ICAT Cohort 8 Fellows

Clinical Specialty: Specialist in Large Animal Surgery and Equine Dentistry

Mr. John Mark O’ Leary graduated from the University of Glasgow in Veterinary Medicine (2004), completed an MSc in equine veterinary dentistry from the University of Edinburgh (2012), while completing his specialist training in large animal surgery from the European College of Veterinary Surgeons (2015). John Mark also completed specialist training in equine veterinary dentistry from the European College of Veterinary Dentistry (2019). He currently works as an Assistant Professor in Large Animal Surgery at University College Dublin Veterinary Teaching Hospital. As an ICAT fellow, John Mark intends to investigate the regenerative pathways of equine hypsodont teeth as a translational model for human endodontic therapies.

PhD research area: The effects of antipsychotics on human glial cells, neuroinflammation and demyelination

PhD Supervisors: Prof. Kumlesh Dev, TCD; Prof. Aiden Corvin, TCD

Trinity College Dublin (TCD)

Clinical specialty: Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Dr Karen Mulligan graduated from UCD in 2018 and completed her BST in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the National Maternity Hospital. In addition to her medical degree she holds a Masters in Human Genetics (M.A Trinity College Dublin), MRCPI and a certificate in Executive Medical leadership from Trinity Business school. She is passionate about improving patient outcomes in gynaecological malignancies. As an ICAT fellow, Karen will explore the molecular mechanisms by which obesity causes endometrial cancer.

Clinical Specialty: Public Health Medicine

Dr Margaret Brennan graduated from National University of Ireland Galway in 2016 and subsequently completed internship and Basic Specialist Training (BST) in General Internal Medicine at St. James’ Hospital, Dublin. After BST, she obtained a Master’s in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and was appointed to the Higher Specialist Training Scheme in Public Health Medicine in 2021. Through the ICAT programme, Margaret hopes to develop her interest and skills in large-scale epidemiological research.

Clinical Specialty: Psychiatry

Dr Brian O’Mahony graduated from University College Cork in 2017, before commencing his Psychiatry training in the UCC Deanery. He completed an MsC in Clinical Neuropsychiatry in King’s College London, where he was awarded the Sir Anthony David Award for academic achievement. His research interest is in the treatment of psychotic disorders, and Brian hopes to investigate if the metabolic effects of antipsychotic medication can be mitigated and explored using resistance training.

Clinical Specialty: Equine Surgery

Dr. Michael Duggan graduated from the University of Bristol in 2017 with a degree in veterinary and spent a number of years in mixed species, first opinion equine and referral equine practice throughout the UK and Ireland. More recently Michael has undertaken residency training in Equine Surgery at University College Dublin and a Doctorate in Veterinary Medical Specialisation focusing on the equine lipopolysaccharide model of joint inflammation and the of platelet rich plasma in joint disease. Michael’s research interests lie within One Health and the optimisation of clinical outcomes for both human and animals through translational research.

Clinical Specialty: Dermatology

Dr. Nicholas Stefanovic graduated as a scholar of Trinity College Dublin in 2019, and in addition to his medical degree holds an MSc. in Molecular Medicine. Following completion of an academic track internship and BST in St. James’ Hospital, he was appointed to Higher Specialist Training in Dermatology in 2023. His research interests include pathogenesis and therapeutics of chronic inflammatory skin diseases, and the link between environmental exposures and skin disease. As an ICAT fellow, he aims to investigate pleiotropic biological effects of novel biologic and systemic therapies in atopic dermatitis.

Clinical Specialty: Neurology

Dr Owen Killian graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2018 with a degree in Medicine and MSc in Bioengineering. Dr Killian completed an Academic Track Internship and post-graduate training in the Mater Hospital and St James’s Hospital. In 2021, he was appointed to the Neurology Higher Specialist Training programme. Dr Killian has clinical and academic interests in Movement Disorders, Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) and Neurophysiology. As an ICAT Fellow, Dr Killian will apply novel methods from neurophysiology and kinematic to the study of Movement Disorders.

Clinical Specialty: Clinical Microbiology

Dr Saied Ali, hailing from Trinidad and Tobago, is currently a Clinical Microbiology Specialist Registrar. He graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons in 2017 and completed his Basic Specialist Training in General Internal Medicine within the South-East of Ireland. His particular interests lie in tackling antimicrobial resistance given the lack of novel antimicrobials and increase in vulnerable patients. As an ICAT fellow he aims to play a meaningful role in developing bench-to-bedside solutions through understanding mechanisms of resistance and epidemiology, exploring novel therapeutic options and implementation of antimicrobial stewardship.

Clinical Specialty: Anaesthesiology

Dr Yvonne Fahy is a Specialist Registrar in Anaesthesiology, Pain Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine. She holds a BSc in Biomedical, Health & Life Sciences from UCD. Yvonne graduated from Medicine at NUI Galway in 2020, and went on to complete an Academic Track Internship in University Hospital Galway. Throughout her Specialist Anaesthesiology training thus far, Yvonne has participated in many research and teaching opportunities both in Ireland and Australia, in addition to achieving the 2022 MCAI Gold Medal. As an ICAT Fellow, Yvonne’s research interests lie at the interface between anaesthesia, intensive care and the application of machine learning techniques to improve patient outcomes.