Conference

Dr John Cannon is the current President of the Irish Medical Organisation, and only the sixth NCHD to hold this position in union’s history. He holds two first class honours degrees in both physics and medicine from Dublin City University and University College Cork, respectively. He was elected to the Irish Medical Organisation’s NCHD Committee in 2019 and served as the National NCHD Committee Chairperson from 2021 until becoming IMO President. John also served as both a board member of the IMO’s Executive Board, as well as a member of its Governing Council.

He has spearheaded the Union’s 'Standing Up for NCHDs' national campaign which received widespread media coverage and resounding public support. He was responsible for the negotiation team who worked tirelessly to secure the December 2022 NCHD agreement, which has been widely greeted as a vital steppingstone in reforming the antiquated work and training experience of junior doctors within the HSE.

Having successfully completed his membership exams, he is currently in the final year of training in general practice.

Essene Cassidy is an experience healthcare leader with a particular interest in professional regulation, governance and the roles and responsibilities of being a non-executive board member. She is the Head of Older Persons Services in CHO DNCC, responsible for the delivery of health and social care services to the older population of north Dublin.

From 2012-2022 she was a member of the Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) elected as a representative from Public Health Nursing. In 2016 she was appointed by the Board as President. During her presidency, she led the board and organisation through a period of complex change, digitalisation and organisational restructuring.

In 2020, she was awarded a Fellow by Election of the Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery of the RCSI in recognition of her contribution to the professions of nursing and midwifery. She is also a faculty member of the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR), promoting regulatory excellence through education, networking opportunities and research publications, supporting the international regulatory community and promoting public protection. 

Eric Clarke is a lecturer health informatics in the Department of Medical Professionalism at RCSI.

He currently co-ordinates the Professionalism in the Health Sciences module which is part of Foundation Year.  After completing an MSc Loss & Bereavement (jointly run by RCSI and the Irish Hospice Foundation), he has been involved in a number of educational developments which aim to enhance the topics of death, dying and bereavement in the RCSI curriculum.  Eric also supports and advocates for the national bereavement support line.

Dr Suzanne Crowe was first elected to the Medical Council in 2018 and re-elected in 2023. She was elected as President of the Medical Council in 2021.

Dr Crowe graduated in Medicine from Trinity College Dublin, followed by specialist training in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine with the College of Anaesthesiologists. After a Fellowship in Paediatric Intensive Care Medicine in the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne she took up a consultant post in anaesthesia with a special interest in paediatrics in Tallaght Hospital Dublin.

In 2014 Dr Crowe moved to Children’s Health Ireland Crumlin Hospital as a paediatric intensivist. She is a senior lecturer in paediatrics in Trinity College Dublin and has an interest in bereavement studies and medical ethics. She is also Associate Clinical Professor in UCD School of Medicine in the division of Women and Children’s Health. Dr Crowe is a board trustee for three charities, the Down Syndrome Centre, Cheshire Ireland and LGBT Ireland.

Prof. Pat Dolan is UNESCO Chair in Children, Youth and Civic Engagement, at the University of Galway and the first awarded in the republic of Ireland.

The UNESCO Chair developed a comprehensive programme of work to improve civic engagement and leadership skills among children and youth known as the Youth As Researchers (YAR) Programme. He has completed extensive research on empathy education for theory policy and practice.

Prof. Dolan is Director of the Institute for Lifecourse and Society at the University of Galway. He has completed a multitude of research and academic publications on children, youth, and family issues, having over 100 peer reviewed academic publications. Prof. Dolan has extensive practice and policy experience, both nationally and internationally.

Prof. Denis Harkin was appointed Chair of Medical Professionalism at RCSI in November 2020.

Prof. Harkin joins RCSI from the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, where he was Clinical Lead for Vascular Surgery and Assistant Medical Director. Graduating from Queen’s University Belfast, gaining Fellowship of Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh (FRCSEd) and Ireland (FRCSI), and placing first in European Board Exams he was awarded RCSI Travelling Fellow to train at the Toronto General Hospital, University of Toronto, and Stanford Medical Centre.

