages, crutches, creams and antibiotics, as well as surgical supplies.

The initiative has the support of the Ukrainian embassy in Dublin and Ukraine’s department of health.

CIBINQO is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.

Professor Donal Brennan, University College Dublin

Professor Brennan is the Head of ThisIsGo.ie, a new platform which offers a one-stop shop for helpful resources and advice on cervical cancer. Professor Donal Brennan is Professor for Gynaecological Oncology at UCD and Academic Lead of the UCD Gynaecological Oncology group, the Mater Misericordiae and St Vincent’s University Hospitals. He has multiple research interests in gynaecological oncology and has led the Irish Cancer Society Women's Health Initiative at UCD which is focused on improving care for women after cancer. He is also a Principal Investigator at Systems Biology Ireland where he leads a number of clinical and translational research projects.

Dr Jonathan Briody, University of Medicine of Medicine and Health Sciences, RCSI

Dr Briody has demonstrated passion for driving secondary care excellence across Ireland, dedicating extracurricular time to refereeing journals in health, meeting prospective health-services PhD students and writing non-specialist scientific articles on health for a wider audience, such as an editor-invited piece for a national health professional magazine and a research brief aimed at diabetic patients for Diabetes Ireland. Seeking innovative healthcare concepts, he contributes to a worldwide network of experts (SMDM, ISPOR, IHEA, HEAI, EUHEA, etc.), recently contributing a health economics competency framework and, subsequently, applying emergent theories to healthcare projects at RCSI.

Jennifer Brown, Mater Misericoridae University Hospital

Jennifer was appointed into her current position, the Clinical Directorate Lead within the Pharmacy & Medicines Optimisation (PAMO) Directorate, and the Head of Pharmacy Services in the MMUH, in June 2020. Leading the directorate during the COVID-19 pandemic presented substantial clinical, financial, safety and human resource challenges. Jennifer has overall responsibility for maintaining continuity of drug supply to the hospital, including the largest critical care complex in Ireland. She oversaw Pharmacy involvement in COVID-related clinical trials and was instrumental in the MMUH COVID-19 vaccine programme. Jennifer also introduced a weekend pharmacy drug supply service during COVID-19 and this service continues. Jennifer other professional responsibilities as Head of Pharmacy Services include her active roles with the MMUH Drugs and Therapeutics, Drug Safety, Quality and Patient Safety and Drug Expenditure and Reimbursement Monitoring Committees. Her commitment to clinical excellence has resulted in expansion of the MMUH Pharmacist-led Medicines Reconciliation team, the introduction of a Frailty-Intervention team pharmacist, a Cancer Services Clinical Pharmacy Lead as well as ongoing efforts to support pharmacy staff retention and recruitment.

Dr Joseph Byrne, NUI Galway

In 2022 Dr Byrne established the SUGARCOAT project, investigating how attaching sugar molecules to plastics could help prevent and detect bacterial infections in medical devices (e.g. urinary catheters, endotracheal tubes). Coating medical devices with these plastics would result in “smart” devices, giving doctors and nurses tools to reduce risks of infection, bring down healthcare costs and decrease the need for antibiotic use in hospitals. He has been awarded ¤193,000 to spearhead the project alongside Dr Matthew Whlie from Queen’s University in Belfast. This project is part of the North-South Research Programme, announced by An Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD on 2 March 2022, as part of the Shared Island Fund.

Professor

Professor Karen Cadoo, St James’s Hospital, Dublin

Professor Cadoo is a recipient of the 2022 Irish Cancer Society’s Clinical Research Leadership Award. Professor Cadoo of St James’s Hospital has dedicated her research to helping people understand this risk and the steps they can take to reduce this, or catch the signs of cancer early. She would like to pilot a range of initiatives including a rapid access clinic for those concerned about their genetic risk of cancer, and a nurse phone line that people can get in touch with to ask questions, with a view to proving their value on a national scale in future.

University Hospital

Professor Cahill has pioneered the development of translational surgical research programmes including in digital surgery using artificial intelligence methods such as computer vision for the discrimination of malignant tissue and personalised navigation systems during minimally invasive surgery for cancer in Ireland. These programmes involve high level cross-disciplinary working with national and international clinical, academic and industry partners across the fields of anatomy, chemistry, mechanical and fluid engineering, mathematics and computer sciences and include postgraduate and phd students as well as research and clinical fellows. In Ireland, the clinical work is centred at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital which has established a Digital Surgery Unit and there is a formal academic centre now too for this work with UCD (the UCD Centre for Precision Surgery).

Professor Matthew Campbell, Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin

Professor Campbell leads the EYE-D research project into degenerative retinal diseases. In September of this year it was announced that the project has received €3.2 million in funding under the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Strategic Partnership Programme. “We are excited about the potential developments that will emerge from this funding,” says Prof Campbell. “The budget of €3.2 million will allow us to make a big impact on the international stage of vision research. In addition, our research endeavours put us in a perfect position to identify the cause of some of the most common forms of blindness”.

Jun Cao, Tallaght University Hospital

Jun is a change-maker and an exceptional leader with a keen interest in making things better for patients and staff. She is constantly questioning the status quo and striving for quality care. She was the recipient of a ‘Think Different Grant’ from TUH in October 2019. She has developed and submitted 4 successful business cases in the last 3 years which have helped change practice and improve efficiency in the Oncology Day Ward. Jun introduced a virtual clinic for cancer patients receiving oral anticancer therapy during Covid19, this was the first clinic of its kind in an Irish setting. She is currently working on projects with the TUH Lab Medicine Innovation Hub to improve safe practice and the quality of blood samples.

CIBINQO is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.

Ronan Cahill, Mater Misericordiae

Keith Cassidy, Smarmore Castle Clinic

Keith is the Manager at Smarmore Castle Clinic, which earlier this year was awarded a major international accreditation recognising Excellence in International Best Practice, Legislation and Regulatory Standards. Located in a 13th century castle, and surrounded by 15 acres of gardens, Smarmore Castle Clinic offers an unrivalled environment in which patients can take the first steps on the road to recovery from addiction. News of the recognition comes as the Health Service Executive (HSE) has entered into an agreement with Smarmore Castle Clinic to provide public funding for patients in need of inpatient detox and rehab from alcohol and drugs.

Sarah Chambers, Irish Institute of Pharmacy

In July of 2022 Sarah was appointed as the Operations Director of the IIOP. Sarah has been working in the IIOP since March 2018. In this time, she has led a range of projects including statutory requirements such as ePortfolio Review and Practice Review as well as managing specific projects that focus on the development of pharmacists. In October 2021, the IIOP Mentoring Programme was launched with Sarah as the Mentoring Programme Lead. The programme has gone on to successfully run for a third cohort, connecting another cohort of thriving mentors and mentees. The IIOP mentoring programme works to build the belief in the understanding of mentoring across the profession and to drive a culture of self-leadership and leading others. It has gone on to win the EMCC Global Mentoring Award in 2021 and was shortlisted for the IITD Best Coaching & Mentoring Initiative in 2022.

Dr Melissa Conroy, Trinity College Dublin

Dr Melissa Conroy is a Principal Investigator and Course Coordinator in the School of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin where she leads biomedical research and teaching activities. She is Group Lead of the Cancer Immunology Research Group and currently supervises 3 PhD students. Dr Conroy’s patient-oriented research focuses on identifying and developing new immunotherapeutic approaches for poor prognosis cancers, inflammation and neurological disorders. In 2022, Dr Conroy was awarded the Breakthrough Cancer Research/5ForTheFight Cancer Immunology Research Fellowship. This prestigious award will allow Dr Conroy’s team to progress their crucial research focussed on reinvigorating the anti-cancer immune response in oesophageal cancer.

Dr Michael Crotty, My Best Weight

Dr Crotty has launched my Best Weight - a dedicated medical weight management clinic which has opened in Dublin. This team of internationally accredited doctors and experts provide an innovative approach using the most up to date scientific research. Employing a collaborative approach with the person being treated. They explore the underlying reasons for issues with weight and assess the impact that this may have on health. An individualised, long term treatment plan may include medication therapy, behavioural supports, medical nutrition and exercise therapy. My Best Weight has been recognised by the European Association for the Study of Obesity as a leading obesity management centre in Europe. It becomes the first non-hospital based accredited centre in Ireland.

