Executive Team

- The Executive Team are responsible for the day-to-day management of the ICAT Programme.
- The ICAT Executive Team comprises Directors from the six academic institutions. The Directors are supported by Associate Directors from the partner institutions and a Programme Manager.
- The roles of Programme Director and Deputy Director(s) will rotate every two years throughout the course of the ICAT programme. Currently Professor Deirdre Murray (UCC) holds the position of ICAT Programme Director; Professor Bernadette McGuinness (QUB) and Professor David Williams (RCSI) are Deputy Directors.

Directors

Professor Deirdre Murray

Professor, Head of Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, UCC; Consultant Paediatrician, Cork University Hospital

Prof. Murray's research interest is the study of neonatal brain injury and in particular hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE), with an overarching aim to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with HIE.

Professor Bernadette McGuinness

Clinical Professor, Queen's University Belfast (QUB); Consultant Geriatrician, Belfast Trust

Prof. McGuinness's research interests include mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Currently her research group are focused on assessing the role of inflammation and also nutrition in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease.

Professor David Williams

Professor of Stroke Medicine at RCSI and Co-Director of the HRB-funded Irish Stroke Clinical Trials Network

Prof. Williams' research interests include pharmacoepidemiology and patient safety, vascular medicine and drug metabolism. His clinical research focuses on vascular and stroke medicine with a particular interest in arterial compliance, hypertension and platelet function.

Professor Michael Gill

Head of Medical School at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and Consultant Psychiatrist at St. James’s Hospital, Dublin

Prof. Gill's primary research activity relates to phenotypic and genomic investigations into Autism, Psychosis and ADHD. The goal of this research is to identify and investigate the function of genetic variation contributing to disease risk, to improve diagnosis and establish new therapeutic approaches.

Professor Michael Conall Dennedy

Associate Professor in Therapeutics at University of Galway and Consultant Endocrinologist at Galway University Hospital

Prof. Dennedy's research interests centre on the pathogenesis and treatment of functional adrenal tumours, both benign and malignant.

Professor Martina Hennessy

Associate Professor Medical Education at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and Clinical Pharmacologist and Consultant Physician at St James’s Hospital Dublin

Prof. Hennessy's research and clinical interests include hypertension, cardiovascular risk and medication safety and research interests in antiretroviral pharmacology, international development and medical education.

Professor Cormac McCarthy

Associate Professor, University College Dublin (UCD); Consultant Respiratory Physician, St. Vincent’s University Hospital

Cormac McCarthy’s research interests are the clinical and translational research of rare lung diseases and interstitial lung disease, with a particular interest in the molecular pathogenesis of lung disease with a specific interest in innate immune cells in the lung, cholesterol homeostasis in macrophages and lipidomics in the lung. His clinical research focuses on novel imaging techniques to assess disease burden in diffuse cystic lung diseases.

Associate Directors

Professor Patrick Mallon

Professor of Microbial Diseases at University College Dublin (UCD) and Consultant in Infectious Diseases, St Vincent's University Hospital

Prof. Mallon's research interests are focused on translational research into long-term co-morbidities associated with HIV infection and its treatment with antiretrovirals, and research into models of testing to increase early diagnosis of HIV.

Professor Peter Maxwell

Clinical Professor at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and Consultant Nephrologist, Belfast City Hospital

Prof. Maxwell's research interests are the clinical and genetic epidemiology of chronic kidney disease with a particular focus on genetic predisposition to diabetic nephropathy and end-stage renal disease (requiring dialysis or renal transplantation).

Professor Carmel Mooney

Professor, Small Animal Clinical Studies, University College Dublin

Professor Mooney’s research and clinical interests are primarily in endocrine diseases of dogs and cats including the pathogenesis of both hypo- and hyperthyroidism and altered bone metabolism in hypercortisolism. Educational interests are in advancing veterinary specialisation.