His Doctoral research, funded by The Wellcome Trust, established the seminal link between ischaemia-reperfusion, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and remote organ injury. As Senior Lecturer in Surgery and Consultant Vascular Surgeon at Queen’s University Belfast and Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast, he has developed an international reputation in research and practice in vascular trauma and complex endovascular aneurysm care. A founding member of the Specialty Advisory Committee for Vascular Surgery, and elected Council of the Vascular Society, he has contributed in UK and Ireland to Curriculum, Training Programmes and Workforce Planning. He is an Examiner for Intercollegiate FRCS Vascular and European Board of Vascular Surgery. He was appointed Assistant Medical Director at Belfast HSC Trust, in 2015.

Prof. Harkin’s work focuses on medical professionalism and personal and professional identity formation. His vision is to advance medical professionalism, to benefit patients, in research, education and clinical practice.

Prof. Salman Guraya is currently serving as Vice Dean of the College of Medicine and Head of Surgery Unit at University of Sharjah UAE. He is a qualified medical educator, researcher, and minimally invasive surgical oncologist. He is a senior editor of BMC Medical Education, Frontiers in Surgical Oncology, and Advances in Biomedical and Health Journals.

Prof. Guraya was awarded Int’l Research Award of World Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University USA for 2020, 2021, 2022, and the TAGHEER Award for Strategic Performance by University of Sharjah UAE 2022. He is an examiner of RCS Ireland and for Fellowship in European Board of Surgery and a faculty of the Colorectal and Transanal Surgery program by IRCAD in Strasbourg France.

Prof. Guraya has several national and international leadership roles in academics, UG and PG clinical training, assessment, accreditation, research, and branding. He is Director of MSc. in Emergency Surgery and Coloproctology by University of East Anglia UK, Director of BSS and CCrISP courses by RCSEng, and global medical professionalism network, RCSI.  He is also a surveyor of the UAE National Institute for Health Sciences Accreditation taskforce.

Prof. Guraya has so far published more than 200 research articles in world premier journals with around 150 co-researchers from UAE, UK, Germany, France, Malaysia, Italy, KSA and Pakistan. In surgery, his main areas of research include surgical oncology, colorectal surgery, transanal and transaoral scar-less surgery, and in medical education, medical professionalism, interprofessional collaboration, telesurgery, and academic leadership.    

Prof. Holohan was appointed in July 2022  as an Adjunct Full Professor of Public Health in University College Dublin (UCD) College of Health and Agricultural Sciences. He is also a board member of the Irish Hospice Foundation and works as an external consultant on some specific projects with the WHO at the European level.

In his former role from 2008 to 2002 as Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Tony was chair of the  COVID-19 National Public Health Emergency Response Team and led Ireland’s public health response to COVID-19.

As CMO, he also led the delivery of the ambitious cross-sectoral Healthy Ireland Initiative and went on to work extensively on policy development in areas such as prevention, alcohol, tobacco, obesity, physical activity, cancer control, patient safety and quality, reproductive health, primary care, health information and health technology assessment.

As Deputy CMO from 2001 to 2008, Tony played a leading role in reshaping Ireland’s cancer services. He qualified as a doctor from UCD in 1991 and trained as a general practitioner prior to embarking on a career in public health.

Amit Kalra moved from Vancouver, Canada to start in six-year Undergraduate Medicine programme at RCSI in 2017 and is now a final year student at RCSI. Currently, he is President of the RCSI Students’ Union for 2022/23.

Amit has strong interests in medical education, musculoskeletal physiology and personal development. He is an active peer leader in the peer-led teaching programme at RCSI and is a strong advocate for peer-to-peer support. He is a student representative on the transforming healthcare education project (THEP) curriculum design programme. He received the RCSI Student Partnership Champion Award in 2020 for his contributions to THEP.

Orla Keegan is Head of Education and Bereavement Services at Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF). She has a background in psychology with a Masters in Social and Organisational Psychology from University College Dublin.