Professor John Cryan, APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork

Professor Cryan was recently awarded ¤1.2 million towards an Irish/UK research study to examine middle age health. APC Microbiome Ireland, the SFI Research Centre at University College Cork (UCC) together with King's College London have been awarded research funding to investigate how exercise impacts gut microbiota and brain health in middle age. This project seeks to provide new knowledge about the relationship between the brain, the gut microbiota and exercise by identifying a gut-to-brain pathway, which may offer individualised therapy for changes in memory and mood as we age. Middle-age is an understudied time window across the lifecourse. Moreover, recent exciting evidence from APC Microbiome Ireland shows that the microbiome may be a suitable target to promote healthy ageing.

Dr Noelle Cullinan, Irish Cancer Society

Dedicated cancer genetics programme for children with cancer, Dr Cullinan was recently awarded funding through the Irish Cancer Society. This funding has facilitated her appointment as a Consultant Paediatric Oncologist with a Special Interest in Cancer Genetics. Since her appointment, significant progress has been made in establishing and developing a dedicated cancer genetics service for children, working closely with haematology, oncology, and clinical genetics health professionals. “I am now accepting referrals from my colleagues in the Department of Clinical Genetics for children with a confirmed cancer predisposition syndrome who are anticipated to have a high risk of developing cancer in childhood. Once a referral has been received, children with a confirmed cancer predisposition syndrome are now being invited to attend a dedicated clinic for clinical evaluation and disease surveillance, following evidence-based international recommendations,” Dr. Cullinan explains.

CIBINQO is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.

Audrey Cunningham, Irish Institute of Pharmacy

Audrey Cunningham works as a CPD Operations Coordinator in the Irish Institute of Pharmacy. A pharmacy technician by training, Audrey joined the IIOP in March 2020, just as the country went into lockdown. She led the implementation of a new online format for events for the IIOP during COVID, supporting the establishment and implementation of the IIOP “In Conversation With” webinar series. This series has been maintained post-COVID due to its popularity amongst pharmacists, providing a platform for connection for the profession where contemporaneous pharmacy issues can be discussed. Audrey is instrumental in the Peer Support agenda in the IIOP, and managed the IIOP Peer Support Event in October 2022, a forum which enabled pharmacists to contribute to the future of the peer support agenda for Irish pharmacists. She contributes to a range of ongoing IIOP projects and agendas, where her understanding of, and commitment to the pharmacy profession is always evident.

Dr Annie Curtis, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Dr Curtis was the lead author on a study which discovered a new link between a disrupted body clock and inflammatory diseases - Dr Curtis, Senior Lecturer at RCSI School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences says, "This study also shows that anything which negatively impacts on our body clocks, such as insufficient sleep and not enough daylight, can impact on the ability of our immune system to work effectively." Dr Curtis is a strong advocate for Women in STEM and was awarded a L’Oreal Women in Science Fellowship. In addition to her position in the Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics (MCT) Department, she is a Principal Investigator of the Tissue Engineering Research Group (TERG) at RCSI and also a funded investigator of the SFI Funded AMBER centre. Anne also serves on the Executive Committee for the Irish Society for Immunology.

Professor Kieran Dalton, University College Cork

In the past year, Professor Dalton has been a champion in providing a greater voice to pharmacists in Ireland through his research. He has showcased how the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent pharmacy practice changes have impacted on community pharmacies and the pharmacists themselves. Notably, he has published research highlighting the effect that COVID-19 had on community pharmacy practice and pharmacist wellbeing, as well as how both the introduction of electronic prescription transfer via Healthmail and the Falsified Medicines Directive have affected community pharmacies. Kieran has also continued his ongoing work to help the advancement of the pharmacist profession by publishing his findings on pharmacists’ views of pharmacist prescribing in hospital settings, which he hopes will contribute to enhancing the scope of pharmacist roles in Ireland and improve the delivery of patient care. Additionally, Kieran has recently supervised a pharmacist-led project in an Irish hospital that has demonstrated important findings involving a significant reduction in errors with pharmacist prescribing versus medical prescribing for chemotherapy regimens, associated with cost savings.

Loretta Dignam, Founder/CEO, The Menopause Hub

Loretta is a pioneer in the menopause revolution throughout Ireland, having set up Ireland’s first dedicated menopause clinic in Mount Merrion. Loretta and her team are the only dedicated multidisciplinary menopause clinic in Ireland, offering evidenced-based treatment. The move to digital healthcare during Covid-19 has allowed them to offer easier access to treatment and care for all. For World Menopause Day this year they opened their second clinic in North Dublin to better service the Northeast community of women. To date they have seen well over 6,000 patients in the clinic.

In addition, Loretta has been an advocate for menopausal women for the past 3 and a half years, with key stakeholders, such as Government, politicians, the Department of Health, the medical profession, the pharmacy profession, with members bodies like the INMO, media and consumers.

Professor Sarah Doyle, Trinity Institute of Neurosciences

Professor Doyle leads the EYE-D research project into degenerative retinal diseases. In September of this year it was announced that the project has received ¤3.2 million in funding under the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Strategic Partnership Programme. Professor Doyle said: “This funding will allow us to build on the major successes our group has had in understanding degenerative eye diseases. Added to this, we can now recruit the most talented group of scientists internationally and place Ireland at the forefront of vision research.”

Professor Trevor Duffy, Hermitage Clinic

Professor Duffy is the new Director of Healthcare leadership with the Royal College of Physicians Ireland. This new role has been established as part of a new Strategic Framework for 2021-2024. The purpose of the role will be to lead RCPI activity in the area of healthcare delivery and professional practice, working with internal and external stakeholders to promote excellence in patient care.

As a member of the Senior Management Team, Prof Duffy will oversee existing activities in the area of healthcare policy and delivery, developing new initiatives in agreement with the Executive Board and Council. Consultant Rheumatologist at the Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown and the Hermitage Medical Clinic and is Honorary Clinical Associate Professor at RCSI. Following specialist training in Ireland he was a Rheumatology Fellow at the Hospital Universitaire Cantonal de Geneve where he subsequently became a Chef de Clinique.

Caitriona Duggan, Portiuncula Hospital

Through a ¤160,000 Cancer Nursing Research Award made available by the Irish Cancer Society Caitriona Duggan and Dr Peter Carr are trialling using portable ultrasound machines to give a more accurate reading of the vein location, which they hope will remove much unnecessary stress and anxiety for patients who are already going through a difficult enough time with their cancer treatment. The ultrasound technology will provide important data on everything from vein size, quality and blood flow so that in time they can improve insertion success and reduce complications with infusion treatment, in what would be a combined win for all of cancer and patient care, nursing, and vascular access science.

Dr Waleed Faisal, School of Pharmacy, University College Cork

Dr Faisal and his team recently won the SSPC Commercial Activity of the Year Award. The award, presented at the SSPC 2022 Centre Symposium held on the 31st of September, recognised Faisal and his team behind the patent platform microneedle technology, Array Patch, for their outstanding contribution to knowledge transfer and commercialisation activities. Enterprise Ireland (EI) recently awarded the team a second commercialization fund to develop a medicated 'band-aid' to treat fungal infections of the fingernails and toenails (onychomycosis).

Patrick Foley leads the pharmacy team at Blackrock Health Hermitage Clinic. Through hard work and careful planning, they have become one of the first hospitals in Ireland to provide a ‘TTO’ discharge medication service. This service now mean patients can have their medicines provided to them at the bedside at the point of discharge. The service involves the clinical pharmacist screening of a discharge prescription and the subsequent provision of medication to the patient. This service represents a significant improvement in medication safety as well as patient experience. As the patient’s biochemistry data is available on the ward, highly trained clinical pharmacists can make key clinical interventions at the point of prescribing. Another tremendous benefit of the service to the patient is its convenience. Patrick continues to drive forward innovative improvements within his department and wider organisation that affect medication safety, patient experience and quality of service.

