ICAT Cohort 2 Fellows
Cohort 2 ICAT Fellows (2018)
Dr Helen Fogarty
Clinical specialty: Haematology
Dr Helen Fogarty received her medical degree (2013) and MSc in Molecular Medicine (2016) from Trinity College Dublin. Her MSc project into NOTCH1 mutation status in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia gave her an insight into laboratory research methodology and reinforced her ambition to become an academic clinician. Helen is a first year Haematology SpR in St James’s Hospital and is currently exploring her research interests in coagulation and vascular biology, including investigation of novel roles for von Willebrand factor in cancer-associated thrombosis and sickle cell disease.
PhD research area: Investigation of the role of the VWF-ADAMTS13 axis in the pathogenesis of sickle cell vasculopathy in children
PhD Supervisors: Prof. James O’Donnell, RCSI; Dr Corrina McMahon, Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin; Dr Michelle Lavin, RCSI
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)
Dr Brendan Kelly
Clinical specialty: Radiology
After studying Radiography Dr Brendan Kelly entered Graduate Entry Medicine, graduating in 2015. He was appointed as a Specialist Registrar in Radiology in St Vincent’s Hospital in July 2017 and received an MSc in Radiology from NUI Galway in 2017. His research interests are in the fields of molecular imaging, especially in its application to personalised medicine and cognitive imaging / dementia, and in potential applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence to radiology.
PhD research area: Clinical ApplicatioN of DEep Learning and Intelligent Vision in Radiology:CAN DELIVeR
PhD Supervisors: Prof. Ronan Killeen, UCD; Prof. Aonghus Lawlor, UCD
University College Dublin (UCD)
Dr Anita Lavery
Clinical specialty: Medical Oncology
Dr Anita Lavery is currently completing higher specialist training in Medical Oncology. She graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 2011 and undertook early clinical training in London, including a one-year medical oncology fellowship at Guy’s Hospital. She returned to Belfast for specialty training in Medical Oncology in 2016. Her clinical and research interests are in upper GI and urological cancers, including cancer genomics and developing new targeted treatment strategies. She is looking forward to developing these interests further through the ICAT programme.
PhD research area: Understanding the DNA Damage Driven Immune Response in Oesophageal Adenocarcinoma (OAC): Opportunities for Improved Stratification and Treatment
PhD Supervisors: Dr Richard Turkington, QUB; Dr Jaine Blayney, QUB; Dr Kienan Savage, QUB
Queen’s University Belfast (QUB)
Dr William Martin
Clinical specialty: Nephrology
Dr William Martin graduated from NUI Galway in 2014 and completed an MSc in Preventive Cardiology at NUI Galway in 2015. His postgraduate medical training was conducted at University Hospital Galway and Mayo Clinic, before joining the Higher Specialist Training programme in Nephrology in 2018. He has contributed to studies examining renal functional trends in patients with diabetes, mesenchymal stem cell therapy for diabetic kidney disease, and immunological aspects of chronic kidney disease progression.
PhD research area: The Impact of Intensive Lifestyle, Medical and Surgical Control of Diabetes on Human and Experimental Rodent Diabetic Kidney Disease (LIMIT-DKD Study Group)
PhD Supervisors: Prof. Carel le Roux, UCD; Dr Neil Docherty, UCD
University College Dublin (UCD)
Dr Mark Gurney
Clinical specialty: Haematology
Dr Mark Gurney graduated from NUI Galway in 2013. He completed basic specialist training in general internal medicine, and further developed a clinical and research focus on malignant haematology while a visiting medical resident at Mayo Clinic in 2016. Mark commenced Haematology higher specialist training in 2017 at University Hospital Galway. As an ICAT fellow Mark will explore his primary interest in the field of natural killer cell biology, and the application of natural killer cells as a cell-based cancer immunotherapy.
PhD research area: The Development and Optimization of Anti-CLEC12A Targeted Umbilical Cord Blood Derived CAR-NK Cells in Acute Myeloid Leukaemia
PhD Supervisors: Prof. Michael O’Dwyer, NUIG; Prof. Clair Gardiner, TCD
National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG)
Dr Karen McCarthy
Clinical specialty: General Paediatrics
Dr Karen McCarthy graduated from University College Cork in 2013 and is a specialist registrar in General Paediatrics. Through her clinical training she has developed a sub-speciality interest in Infectious Disease and is completing a Master’s in Paediatric Infectious Disease at the University of Oxford. Having had an interest in research from undergraduate level she has developed broad-ranging research interests, particularly in the areas of antimicrobial resistance and stewardship.
PhD research area: Respiratory immune responses and their interaction in control of nasal colonization with Bordetella pertussis and Staphylococcus aureus in humans. Local immune responses to respiratory infection in the nasal tract
PhD Supervisors: Prof. Rachel McLoughlin, TCD; Prof. Kingston Mills, TCD
Trinity College Dublin (TCD)
Dr Jennifer Scott
Clinical specialty: Nephrology
Dr Jennifer Scott is a graduate of NUI Galway (2013). She is a specialist registrar in Nephrology and has completed postgraduate clinical training in Galway University Hospital, Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Australia and the Mayo Clinic, USA. Through the ICAT programme, Jennifer is looking forward to delving into big-data and advanced data analytics, to explore the pathophysiology, detection and treatment of autoimmune disease, with ANCA Associated Vasculitis as the exemplar disease.
PhD research area: VAPRE: Exploring the Relapse Prodrome of ANCA associated Vasculitis
PhD Supervisors: Prof. Mark Little, TCD; Prof. Cathal Walsh, University of Limerick; Prof. John Kelleher, Technological University Dublin; Dr Arthur White, TCD
Trinity College Dublin (TCD)
Dr Gerard Walls
Clinical Specialty: Clinical Oncology
Qualifying in Undergraduate Medicine in Belfast (2012), Dr Gerard Walls obtained MRCP (2015) whilst completing general medical training in London, including Royal Marsden rotations. He secured Specialty Training in Clinical Oncology in Northern Ireland (2016) and took up an Academic Clinical Fellowship at QUB in 2017. He is in the final stages of an MSc in Clinical Education and is preparing for Final FRCR examinations. Before joining ICAT, Gerard published and presented research on a range of topics including advanced radiotherapy and immunotherapy. Through the ICAT Fellowship Gerard aspires to transform care for patients with lung cancer using impactful translational research.