Orla worked in University of Dundee, in Fife Health Board, Scotland and RCSI before joining Irish Hospice Foundation. Her research included patient satisfaction assessment, patient complaints and bereaved relatives’ views on care for the dying. Orla set up the MSc Loss & Bereavement/MSc Loss & Bereavement (Clinical Practice) run in Dublin through the RCSI.

At IHF she works with a team aiming to promote development of bereavement care and bereavement education in Ireland. As part of its response to COVID-19, IHF set up a national bereavement support line with the HSE which continues to provide a daily service for all people bereaved through any circumstance. She is co-chair of the European Association for Palliative Care Bereavement Taskforce and a member of the steering committee for Bereavement Network Europe.

Dr Henry Marsh is a former neurosurgeon and senior consultant neurosurgeon at Atkinson Morley Hospital for 25 years, where he pioneered awake craniotomy techniques for intrinsic brain tumours. His work has been the subject of two major BBC documentaries: 'Your Life in their Hands' in 2003 and 'The English Surgeon' in 2009 about his work in Ukraine over the last 30 years which has won many awards including an Emmy.

His first book, Do No Harm, is an international best seller with 37 foreign editions and translations. The book  was shortlisted for eight major UK literary prizes and won both the  Sky Arts South Bank Show 2015 Award for Literature and the PEN Ackerley Prize. In 2017 he published a second book, Admissions, which became a Sunday Times best seller in the UK, and in 2022 a third book, And Finally, which has also been a Sunday Times best seller.

Since retiring from the NHS in 2018 he has continued to work in Ukraine, Nepal and Albania. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by HM the Queen in 2010.

Dr Gavin McCabe is a Careers and Employability Manager at the University of Edinburgh, leading and shaping strategy and activities around students’ employability, development, and graduate attributes. 

Gavin co-leads the student-led, individually-created courses (SLICCs) and GEL-Lab initiatives, co-authored the 'Reflection Toolkit', and has provided subject-matter expertise on graduate attributes for Skills Development Scotland.

As Chief Mission Officer, Andrew is an executive leader in Bon Secours Health System (BSHS), serving with other BSHS and Group executive leaders to foster the mission interests of the System. He serves across the structural diversity of the Group, with a special responsibility for fostering the continued integration of the organisation’s Mission and Values, into the strategic and operational life of BSHS.  Andrew also sits on the Board of BSHS in an ex-officio capacity.

Andrew has worked with Bon Secours Health System for 10 years, first as Mission Leader at BSHC, then as Group Mission Coordinator and now in his current role. Prior to this Andrew worked in a number of roles with Respond Housing Association for nine years, and previous to that, served as a Catholic Priest for the Diocese of Kerry for 10 years, fulfilling a number of appointments. 

Prof. Hannah McGee is Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at RCSI. As RCSI’s chief academic officer, she is responsible for the quality of degree-awarding activities in Dublin and in RCSI’s overseas campuses in Bahrain, Dubai, Malaysia and an upcoming partnership in China (Soochow). 

In 2015, she was awarded a Doctorate of Science (DSc) on published work by the National University of Ireland. Scholarly leadership roles include President of the Psychological Society of Ireland (1991-92), President of the European Health Psychology Society (1998-2000), Chair of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Section, European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (2008-10) and Chair of the Council of Deans of Faculties with Medical Schools in Ireland (2011-13).

She is a fellow of the Psychological Society of Ireland, the European Health Psychology Society and the European Society of Cardiology. In terms of research as a health psychologist, she has over 230 peer-reviewed publications focused on quality of life assessment (including instrument development – SEIQoL and HeartQoL), and population health aspects of ageing, cardiovascular disease and sexual health.

In 2022, she was admitted as a Member of the Royal Irish Academy (MRIA).

Sharon Morrow has held senior roles in the public, private and voluntary sector, and is currently CEO of the Bon Secours Hospital, Dublin.