Professor Gallagher is a Professor of Cancer Biology in the UCD School of Biomolecular & Biomedical Science and Former Director of the UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research. He is co-lead of an emerging virtual institute (All-Island Cancer Research Institute) that aims to bring together cancer researchers across the island of Ireland within an overarching research programme. More recently, he assumed the role of Deputy Director of Precision Oncology Ireland (www.precisiononcology. ie; 2019-2024), a nationwide Strategic Research Partnership funded by Science Foundation Ireland focused on developing better treatment strategies and diagnostics for cancer patients.

Patrick Foley, Chief Pharmacist, Hermitage Clinic

CIBINQO is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.

Professor William Gallagher, University College Dublin

Professor Subrata Ghosh, University College Cork

Prestigious science foundation Ireland research professorship award - An Indian-origin professor Subrata Ghosh, a Cork-based global leader in research into Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, has been awarded ¤5.6 million in funding to establish a world-leading research lab at University College Cork (UCC). Professor Ghosh works at Increasing the efficacy of currently used targeted therapies and minimising adverse events through modulation of the gut microbiome may have a major impact on the life of the sufferers and address the economic burden of expensive therapies that prove to be ineffective.

Patricia Ging, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital

The corner stone to the success of the lung transplant programme is the collaborative approach to patient care. Patricia Ging invokes a patient centred approach with on-going commitment to lung transplant service and improvements in patient care. She is internationally recognised contributor to excellence in research and clinical practice. In recognition of Patricia’s current post and academic attainments and her sustained and valued contribution to RCSI, Patricia Ging, was promoted to Honorary Clinical Associate Professor by the RCSI. As a member of the leadership advisory forum for the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplant, Patricia is a leader in innovation of specialist services and healthcare transformation with a strong academic and research focus. She demonstrates consistent efficiencies and quality care improvements and delivering excellence in care.

Dr Siobhan Glavey, Beaumont Hospital/Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Dr Glavey is the Principal Investigator for a new project research study that aims to advance predictive tests for multiple myeloma, which is the second most common blood cancer in Ireland.

The study, which combines genomic testing and next-generation sequencing technology, will be carried out at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, and will be run through Blood Cancer Network Ireland, with several other cancer hospitals in Ireland participating.

Dzana Hadzic, Mater Misericoridae University Hospital

In October 2020, Dzana was appointed as the critical care pharmacist in the largest, most demanding critical care unit in the country. Taking up this role in the midst of a pandemic, she demonstrated efficiency, commitment, and dedication by quickly reacting to and problem-solving emerging medication management issues. Her main research centred around optimising the safety and quality of the dedicated pharmacist-led Medicines Reconciliation service by streamlining current processes, improving efficiency and resource-allocation. Dzana took on additional management responsibilities when she was appointed into the Deputy Clinical Pharmacy Service Manager role in 2022. Here, she helps oversee service provision, contributes to service optimisation and provides essential support to clinical pharmacists.

Dr Aamir Hameed, Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering

Dr Hameed recently launched lab with TERG on development of the new generation cardio devices and therapeutics - Dr Aamir Hameed’s lab within the Tissue Engineering Research Group (TERG) at RCSI focuses on the development of new generation cardiovascular devices and therapeutics.

TERG-CarDevT lab spinout startup, Pumpinheart, was awarded the TERMIS-AM Annual Conference and Exhibition Business Plan Competition. Donald Hickey, Co-founder and CEO presented the Pumpinheart pitch deck to an audience of tissue engineering researchers and businesses attending the conference. Dr Hameed’s current interest is in tissue engineering and minimally invasive medical devices innovation research, especially in the domain of cardiovascular diseases. Tissue-engineered biomaterials coupled with a minimally invasive delivery system could contribute in structural improvement and function of the repaired organs and hence may provide revolutionary therapeutic opportunities.

Professor Orla Hardiman, Trinity College Dublin/SFI Precision ALS

In November of this year, Professor Hardiman received the Provost Innovation Award for her innovative research at the 2022 Trinity Innovation Awards. Professor Hardiman, Head of the Academic Unit of Neurology in Trinity and leader of the SFI Precision ALS Spoke, is also a PI at the SFI FutureNeuro and ADAPT Research Centres. She is founder and director of the National ALS/MND Clinical and Research Programme, and the HSE National Clinical Lead for Neurology.

An exceptional clinician scientist and an established world authority on the causes, diagnosis and treatment of Motor Neuron Disease, she has established the world’s longest-running ALS register in Trinity, co-founded TRICALS and transformed understanding of the genetic causes of ALS.

Bernadetta Higgins, Department of Public Health Mid-West

Bernadetta has won an award in recognition of their innovative idea to collect urine samples in a cleaner way in order to improve diagnosis rates of infections, with the aid of a special app named 'Wee Catch It'. Collecting a clean, accurate midstream urine in babies, children and adults with incontinence in an efficient and hygienic way is challenging, this can lead to contamination of samples and often results in unnecessary antibiotic prescribing and costly unplanned hospital admissions. Necessity being the mother of invention, Bernadette came up with a solution to improve the ‘clean catch’ urine samples.

‘Wee Catch It’ is currently in prototype development phase, and the nurses will now work towards developing the unique product and software for national and international use.

Dr Moninne Howlett, Children’s Health Ireland

Dr Howlett is Ireland’s first Chief Pharmacy Information Officer and has just been granted a FulbrightTechImpact Scholar Award to visit St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, and learn more about pharmacy informatics and their medication systems. Dr Howlett has implemented a closed-loop medication management in Ireland’s new children’s hospital involving an electronic health organisation and a number of auxiliary interfaced systems. The Fulbright Commission in Ireland is in charge of awarding grants each year for Irish citizens to study, research, or teach in the US and for Americans to do the same in Ireland. Since its formation, more than 2,500 postgraduate students, scholars, professionals and teachers across all disciplines have participated in the programme between the two countries.

CIBINQO is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.

Barry Jones, Hermitage Clinic

Mr Barry Jones was recently designated the first GreenLight™ Expert User in Dublin. This Award showcases Mr Jones’ expertise in delivering effective, long-lasting therapy to men suffering from benign prostatic enlargement. He is among the first urology consultants in Europe to receive this accolade.

The GreenLight XPS™ Laser Therapy System is a 180W, 532nm wavelength laser for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It’s redefining the standard of care for BPH. Mr Jones is a Consultant Urologist at The Hermitage Clinic.

Professor Brendan Kelly, Trinity College Dublin

Professor Brendan Kelly is Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin, Consultant Psychiatrist at Tallaght University Hospital, and UCD Visiting Full Clinical Professor at UCD School of Medicine. He has authored and co-authored over 300 publications in peer-reviewed journals, over 600 non-peer-reviewed publications, 21 book chapters and book contributions, and 16 books (10 as sole author). Brendan’s recent books include ‘The Science of Happiness: The Six Principles of a Happy Life and the Seven Strategies for Achieving It’ (2021) and ‘In Search of Madness: A Psychiatrist’s Travels Through the History of Mental Illness’ (2022). Brendan is a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, and Trinity College Dublin. In 2017, he became Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Law and Psychiatry and in 2020 was elected as Dun’s Librarian at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. He contributes frequently to print and broadcast media, especially Newstalk radio, and writes regularly for the medical press.

Assistant Professor Fardod Kelly, Beacon hospital/UPMC/Kildare, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland/University College Dublin

Since his return from the prestigious Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto in July 2020 to take up a post as a paediatric and adolescent urological surgeon in the private sector, A/Professor O’Kelly has remained both clinical and academically prolific. With >75 publications, 6 European Panel memberships including the Guidelines Panel for paediatric urology and a panel-writer with the Joint Committee on Intercollegiate Examinations in the UK and Ireland, continues to work with the European Association of Urology to develop guidelines on transitional and adult congenital care for urological patients and hopes to create a public sector program for this in Ireland. He continues to collaborate with colleagues in North America and Europe, and has started to introduce business and medical law teaching to postgraduate training in surgery to prepare future surgical consultants for practice. During COVID, he completed an advanced diploma in medical law through Kings Inns, as well as an executive MBA through Smurfit Business School, and in 2022 was shortlisted for the world AMBA student of the year.

Dr Ina Kelly, Irish Medical Organisation

Dr Kelly, Chair of Public Health Committee, was appointed IMO President at the IMO AGM. Dr Kelly said: “I am honoured to take on the role of IMO President for what I know will be a challenging year for doctors and patients across the health system.” She added that it was crucial that any barriers that stop women reaching their full potential in their careers, particularly during their training years, are acknowledged and fixed. “We have many extraordinary women in leadership positions in medicine but we want to see more of our colleagues being supported and having their voices heard.”

