Invited speakers

I joined the UCD veterinary school as an Ad Astra fellow in January 2020. I first trained as a scientist, with a BSc from the University of Limerick, followed by a year working in viral diagnostics at the Irish Equine Centre, and then joined UCD as a PhD student in 2002, developing an in vitro blood-brain barrier for the study of feline immunodeficiency virus neuropathology. I continued this research as a postdoctoral researcher until 2009 and then moved to the University of Birmingham in 2009 to work on hepatitis C virus,with Prof. Jane McKeating. While at Birmingham, I had the opportunity to work with clinician scientists, and was inspired by their clinical approach to research, so in 2014 I moved back to UCD to study veterinary medicine. Upon graduating in 2018, I worked as a research pathologist at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA-Weybridge) in the UK, where I had the opportunity to work on economically important infectious diseases including rabies, African and classical swine fever, influenza, Newcastle disease, hepatitis E, TB and prion diseases, and conducted in vivo large animal studies in high containment. I also completed part 1 of the Royal College of Pathologists’ certifying examinations in veterinary pathology. 

My current research is focused on a One Health approach to the study of viral diseases. This includes SARS-CoV-2 and hepatitis E virus, an emerging zoonotic viral disease that is of increasing importance as a cause of acute hepatitis. I work at the interface of basic science and clinical research, with an aim to bring real world benefits to animals, humans and the environment. My work is funded by the Academy of Medical Sciences, Science Foundation Ireland, EU Horizon 2020 and I have recently secured an ERC Synergy grant to develop micro-biopsy toolkits using soft x-ray microscopy. 

Finbarr Allen is currently Professor of Prosthodontics and Oral Rehabilitation in University College Cork and Consultant in Restorative Dentistry at Cork Dental School and Hospital.     

Since graduating from Cork Dental School, National University of Ireland in 1988, he has worked in general dental practice, hospital specialist practice and academia in the UK, Ireland and Singapore.  He completed his specialist training in Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry in the UK and received his certificate of completion of specialist training in Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry by the General Dental Council in 2000.  He completed a PhD at Newcastle University in 1999, and has published >150 peer reviewed scientific papers, > 100 research abstracts and is the author of 3 textbooks and twelve book chapters.  He has been the PI for projects funded by national grant agencies and industry, and received nearly received nearly 5million Euro in research funding. His research interests are in geriatric oral health research (clinical trials, functional assessment), quality of life methodology and, health service research. He received a Distinguished Scientist Award in geriatric oral health research from the International Association for Dental Research in 2011 and the IADR/Unilever Social Entrepreneur Approach to Change Oral Health Behaviour Research Award, 2014. 

In terms of leadership, he was the Dean of Dentistry/Head of Cork Dental School and Hospital from 2006 until 2013.  From 2016-2022 he was Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry National University of Singapore, and Executive Director of the National University Centre for Oral Health, Singapore and a Senior Consultant at the National University Hospital, Singapore.   He is a past chair of the Irish Committee for Specialist Training in Dentistry [2010-2015]. 

His clinical interests are Prosthodontics, implantology and craniofacial rehabilitation. 

Professor Mary Horgan is interim Chief Medical Officer and Professor of Infectious Diseases at UCD and Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. She is the immediate past President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and is the first women to hold this position since the College’s foundation in 1654. She is the former Dean of the School of Medicine at UCC and was the first woman to be appointed to this position. 

 She is a graduate of UCD School of Medicine in 1986 and was awarded the UCD Alumni award for health in 2019.  

 She is a Director of Education of the European Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (ESCMID). She also served on the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and led the expert advisory group on rapid testing and chaired Ireland’s first National Research Ethics Committee.