We warmly invite you to attend the ICAT Retreat 2026
The Retreat will be held in the Grand Hotel Malahide on the 16th & 17th of November 2026.
Programme coming soon
Abstract book coming soon
Event programme at a glance
Please note this is a draft programme, which will be updated closer to the event
Monday 16th November
Meeting room: Tara Suite
09:45 Coffee
10:20 Welcome
10:30 Session 1 - Pre-PhD Fellow talks
PhD proposal development talks by the Year 1 ICAT Fellows
- Dr Claudia Gilders, Dr Ralph Hurley O’Dwyer, Dr Cian Henry, Dr Jennifer McGarry, Dr Hongying Chen
11:20 Comfort break
11:30 Session 2 - Research Blitz 1
Fast-paced research session, 3-minute talks from the ICAT Fellows
- Dr Yvonne Fahy, Dr Brian O’Mahony, Dr Alice Talbot, Dr Nicholas Stefanovic
12:15 Lunch (Coast Restaurant)
13:15 Session 3 - Research Blitz 2 & Parallel Session for Final Year Fellows/Alumni
Fast-paced research session, 3-minute talks from the ICAT Fellows
- Dr John Mark O’Leary, Dr Sophie Duignan, Dr Shahd Elamin, Dr Brian Maloney, Dr Catherine Duane
- Chaired by Professor Carmel Mooney
Parallel session: Small group mentoring session for final year fellows and alumni in the adjacent boardroom.
14:00 Coastal Walk & Connect
15:00 - Session 4 - Themed Research Roundtables & Coffee
15:45 Session 5 - Research Blitz 3 & Parallel Session for Pre-PhD Fellows
Fast-paced research session, 3-minute talks from the ICAT Fellows
- Dr Adrien Da Silva, Dr Niamh Dhondt, Dr Michael Duggan, Dr Owen Killian, Dr David Synnott
Parallel session: Small group mentoring session for pre-PhD fellows in the adjacent boardroom.
16:30 Invited speaker
17:10 Comfort break
17:20 Gill Maxwell Alumnus Talk
18:00 Reception
Continuing the exchange of ideas in an informal setting, please join us for a reception after today’s talks.
19:30 Dinner
Tuesday 17th November
Meeting room: Tara Suite
09:30 Session 1 - Final year ICAT Fellow talks
Talks from the ICAT Fellows in their final PhD year
- Dr Nicola Raftery, Dr Lisa Kiely, Dr Vincent Healy
10:15 Coffee break
10:40 Session 2 - Final year ICAT Fellow talks
Talks from the ICAT Fellows in their final PhD year
- Dr Alison Lee, Dr Laura Graham, Dr Oana Deac, Dr Clodagh McDermott
11:40 Comfort break
11:50 Session 3 - Invited speaker
12:30 Session 4 - Introducing the ICAT-AHEAD Programme
The Irish Clinical Academic Training – Accelerating Health Research to Support Ageing Demographics (ICAT-AHEAD) Programme builds on the success of the ICAT Programme to support the next generation of clinician scientists in Ireland. This session will provide an overview of the programme’s vision, objectives, and proposed training pathways, highlighting new opportunities for clinical academics across registered healthcare professions.
13:15 Prizes
13:30 Lunch (buffet lunch in meeting room)
Constructive feedback for ICAT fellow talks
Feedback on the fellow talks is welcomed and will be shared with the fellows after the Retreat.
We would be grateful if you could please provide feedback by answering the following short questionnaire for each speaker