CIBINQO is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.

Mary-Claire Kennedy, Irish Institute of Pharmacy

In October 2022, Mary-Claire Kennedy joined the Irish Institute of Pharmacy team as a Quality Assurance Pharmacist. Mary-Claire has been a Peer Support Pharmacist with the IIOP since 2013, supporting Practice Review, the delivery of Introduction to CPD and ePortfolio Review webinars. Most recently she has been responsible for hosting and sourcing a range of subject matter experts to feature on the IIOP “In Conversation With…” webinar series. She was awarded her PhD from the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity College Dublin in 2015. Mary-Claire has worked as a community pharmacist and also completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Statistics in Trinity College while completing her PhD research.

Mariosa Kieran, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital

Maríosa was appointed into the MMUH Clinical Director of Operations, Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation (PAMO) Directorate and the Pharmacy Head of Operations position in 2020. Mariosa provides high-level expertise to senior hospital management regarding pharmacy involvement in patient care, clinical excellence, drug storage and utilisation. She oversees staff recruitment as well as on-going review, improvement and strategic planning for MMUH Pharmacy services. Maríosa is a valued member of the MMUH Drugs and Therapeutics Committee and manages development, review and update of MMUH pharmacy and drug protocols, policies, procedures and guidelines as well as review and update of the MMUH drug formulary. Mariosa also supports the financial performance of the MMUH through her involvement in the Drug Expenditure Monitoring Review Committee with associated actions and has progressed recent drug procurement tenders. Maríosa has a keen interest in pharmacy educations. Maríosa successfully completed a MSc in Healthcare Management in 2021 and continued her interest in education in 2022 having completed the HSE / DELL Diploma in Digital Futures in Healthcare to upskill in application of digital solutions in healthcare.

Fionnuala King, Chief Pharmacist, HSE

As Chief Pharmacist for the Acute Hospital Drug Management Programme, Fionnuala provides leadership and strategic direction for a team whose work has provided enormous support to acute hospital pharmacy departments. AHDMP has undertaken significant work evaluating supply chain resilience and drug stock planning, developing the national COVID Therapeutics guidance documents and advisory statements, and supporting implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination programme initially in acute hospitals and subsequently in the Centralised Vaccination Centres. Fionnuala’s work on the business case and early development of Trackvax, the vaccine tracking system for COIVD 19 vaccination centres ensured the HSE got a safe and efficient solution to track the vaccine at such a crucial time. Fionnuala’s efforts to progress the Hospital Medicines Management System (HMMS) brings closer the delivery of efficient and reliable technology for hospital pharmacies. HMMS will be implemented as a single, centrally-deployed, national ICT system to support the information and technology requirements of hospitals’ pharmacy services to replace the currently deployed hospital pharmacy software.

Professor Brian Kirby, St Vincent’s University Hospital

Professor Brian Kirby features in the podcast series, Let’s Talk Psoriasis - the first series of its kind designed to bridge the gap in support for people awaiting specialist care, by providing access to expert guidance from leading Irish dermatologists to help people manage their psoriasis. Professor Kirby is a Consultant Dermatologist at St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, and a Full Clinical Professor of Dermatology and Principal Investigator at the Charles Institute of Dermatology, University College Dublin.

He has published more than 250 PubMed-cited publications, the majority of which are on psoriasis. He is a member of the steering committee of the British Association of Dermatologists, Biologics and Immunomodulator Registry, and a member of the International Psoriasis Council. He is an Associate Editor of British Journal of Dermatology and the journal Dermatology.

Professor Veronica Lambert, Dublin City University

Professor Veronica Lambert, is a Professor of Children and Family Nursing/Health at Dublin City University’s School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health. This year, in a competitive funding call, Prof Lambert acted as a role model for peers and colleagues, by leading through invitation, a successful Higher Education Authority North South Research Programme Award in collaboration with Queen’s University Belfast, for a project entitled “the all-island CO-DECIDE Study: Co-production of a decision-making framework for planning the place of end-of-life care for children, young people and their families on the island of Ireland”. Over the next two years, Professor Lambert will work with research peers and colleagues at DCU and QUB to advance this collaborative and capacity building research through four incremental stages across the island of Ireland. This will result in the development of a novel shared decision-making framework which will improve the lives of families receiving end-of-life care for children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions on the island of Ireland.

Professor Robert Landers, University Hospital Waterford

In 2022, Professor Landers was appointed President of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association. Since then he has campaigned on behalf of the organisation in advocating for timely, quality care for patients and the essential resources needed for the Consultants who treat them. He has urged Government to deliver on its Budget promises by providing the necessary resources, capacity and hospital professionals to assess and treat patients.

Professor Landers is a Consultant Histopathologist at the University Hospital Waterford.

Professor Aoife Lowery, National University Galway

Professor Lowery, Associate Professor and Consultant Surgeon recently received an Irish Cancer Society Clinician Research Leadership Award. All too often, cancer surgeon Professor Aoife Lowery sees the underappreciated impact that the side effects from treatment can have on patients. As the outcomes and survival for patients with breast cancer continue to improve, she feels that survivorship issues such as the side effects of cancer treatment are becoming increasingly recognised. A key focus of Professor Lowery’s increased time commitment to research, which is made possible by Irish Cancer Society award, will be on issues faced by patients arising from treatment, with a focus on reducing the burden of cancer treatment for these patients by identifying ways to prevent or minimise associated side effects.

CIBINQO is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.

Theresa Lowry-Lehnen, South-East Technological University

Theresa has 40 years clinical nursing experience in primary and secondary care, and currently runs a nurse led medical centre for a population of over 10,500 patients. She developed and delivers a successful on-site smoking cessation service for her patient cohort. She is an active social prescriber, involved in providing people with non-medical sources of support and interventions within the community to improve their physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. To date, Theresa has written five nursing, health and psychology books, and has had over 140 academic articles published in medical, nursing and pharmacological journals. Some of her academic work has been used to create CPD modules for Nurses and Doctors and pharmacy team’s continuous education and professional development. This year she carried out research on antimicrobial stewardship and CRP POCT testing to guide clinician’s antibiotic prescribing decisions for RTIs. Theresa is a contributor to local radio where she provides updates for the community on health-related matters. She also produces podcasts and health related videos and presentations on a wide variety of medical/health related topics, including a series of men’s health related presentation/ videos during men's health week 2022. This year she also provided a wellness week, and health checks for SETU staff.

Dr Jonathan Lyne, Beacon Hospital

Beacon Hospital together with Professor Jonathan Lyne, Director of Electrophysiology, announced earlier this year that they have been selected as one of only 12 cardiac centres of excellence in the world to take part in a ground-breaking clinical trial. Beacon Hospital the only centre in Ireland to be selected. The other 11 selected centres are located in the USA and the UK. The trial is working on a new type of Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy (CRT) for heart failure patients. This technique utilises the hearts own electrical wiring system known as conduction system pacing. Congratulations to Prof Lyne and all in Beacon Hospital’s Cath Lab, Clinical Trials and Research Institute teams.

Maria Macken, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital

Maria has played a consequential role for the fairly new Physician Associate (PA) profession in Ireland. Maria was part of the first cohort of the RCSI Physician Associates Studies Programme. There were only six in this cohort and Maria was also the class rep. Upon graduation, Maria was awarded “The Physician Associate Gold Medal” for the top performance across the two years of the PA master’s programme. Maria works at the Mater Hospital in the National Spinal Injuries Unit. as a clinic Physician Associate and was the first PA to work in the Mater (there are now 4 PAs working in the Mater). Her responsibilities include caring for patients on the ward, assisting in theatre, and in the clinic. On any given day, she would be reviewing patients on the wards, following their laboratory and imaging investigations, assisting with patient care technical procedures, discuss patient findings with consultants and members of the team. Marias activities related to the theatre include listing patients, conduct pre-operative assessments, and assist in surgery. Specific responsibilities related to spinal patients include arranging transfer to and from National Spinal Injuries Unit (NSIU). She served as President for two years which she played a major part in ISPA policy, scope of practice documents and liaising with Consultants and other hospitals in regards to PA employment.