Professor Michael O’Reilly

Clinical Associate Professor, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI); HRB Emerging Clinician Scientist; Consultant Endocrinologist, Beaumont Hospital

Prof. O’Reilly’s research focuses on understanding the links between adrenal androgen excess and metabolic disease in women with polycystic ovary syndrome using metabolic phenotyping techniques. He also has a clinical and academic interest in adrenal tumours and pituitary disorders.

Professor Aoife Lowery

Associate Professor, Discipline of Surgery, University of Galway; Consultant Breast & Endocrine Surgeon at Breastcheck Western Unit and Galway University Hospital

Prof. Lowery investigates factors that drive tumour initiation and locoregional disease recurrence in breast and endocrine cancer and the implications that molecular heterogeneity of malignancy may have on surgical strategy and locoregional control. Her research interests also include the investigation of innovative methods for post malignancy breast reconstruction using adipose derived stem cells.

Dr Richard Turkington

Clinical Senior Lecturer in Medical Oncology at Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and Honorary Consultant at the Northern Ireland Cancer Centre

As part of the oesophago-gastric and pancreatic cancer team at Queen’s University Belfast, Dr Turkington seeks to transform the care of patients through the integration of laboratory discoveries, translational science and clinical research.

Professor Padraic Fallon

Professor of Translational Immunology, Trinity College Dublin (TCD)

Professor Padraic Fallon is an immunologist researching inflammatory diseases in patients and animal models.

Dr Áine Merwick

Clinical Senior Lecturer, University College Cork (UCC); Consultant Neurologist, Cork University Hospital/

Dr Merwick's research interests are focused on biomarkers in stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA), including neuro-imaging and blood biomarkers

Professor Garry Duffy

Personal Professor in Anatomy & Regenerative Therapies, University of Galway

Prof. Duffy's research interests centre on the development of novel cell and drug based solutions for diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Currently his research group are focussed on assessing encapsulation devices and bespoke delivery tools to implant stem cell derived islets to sites in the anterior abdominal wall as a treatment strategy for Type 1 diabetes.

Professor Siobhan Glavey

Professor of Pathology, Chair of the Academic Department of Pathology, RCSI; Consultant Haematologist, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin

Prof Glavey has received research funding support and awards from HRB, ASH and SFI. She has established investigator initiated studies and industry collaborations focusing on genomics in multiple myeloma. Building on her group’s research into multiple myeloma she aims to leverage its expertise to ensure access to the highest quality service for patients with this disease.

Professor Gerry McKenna

Professor of Oral Health Services Research, Centre for Public Health, QUB; Consultant in Restorative Dentistry, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust

Professor McKenna’s research interests include improving oral health for older adults, patients diagnosed with head and neck oncology and clinical interventions to manage tooth loss. He leads a multidisciplinary research group working closely with colleagues in nutrition, health services research and dental public health with patient care at its core.

Dr Richeal Ni Riordain

onsultant/Senior Lecturer in Oral Medicine in Cork University Dental School and Hospital

Dr Ni Riordain's research focuses on incorporating the patient voice into the development of outcome measures and core outcomes sets in chronic oral mucosal disease, chronic facial pain, and salivary gland disease.

Professor Emma Wallace

Professor and Head of Department, Department of General Practice, UCC

Professor Wallace's research focuses on optimising prescribing for people living with multiple chronic health conditions and risk prediction of adverse health outcomes.

Dr Sinead O'Donnell

Senior Lecturer at RCSI & Consultant Microbiologist, Beaumont Hospital Ireland

Dr O'Donnell's research interests include the development and application of rapid molecular diagnostics in health care associated infection, particularly in the setting of sepsis. She aims to utilise genomic technology to aid antimicrobial stewardship and prevent the development of antimicrobial resistance.

Dr Adam Byrne

Professor of Respiratory Immunology at University College Dublin (UCD)

I am a respiratory immunologist working at the Conway Institute, UCD. My research aims to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms that dictate immune responses during chronic lung diseases such as asthma and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Programme Managers

Dr Karen Misstear

ICAT Programme Manager

Lisa Daly

ICAT Programme Manager