She trained as a nurse in the Adelaide Hospital, Dublin and has worked as National Clinical Care Programme Manager with the HSE, Deputy CEO and Chief Operations Officer at Tallaght University Hospital, CEO of LauraLynn Children’s Hospice and Director of the All-Island CHD Network.

Dr Áine Ryan is a Lecturer in the RCSI Centre for Professionalism in Medicine and Health Sciences. Áine has a PhD in Population Health and Health Services Research from RCSI and is a HRB SPHeRE Programme alumna. Following graduation with a BSc (Physio), Áine worked clinically for 10 years working in two teaching hospitals in Dublin along with private practice.

Returning to full-time education and research in 2013 as a HRB SPHeRE PhD scholar, the focus of her PhD was multimorbidity and the impact of physical activity and physical function on risk and outcomes. Áine worked as a lecturer in the School of Physiotherapy RCSI prior to joining the Department of Medical Professionalism as Post-Doctoral Fellow in 2019. She led and co-developed an in-depth longitudinal research project on professionalism, leadership and resilience in undergraduate RCSI medical students (the PILLAR Study).

She is dedicated to student development, teaching and learning and graduated with a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professions Education from RCSI in 2020. Áine has served on the Board of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists (ISCP) and held the role of Director of Professional Development. She has also acted as chairperson of the Professional Development Standing Committee of the ISCP. Her current areas of research interests are professionalism, health professions education and lifestyle medicine. 

Prof. Yvonne Steinert PhD, a clinical psychologist and Professor of Family Medicine and Health Sciences Education, is the Richard and Sylvia Cruess Chair in Medical Education and the former Director of the Institute of Health Sciences Education in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University.

She is actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, educational research, and the design and delivery of faculty development programmes and activities. Her research interests focus on teaching and learning in the health professions, the impact of faculty development on the individual and the organisation, professionalism and professional identity formation, and the interplay between culture and health professions education.

She has written and presented extensively on topics related to faculty development and medical education and was recently named to the Order of Canada in recognition of her contributions to the advancement of pedagogical principles, faculty development, and new training approaches in Canadian medical education.

Deputy Medical Director and Medicolegal Consultant at Medical Protection, Dr James Thorpe has provided expert medicolegal advice to members in Ireland since 2014. He has a LLM in Medical Ethics and Law and has an interest in medical education, working with the risk prevention team to reduce medicolegal risk and improve patient safety.

Prior to joining Medical Protection, James trained in general and vascular surgery in the west of Scotland and is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Originally from Seattle, Dr West received his MD. and PhD. in Biostatistics from the University of Iowa in 1999. He completed residency and chief residency in internal medicine at Mayo Clinic, and joined the faculty in General Internal Medicine in 2004. He is currently Professor of Medicine, Medical Education, and Biostatistics at Mayo Clinic.

He is Director of the Mayo Clinic Programme on Physician Well-being and was named the first Medical Director of Employee Well-being for Mayo Clinic in 2022. Dr West's research has focused on medical education and physician well-being, and has been widely published in prominent journals including Lancet, JAMA, Annals of Internal Medicine, and JAMA Internal Medicine.

Prof. Johanna Westbrook is Director of the Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University. She is internationally recognised for her research evaluating the effects of ICT in health care, which has led to significant advances in our understanding of how clinical information systems deliver (or fail to deliver) expected benefits.

Her highly applied research has supported translation of this evidence into policy, practice, and IT system design changes. Professor Westbrook has recently been working with a large healthcare provider to evaluate a multi-hospital organisational culture change intervention designed to reduce unprofessional behaviour between hospital staff. 

In 2014 she was named Australian ICT professional of the year, in 2019 as the national research leader in the field of medical informatics and in 2022 she was awarded the Health Services Research Award by Research Australia and a Telstra Health Brilliant Women in Digital Health Award.

She also has over 500 publications and has been awarded over $50 million in research grants. In 2019 she received the Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Award from the NHMRC. In 2020 Westbrook was appointed as a co-director of the Safety, Quality and Informatics Leadership program, by the Harvard Medical School.