Ellen Martin, HSE National Antimicrobial Resistance Infection Control Team

Ellen has been instrumental in the creation and development of the Pharmacist Antimicrobial Stewardship Network (PAMS-Net) this year. This forum is the result of a collaboration between the HSE Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control (AMRIC) team and the Irish Institute of Pharmacy. The network aims to support pharmacists across all sectors in their role as antimicrobial stewards. The network provides a discussion forum and regular educational events for members and facilitates the sharing of knowledge and information in relation to antimicrobial stewardship across the pharmacy profession. It also aims to foster creativity and innovation in antimicrobial stewardship. Ellen chairs the PAMS-net working group which brings together pharmacists from a range of professional backgrounds to inform and advise on the continuous development of the network. Ellen was a member of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Guidance Working Group for the recently published HSE Antimicrobial Stewardship Guidance for all healthcare settings.

Professor Oliver McElvaney, Beaumont Hospital/Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

In March of this year Professor McElvaney carried out a clinical trial which indicated an effective treatment for critically ill Covid-19 patients. The study investigates the effects of using an antiinflammatory protein, alpha-1 antitryspin (AAT), to treat COVID-19 patients who have progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Professor McElvaney is from the RCSI Department of Medicine and Beaumont Hospital. He commented: “These early results are encouraging, and will we hope form the basis for a larger trial to see how much of an effect reducing inflammation using AAT has on clinical outcomes such as mortality.”

Professor Hannah McGee, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Professor McGee, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at RCSI, was formally admitted as a member of the RIA at a ceremony in Dublin recently. Professor McGee is a distinguished scholar in psychology, specifically psychosocial aspects of health. Committed to translational research, Professor McGee has been Principal Investigator on many national interdisciplinary health-related projects, earning almost ¤17 million in peer-reviewed grant income. Within RCSI, she has fostered collaboration across cognate disciplines since she joined in 1987. As RCSI’s Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Professor McGee is responsible for the quality of degree-awarding activities in RCSI’s campuses in Dublin, Bahrain, Dubai and Malaysia.

CIBINQO is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.

Professor Patrick McGorey, Royal College of Surgeons

Development and scaling up of early intervention and youth mental health servicesThe RCSI Honorary Doctorate was awarded to Professor Patrick McGorry, an Irishborn, Australian psychiatrist known worldwide for his development and scaling up of early intervention and youth mental health services, and for mental health innovation, advocacy and reform. - https://www.rcsi.com/dublin/news-and-events/news/newsarticle/2022/06/healthcare-and-research-professionals-graduate

Niamh McMahon, St James’s Hospital Dublin/Trinity College Dublin

Course Director for the MSc in Hospital Pharmacy, Trinity College Dublin, and Chief 2 Pharmacist in the Medicine for the Elderly Directorate, St. James’s hospital, this year Niamh successfully completed Consultant Pharmacist Credentialing through the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain –becoming the first pharmacist based in the Republic of Ireland to be awarded this status. This provides formal recognition for her expert level of pharmacist practice across five domains: person-centred care and collaboration, professional practice, leadership and management, education, and research. In particular, it recognises Niamh’s clinical knowledge, expertise and leadership in the profession of pharmacy, delivering person-centred care and driving change across the healthcare system, in her chosen specialty, Care of Older Persons. She is Lead Pharmacist to the National Integrated Care Programme for Older Persons, and Chairperson of the Hospital Pharmacists’ Association of Ireland, Special Interest Group for the Care of Older People.

Professor Deborah McNamara, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Newly elected vice- president of RCSI, over the last decade, Professor McNamara has focused on healthcare quality improvement, obtaining post-graduate qualifications in quality improvement and implementation science. She founded the better beaumont quality improvement learning collaborative in 2014, a group that she co-leads with Consultant Microbiologist Dr Fidelma Fitzpatrick, to support a range of hospitalbased improvement activities. At a national level, her work with the National Clinical Programme in Surgery focuses on helping colleagues in all surgical specialties to publish implementable evidence-based policies and care pathways that will improve the delivery of surgical care in Ireland.

Professor Zena Moore, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Professor Moore was awarded the Life Achievement Award from the World Union of Wound Healing Societies - Commitment to wound care. Furthermore she is progressing the education provided by the School of Nursing & Midwifery at RCSI, is to be commended. Her work has greatly advanced the way wounds are cared for, thereby improving the lives of patients across the world. Director of the Skin Wounds and Trauma (SWaT) Research Centre is leading cutting-edge research in the field of wound healing and tissue repair, with a specific emphasis on pressure ulcer prevention and management. The Centre aims to translate evidence into contemporary clinical decision-making, and to provide a platform for outcome-focused healthcare practice.

Mary Mullen, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital

Mary commenced her current post in the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH) in September 2018 and is one of the few Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioners in Ortho-Geriatrics in the country. To date she has pioneered and championed hip fracture care for older adults within the MMUH advocating the national key performance indicators within hip fracture care, positively impacting on patient’s outcomes and health related quality of life for older adults. This is demonstrated and reflected in the MMUH hip fracture data for 2021 showing the greatest improvements for patients within this hip fracture pathway. She is a passionate inspirational leader acting as a catalyst in initiating change and driving quality improvements within the hip fracture population. This was recognised earlier this year by the National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA) where Mary and the local hip fracture governance committee won the Quality Improvement Champion Award for 2022 for reducing heel ulcers in hip fracture patients. She recently was nominated for the Fellowship of the Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery in the RCSI in recognition of her outstanding leadership, work and commitment as a nurse practitioner.

Dearbhla Murphy, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital

Dearbhla has been working at the Pharmacy Department of the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH) since 2014. In January 2022, she was appointed into the new post of Cancer Services Clinical Pharmacy Lead. In the short time since taking up this post, Dearbhla has demonstrated her passion and motivation in the development and continued improvement of clinical pharmacy service provision for cancer patients. Dearbhla provides a ward based clinical pharmacy service for the Oncology/ Haematology inpatient ward, allowing for a senior level of clinical care and intervention for this patient cohort, and has established a Medicines Information enquiry answering service for the Cancer Service, enabling specialist review, oversight and review for opportunities for service changes based on the queries generated. Dearbhla is leading a number of initiatives in her new role including a review of human normal Immunoglobulin use in accordance with international evidence and national guidelines and is lead coordinator for MMUH access to cancer Managed Access Programmes (MAPs), to ensure that all terms of participation are agreeable for both the hospital and the patient.

Dr Eddie Murphy, St Vincent’s University Hospital

Dr Eddie Murphy is the psychologist on RTE’s Operation Transformation where his practical, respectful and hope orientated approach has opened the hidden doors of the therapy room to the public at large. He has contributed extensively to local and national media including RTE’s Marian Finucane show & The John Murray Show, The Irish Independent, Irish Daily Mail and RTE Guide. Dr Murphy is a clinical psychologist, mental health expert, author, teacher, & life coach.

He is a Head of Psychology / Principal Clinical Psychologist working in the HSE and is committed to providing professional psychology passionately and promoting successful outcomes using CBT, Mindfulness, Solution Focused therapies for children, adults, families, communities and organisations. He has a specialist interest in trauma and PTSD.

Anne Murray, Department of Public Health Mid-West

Anne recently received a top award in recognition of an innovative idea to collect urine samples in a cleaner way in order to improve diagnosis rates of infections, with the aid of a special app. Anne won the National Spark Ignite award and ¤3,000 seed funding for the ‘Wee Catch It’ innovation idea, at the annual Spark Innovation Programme conference in Dublin recently. ‘Wee Catch It’ is currently in prototype development phase, and the nurses will now work towards developing the unique product and software for national and international use.

CIBINQO is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.

Professor Jarushka Naidoo, Beaumont Hospital

Consultant Oncologist at Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre (Beaumont Hospital and RCSI University of Health Sciences) Professor Naidoo has won a clinical Research Leadership Award for research which utilises immunotherapy by utilising a person’s own immune system against cancer. This award ‘buys out’ some of the time a practicing oncologist like Prof Naidoo would spend in hospital, providing cover to allow ambitious researchers like her to dedicate more time to working on innovative new breakthroughs that can help patients.

Eric Neville, Mater Private Network

In September of this year, Eric announced that the Mater Private Network has embarked on delivering Ireland’s most ambitious and comprehensive Electronic Health Record (EHR) platform, MEDITECH Expanse. Backed by an investment of ¤26m, Mater Private Network will integrate MEDITECH Expanse across its entire Irish network, including its flagship Dublin and Cork hospitals, the Mid-Western Radiation Oncology Centre, Limerick, both Day Hospitals and clinics in counties Limerick, Offaly, Meath and Louth.

Eric is Chief Information Officer with the Mater Private Network, and in outlining his vision said, “This significant investment in the latest EHR technology is a major leap forward in our Digital Transformation. Being a fully digital Network will be a gamechanger not only for us but for our patients and other healthcare institutions with which we collaborate.”

Aoife Ni Eochaidh, Bon Secours Consultants Clinic

Aoife has launched Home Pelvic Routines - an online digital product, which is a series of specific pelvic floor muscle exercises and routines developed by me that are provided in a step-by-step way, at the right pace, in a clear, concise, easy to follow way. They are affordable, discrete, and widely available on a smart phone, tablet, or PC, and can be used in comfort and privacy. Pelvic floor muscle tone is a really important function in managing Pregnancy, the Post Natal Period and for Menopause and its impact on body and functions. She has partnered with pharmacies and physiotherapy clinics in Ireland (Spectrum Health and Meagher’s Pharmacies and I have just launched them for sale too, in UK pharmacies online, (Weldrick’s).

Muireann Ní Shúilleabháin, Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland

Muireann was re-Appointed President of Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland. Her overall remit is in Medication Safety and she has been an active advocate for quality and safety in medicines management at a local and national level. Muireann has further experience in Healthcare Management, Clinical Governance, Clinical Pharmacy, Consultancy Pharmacy, Accreditation processes, Pharmacy Practice and Project Leadership. She has been in a Chief/ Superintendent role since 2001.

Professor Alistair Nichol, University College Dublin

UCD Chair of Critical Care Medicine, Professor Alistair Nichol received a special commendation for his ‘exceptional contribution’ in the field of medical research, specifically in critical care clinical trials and especially in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic at the Irish Research Council, Research of the Year Awards.

Professor Nichol’s research foci are traumatic brain injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and sepsis. He has a particular interest in the ethical barriers to research in the critically ill.

Professor Yvonne Nolan, APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork

Professor Nolan was recently awarded ¤1.2 million for an Irish/UK research study to examine middle age health. APC Microbiome Ireland, the SFI Research Centre at University College Cork (UCC) together with King's College London have been awarded research funding to investigate how exercise impacts gut microbiota and brain health in middle age. The Reta Lila Weston Trust as part of their Brain Health and Microbiome programme awarded a ¤1.2 million collaboration project studying the role of gutmicrobiota in exercise-induced changes in cognitive function in middle age to Prof Yvonne Nolan and Prof John Cryan at UCC in collaboration with Prof Sandrine Thuret and Dr Brendon Stubbs at King’s College London.

Dr Lucy Norris, Trinity College Dublin

Dr Norris received Trinity College’s Dean's Research Award in 2022 to develop and validate a risk score for VTE in patients with gynecologic cancer and to test the predictive ability of the score following addition of procoagulant biomarker data. Dr Norris is the Principal Investigator of Coagulation Research group at the Department of obstetrics and Gynaecology and has over 25 years' experience in the area of haemostasis and thrombosis research. Her current research program focuses on the prediction of venous thrombosis in gynaecological cancer and the role of coagulation gene expression in the aetiology of ovarian cancer and has recieved independent funding from the HRB and the pharmaceutical industry.

CIBINQO is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.

Dr Barry O’Connell, St James’s Hospital, Dublin

Dr O’Connell undertook a collaborative project with Dr Una Kennedy and Medication Safety Facilitator, Eileen Relihan, all of St James’s Hospital, Dublin called the Medication Safety Minute. The project is the only European initiative to be awarded a ‘Cheers Award’ at the 24th annual awards ceremony. The Cheers Awards take place each year and seek to highlight institutions and individuals that ensure that the implementation of medication safety strategies stretch far beyond a few individuals or a single department and are fully integrated into their organisation’s culture and clinical practice.

The project resources are currently used by 24 hospitals in Ireland and by a number of university undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The material has also been made available as a free online access resource in the form of a digital flipbook as well as being published weekly.

Michael O’Connell

Michael O’Connell, Country Director for Biogen and president of the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA), the representative body for the research-based biopharmaceutical industry. Has worked with a focus on achieving a better environment for access, competitiveness and innovation. Has developed a new Framework Agreement for the Supply and Pricing of Medicines is improving Ireland’s capacity to deliver the latest treatments to patients.

Dr Cathal O’Connor, University College Cork

Dr O’Connor is a is a PhD fellow with the prestigious Irish Clinical and Academic Training (ICAT) programme He is a Specialist Registrar in Dermatology with the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI), and is dual training in general paediatrics. This year he has been chosen as an inaugural 'Future Leader' by the executive board of the European Society for Paediatric Dermatology for 2021-2024. The ESPD Future Leaders Programme is a highly competitive three-year rolling programme to attract and support the careers of trainee/resident doctors who are interested in Paediatric Dermatology. This year Cathal is also the recipient of the O’Connor scholarship in University College Cork. Cathal’s research on misinformation in dermatology and the burden of treatment in dermatology has recently won several awards, including the Martin Beare award for best paediatric research at the British Association of Dermatology meeting, and the Quality in Care Dermatology award.

Professor Caitriona O’Driscoll, University College Cork

Professor O’Driscoll is the lead and Project Co-ordinator for a research project, led by the School of Pharmacy in partnership with APC Microbiome Ireland SFI Research Centre at University College Cork (UCC), that is seeking to revolutionise how Crohn’s disease is treated. This year she and her team were awarded €5.4 million in funding by the European Union (EU).

Now GENEGUT, a four-year research project funded by Horizon Europe, is to develop the first oral RNAbased therapy for ileal Crohn’s Disease. CD drastically impacts the quality of life of affected patients - and that of their families, friends, and caregivers.

Professor Lorraine O’Driscoll, Trinity College Dublin

The International Society of Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV), a leading professional society for researchers and scientists involved in the study of microvesicles and exosomes, recently announced that ISEV Board Member Lorraine O’Driscoll, Professor of Pharmacology and Biomedicine at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, was inducted into the Royal Irish Academy on May 21. Professor O’Driscoll was honoured and recognised for her unique contributions to education and scientific research.

Fiona O’Hara, The Pharmaceutical Managers’ Institute

Fiona is the Vice-President of the Pharmaceuttical Managers’ Institute. During 2022 she has undertaken leadership of complex transformational global change programme transactions, divisional COO roles in industry and technology and leadership of inclusion and diversity for the UK and Ireland. During this year the PMI has hosted a number of health information events including the Women in Leadership series, the Pharma Manager series and the Pharma Summit.

Dr Grace O’Malley, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Dr Grace O’Malley, leads the W82GO Child and Adolescent Weight Management Service delivering assessment and treatment for childhood obesity at Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street and is committed to ensuring children and adolescents with obesity have equal access to evidence-based care.

Dr O’Malley was also the Inaugural Chair of theAssociation for the Study of Obesity on the Island of Ireland and participates in developing national programmes and strategies related to childhood obesity in Ireland. She is a member of the EASO Childhood Obesity Task Force and is committed to the provision of evidence-based high quality education for health professionals.

CIBINQO is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.

Professor Luke O’Neill, Trinity College Dublin

Professor O’Neill has been listed on the 2022 on the annual Highly Cited Researchers™ 2022 list from Clarivate, which identifies researchers who have demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field or fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade.

Professor O’Neill is Professor of Biochemistry in Trinity’s School of Biochemistry and Immunology, and founder and investigator at the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute. He is one of the world’s leading immunologists.

Rhona O’Neill, Health Services Executive

As Chief II Pharmacist, Rhona joined the COVID-19 Therapeutic Advisory Group (TAG) when it was founded by the Chief Clinical Officer in November 2021 as a subject matter expert in medicines and was subsequently invited to join the COVID-19 Therapeutic Guidelines (TGS) and Paediatric Subgroups which reported into the COVID-19 TAG. As well as being a subject matter expert, she acted as co-ordinator and secretariat to the TGS throughout the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (22/11/2020 onwards). Over the course of eight months she co-ordinated the group to respond to rapidly emerging and changing evidence to inform these clinical recommendations. The main piece of work was the development of the ‘HSE Interim Guidance for the Pharmacological Management of Patients with COVID-19’. Rhona was responsible for writing and updating this guideline as new recommendations were made by the TGS. This guideline is now in its fifth iteration.

Professor Anthony O’Regan, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Professor O’Regan, Dean of the Institute of Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) will Chair a new National Taskforce on the NCHD Workforce announced by the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly this year.

The purpose of the Taskforce is to put in place sustainable workforce planning strategies and policies to improve the NCHD experience and to support present and future retention of NCHDs in Ireland. The Taskforce will seek to improve the NCHD experience/work-life balance through the development and implementation of improved NCHD structures and supports in hospital sites. It will aim to further develop and foster a culture of education and training at clinical site level and plan for future configuration of the medical workforce to support delivery of healthcare in Ireland.

Professor O’Regan is Consultant Respiratory Physician and Director of Postgraduate Clinical Education at the Saolta University Healthcare Group.

Dr Oisin O’Connell, Bon Secours Hospital, Cork

Dr O’Connell in conjunction with Health Innovation Hub Ireland and the MPS cofounded HOSPITALBUDDY an Irish Healthcare app dedicated to the improving the flow of doctors and healthcare professionals working throughout hospitals in Ireland. In the past 18 months over 1600 Hospital Doctors in Ireland are regularly using the HOSPITALBUDDY app and its associated website to track their internal CPD, uploading internal integrated hospital phone directory, uploading on-call clinical rosters and improving communication between medical HR depts and NCHD’s nationally through various dedicated private discussion forums. As a previous Vice-President of the IHCA and previous National Medical Director of he MMUH Heart and Lung Transplant program, Dr O’Connell has seen first hand the potential benefits of IT integration with healthcare in Ireland.

Dearbhla O’Sullivan, Regional Hospital Mullingar/ St Loman’s Hospital

Dearbhla has led the pharmacy department in the Regional Hospital Mullingar and St Loman’s Hospital since March 2020. Very shortly after taking up position, the Covid-19 pandemic unfolded, followed by the cyber-attack. These challenges were compounded in RHM by unprecedented pharmacist staffing challenges. As the only Chief Pharmacist, Dearbhla’s workload is immense and varied. RHM is a busy model 3 hospital with a 24/7 Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, multiple Medical and Surgical specialties, an Obstetric Unit and a Paediatric Unit, while St Loman’s is a psychiatric hospital on a separate site with a satellite pharmacy. Dearbhla’s pharmacy team also provide all pharmaceutical services to three HSE Care of the Elderly residential facilities in the region, as well as the national ambulance service, public health medicine and three out-of-hours GP services in the midlands.

Muriel Pate, Health Services Executive

Muriel works tirelessly to support the provision of safe, effective and high quality medication services nationally. Over the past year, she has played a crucial role in providing extensive support to safely manage Covid vaccines and minimise multiple potential safety issues, in CVCs and community pharmacies. This includes developing guidance, training and TrackVax software development with NIO/GS1 and supporting shared learning between vaccinating staff, focussing on quality systems and risk reduction. She has supported the roll out of the PCRS to hospitals with the Office of the Chief Information Officer. This facilitates more effective and efficient medicines reconciliation by pharmacists at admission to hospital. Muriel contributed to the development of the ‘Medication without Harm’ elearning programme in collaboration with the Irish Institute of Pharmacy, and making it available on HSELanD. She has supported the Ukrainian Crisis Clinical Workstream 2022 in development of HSE micro-website, including Medicines Information resources to support clinicians. She contributes to eHealth developments including the development of the HSE National Medicinal Product Catalogue and the Hospital Medicines Management System.

Professor Declan Patton, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Professor Patton commenced employment as Director of Nursing and Midwifery Research in the RCSI in 2014. Since then he has led many key successes for the School. In doing so he has become a role model for others in the school and an ambassador for nursing led research. Notable about Declan’s achievements is his inclusion of others, be that staff, patient groups or students. For example, Declan initiated the inclusion of multiple members of School staff in writing for publication. Even though Declan led many of these publications he involved others ensuring that their number of authorships also increased as well as them learning the skills of writing for publication. Declan also initiated a programme of writing for publication with students. Since 2020, over 50 publications have happened with students/ former students. His leadership has been further recognised by his appointment as Editor in Chief of the Journal of Tissue Viability, a Q1 international scientific wound care journal. Development of Hospital services / Impact as a healthcare professional.

Marie Philbin, HSE Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control

Marie Philbin is the first Chief Antimicrobial Pharmacist to be appointed to the HSE’s Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control (AMRIC) team. Marie has been a member of the AMRIC team since 2018. Her role involves monitoring the consumption of antimicrobials in all setting in Ireland and she is also involved in coordinating the National Annual Acute Hospital Point Prevalence Survey. Marie, together with her colleagues, has been involved in the delivery of a number of ‘IIOP In Conversation with…’ webinars and training programmes on HSE Land and the Irish Institute of Pharmacy. She has also been a driving force behind the creation of Pharmacist Antimicrobial Stewardship Network (PAMS-Net), a collaboration between the HSE Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control (AMRIC) team and IIOP. Marie chaired the inaugural PAMS-Net AMRIC educational event in September 2022, bringing together pharmacists, pharmacy students and other healthcare professionals to showcase all the good work that pharmacists are doing to support antimicrobial stewardship across a variety of settings.

CIBINQO is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.

Grainne Power, Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority

Grainne is Director of Compliance with the HPRA, which she joined in 2018 to lead the Human Products Authorisation and Registration Department where her responsibilities included the authorisation or registration of human medicines, together with clinical trials authorisation for the Irish market. In January 2022, Ms Power was appointed Director of the Compliance Department. Ms Power studied Biotechnology at Dublin City University and has worked in a number of Quality leadership roles within the Irish Pharma/ Biopharma manufacturing sectors over a period of 25 years before joining the HPRA.

Dr Rebecca Power, Nutrition Research Centre Ireland

Dr Power’s current project, the Cognitive impAiRmEnt Study (CARES), is investigating the role of nutrition supplementation on cognitive function among individuals with mild cognitive impairment in comparison to age-matched controls. This research is being performed under the supervision of Professor John Nolan, Professor Stephen Beatty and Professor Riona Mulcahy, and support from Dr Robert Coen.

Her research interests at the NRCI include the management and co-ordination of the re-MIND trial, as well as the design and implementation of the FortiXan trial. Dr Power has recently been awarded a Marie Sklodowska Curie Action Individual Fellowship to work with Professor Aron Barbey and his team and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

Audrey Purcell, St John of God Hospital

In September of this year, Audrey helped publish a new patient information booklet on lithium therapy, which is also aimed at healthcare professionals. The aim of the booklet is to promote safer lithium therapy and empower patients to engage more with healthcare professionals on all aspects of their treatment, including potential side-effects.

It contains important safety and clinical information, as well as a means of recording essential information on lithium levels and blood test results. Additional information is also provided on different lithium products on the market, as well how to recognise signs of lithium toxicity.

Assistant Professor Arman Rahman, University College Dublin

Dr Rahman was appointed as the Translational Researcher and Engagement manager (TREM) of POI. Since early 2022, he has also taken up a temporary role of a lecturer at the UCD School of Medicine. He has been pivotal to developing and leading the Tissue Imaging Platform and in recognition of his efforts in developing and establishing the Tissue Imaging Platform, he was named Senior Researcher of the Year 2020 by the Irish Cancer Society.

Dr Eileen Relihan, St James’s Hospital Dublin

Dr Relihan is the co-creator of the Medication Safety Minute - The Medication Safety Minute is an innovative education tool that has been developed to promote the safe prescription of medication to patients. The project emerged from the review of real-world medication errors and discussions about how to optimally communicate the learning points to prescribers in the age of information overload. She is currently the Medication Safety Facilitator in St James’s Hospital and a teaching fellow at Trinity College Dublin.

Aoife Sartini Bhreathnach, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital

Aoife Sartini Bhreathnach is part of the second cohort of the RCSI Physician Associates (PA) Studies Programme and graduated in 2019 with ten of her classmates. Aoife has been a member of the Irish Society of Physician Associate(ISPA) since it was established in 2019. She became a member of the ISPA Advocacy committee (sub-committee of ISPA) in 2021 and was elected then the President Elect (Vice President) of ISPA this year in June 2022. She plays a huge part in being an advocate for the PA profession and her involvement on the ISPA advocacy committee will help push the PA profession for regulation. Aoife was the second PA to be employed in the Mater Hospital in Dublin.

Dr Ingmar Schoen, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Dr Schoen was, earlier this year, lead author of new blood clotting research, which indicates enhanced understanding of wound repair. The research, published in Science Advances, examines the behaviour of platelets at a wound site, specifically their ability to sense where within a blood clot they are and remodel their surroundings accordinglyThis new study indicates that platelets can also form a provisional fibron matrix in their surroundings, similar to what fibroblasts do in the later stages of wound healing. This has potential implications for how the integrity of blood clots might be maintained during vascular repair.

Professor Sharif has introduced a new minimally invasive day case procedure to reduce blood pressure in patients. Galway University Hospitals (GUH) is the first hospital in the country to introduce a new minimally invasive day case procedure to reduce blood pressure in patients. This means that patients arrive in the hospital in the morning, have the procedure, and are able to return home the same day.

Professor Sharif is the Professor of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine and Innovation at National University of Ireland Galway and an Interventional Cardiologist at the Saolta Group, Galway University Hospital. He is also an Executive Director of BioInnovate Ireland, a multi disciplinary programme for novel medical device innovation. His research predominantly focuses on medical device innovation and clinical translation of novel medical devices and concepts for cardiovascular diseases.

Professor Faisal Sharif, Galway University Hospital

CIBINQO is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.

Rose Shivmangal, St Columcille’s Hospital

During her time in Connolly Hospital as Head of Unscheduled Care, Rose was responsible for leading a team of 12 people before leaving to assume the role of General Manager of St. Columcille’s Hospital, Loughlinstown, Co. Dublin in February 2022. Rose was instrumental in establishing an innovative quality project in conjunction with the Dublin North City Centre (DNCC) General Manager for Older Persons Services in January 2020. Rose further established additional step-down facility beds for the hospital which has further enhanced the capacity and flow. Rose has also been the Operational Project Manager responsible for the building of a new Emergency Department Covid Resus from February 2021. In Loughlinstown, Rose is currently leading on a refurbishment of the Obesity Management Service inpatient beds, ensuring an accessible and appropriate environment is being created for future patients. Rose was influential in developing discharge pathways to ensure that the patient had the right care, at the right time and in the right place. This led to 4 patients on the delayed transfer of care database (DTOC) in January 2022 versus 36 patients in December 2019 in Connolly Hospital.

Kashif Siddiqui, Hermitage Clinic

Consultant Urologist Mr Siddiqui was this year recognised as an Expert User of GreenLight XPS

Laser Therapy System – demonstrating his expert knowledge in delivering effective, long lasting therapy to men suffering from benign prostatic enlargement. Mr Siddiqui graduated in 1993 and subsequently completed his basic surgical and urological training in Ireland before obtaining FRCS (Urol). He was conferred with Masters Med Sc in Urology from NUI Galway and Fellowship from European Board of Urology.

He completed his research fellowship from Sunnybrook Hospital Toronto in MRgUS treatment of localized prostate cancer. He worked as a consultant urologist in Oxford UK for a short time before returning to Ireland

Professor Dubhfeasa Slattery, Children’s Health Ireland

Professor Slattery is a Consultant Respiratory and General Paediatrician in CHI at Temple St. Her work involves multiple pillars: clinical work, professionalism, education, training, research, quality, patient safety, risk, fundraising and leadership. In these areas she has demonstrated unique skills as a role model, ambassador, inspirational leader; has developed hospital services and impacted healthcare nationally and internationally. She enjoys research and how it improves clinical standards and care for children and young adults. Her research in Boston culminated in a PhD in Molecular Medicine. She has received significant independent grant funding and published multiple peer-reviewed publications across the areas of basic science, clinical, translational and educational research. Her research has won multiple prizes at national and international level.

CIBINQO is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.

Dr Stephen Tuoy, Galway Clinic

Dr Tuoy performed the first ventricular tachycardia ablation procedure in Ireland earlier in 2022. Dr Tuohy is Consultant Cardiologist & Electrophysiologist established a life-saving procedure against Ventricular tachycardia (VT), a life-threatening heart rhythm problem caused by irregular electrical signals in the lower chambers of the heart, which results in patients experiencing much faster heartbeats. This procedure marked an innovative first in the West of Ireland. Dr Tuohy is a graduate from the School of Medicine at National University of Ireland, Galway in 2009 and was the recipient of the gold medal in paediatrics. Dr Tuohy also holds Bachelor of Science from NUI Galway and a Master of Science in Clinical Research from NUI Galway.

Dr Damir Versilija, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Led by Dr Versilijam researchers at RCSI and the Beaumont Hospital revealed a potential new way to treat secondary breast cancer that has spread to the brain, using existing drugs.

The RCSI study focused on genetically tracking the tumour evolution from diagnosis of primary breast to the metastatic spread in the brain in cancer patients. The researchers found that almost half of the tumours had changes in the way they repair their DNA, making these tumours vulnerable to an existing type of drug known as a PARP inhibitor. PARP inhibitor drugs work by preventing cancer cells to repair their DNA, which results in the cancer cells dying.

Dr Elena Vaughan, NUI Galway

In September of this year Dr Vaughan published on the Role of Symbolic and Structural Violence in Ireland’s HIV Epidemic. She also spearheaded a survey earlier in the summer –Measuring HIV-related Stigma in Healthcare Settings: preliminary Results and Future Plans.

Dr Vaughan is a post-doctoral researcher in the Health Promotion Research Centre in NUI Galway. Her PhD research investigated HIV-related stigma in the Irish context. Specifically her work explored the relationship between media driven discourses of HIV and the embodied and enacted stigma experiences of people living with HIV in Ireland. Her research interests include HIV and sexual health, women and HIV, LGBT health, health related stigmas, and social and structural determinants of health.

Professor Laura Viani, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Professor Viani is the newly elected president of RCSI and Ireland’s first female otolaryngologist. As the first female Irish ENT surgeon, she founded the National Hearing Implant and Hearing Research centre in Ireland and established a National Cochlear Implant (CI) programme in 1995.

Professor Laura Viani is a consultant otolaryngologist and neurotologist at Beaumont Hospital and the Children’s University Hospital Temple Street. She is Director and Professor of the National Cochlear Implant Programme and Hearing Research Centre and is founder of this national specialty. She replaces outgoing President, Professor P. Ronan O’Connell.

Professor Leonie Young, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Professor Young led a study which has revealed a potential new way to treat secondary breast cancer that has spread to the brain, using existing drugs.

The study was funded by Breast Cancer Ireland with support from Breast Cancer Now and Science Foundation Ireland.

The RCSI study focused on genetically tracking the tumour evolution from diagnosis of primary breast to the metastatic spread in the brain in cancer patients. The researchers found that almost half of the tumours had changes in the way they repair their DNA, making these tumours vulnerable to an existing type of drug known as a PARP inhibitor. PARP inhibitor drugs work by preventing cancer cells to repair their DNA, which results in the cancer cells dying.

Professor Dominic Zerulla, University College Dublin

Professor Zerulla work has the potential to transform the understanding of processes such as cell signalling and cell proliferation in cancer has won this year’s NovaUCD Innovation Awards.

Professor Dominic Zerulla received the 2022 award in recognition for the development of a novel photonic chip which enables ultra-high spatial resolution at video rates in optical microscopy, far beyond the diffraction limit of visible light. This patented technology could aid early diagnostics and precision medicine, and help deliver improved drug treatments for patients facing a range of life-threatening diseases. His company PEARlabs, a spin-out from the UCD School of Physics, has been awarded over ¤700k in funding through the SFI Future Innovator Prize programme to further develop this technology.

CIBINQO is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.