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MSc Occupational Health Contacts

We want to ensure that all our existing and prospective students have access to assistance should they require it. We are very happy to answer any queries you may have. Simply email the relevant contact below:

Academic Director of the MSc in Occupational Health (online) programme, Dr Christie Godsmark, christie.godsmark@ucc.ie

Programmes Manager, Ms. Michelle Syron, sphprogrammes@ucc.ie

Our Occupational Health Team

Dr Éilis O’Reilly is a Module Coordinator and Lecturer of EH6153- Quantitative Research and Epidemiology.

Éilis is a Coordinating Principal Investigator (PI) and Senior Lecturer School of Public Health.

Dr Sarah Jane Flaherty  - Module Coordinator and Lecturer of EH6159- Advanced Health Promotion (elective module) 

Sarah Jane’s primary area of research interest is public health nutrition. She has previously worked as a public health analyst and researcher for public sector and non-profit organisations in Ireland and the UK.  She returned to UCC to complete a PhD in the area of public health nutrition examining behaviour change in a digital environment. Since completing her PhD, she has worked as a health services researcher in both academic and public sector settings. 

Adjunct Team

Professor John Gallagher is a Specialist in Occupational Medicine and Adjunct Professor in Occupational Medicine at the College of Medicine and Health at UCC. He is the Consultant Occupational Physician and Head of the Occupational Health Department for HSE South

Dr Darius Whelan - Module Coordinator and Lecturer of LW6109 Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare 

Frank Power - Works with the Health and Safety Authority in Ireland as a Senior Ergonomist (Inspector)

Since joining the Authority he has been involved in addressing Ergonomic and Manual Handling issues at a strategic and workplace level in Ireland and has acted as an Expert Witness in the Courts. His main areas of work include the development of regulations and guidance, completion of regulatory inspections to address ergonomic risk management issues, representing the HSA on NSAI, EU and National Disability Authority work groups.

He chaired the HSA Manual Handling Training Advisory Group which developed the Manual Handling Training Standards Framework in co-operation with QQI. He works closely with the professional bodies including the Irish Ergonomic Society to develop risk management workshops for external stakeholders.

Robert Lynch - Module Coordinator and Lecturer on training and development issues in occupational health – online (AD6073 and AD6008)

Robert graduated from the University of Limerick in 2015 with an MSc in Human Resource Management, attaining the Kemmy Business School Outstanding Scholar award. He has worked as a lecturer at the Cork Institute of Technology since 2015, and has recently commenced a research project management post. 

His specialist areas include Learning & Development, Risk Management in Transport & Logistics, & Human Resource Management. He has also provided training & development consultancy for training delivery companies, in the context of training instructors, commercial marketing, & developing lean service products. Robert focuses on the importance of linking customer needs to training design & development, ensuring that learning opportunities are relevant, & aligned with organisational goals.

Ms Angela Liddy BA., LLB., B.L. -  Module LW6107, Legal aspects of Occupational Health, Safety and Welfae

(5 credits - blended programme).

I have worked for ACE in UCC since 2012, specialising in People Management, Health and Safety Law and Employment Law.  Currently I am working for the School of Law in UCC teaching Commercial Law: sale and Agency to Commerce students. 

I work for the University of Limerick primarily coordinating Policing Modules for the School of Law, I also teach on the MBA programme for Kemmy Business School. My expertise is exclusively legal, more practical than academic.

Justina Hurley - Tutor on a range of MSc in Occupational Health modules

Justina spent many years working in Corporate Communications management in the UK and Ireland. She has written extensively for various business publications and continues a freelance role in coaching and communications. Justina holds a MA in English and her interest in medicine and health-related communications subsequently led to a Master of Public Health (MPH).

Justina joined the National Suicide Research Foundation in 2015 and worked with Professor Ella Arensman on the development of the WHO practice manual, for establishing and maintaining surveillance systems for suicide attempts and self-harm, as well as conducting research relating to institutional abuse in Ireland.

Currently, Justina works part time as a Senior Research Officer on the National Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Project. The project is responsible for the coordinated implementation and evaluation of DBT in Ireland. She also sits on the PSYCHED steering group, a collaborative initiative to promote and support better understanding of mental health in the workplace. Justina tutors on the MPH and MSc in Occupational Health courses.

External Examiners

Our external examiners assure highest academic standards within the national and international context. They advise our academic and administrative staff on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and confirm that the academic standards of programmes, modules and the MSc award is consistent with the academic outcomes specified, and are comparable to those achieved in the subject area in equivalent universities internationally. 

Our current external examiner is Dr Jonathan Houdmont BSc PGCE MSc PhD CPsychol

I am a Chartered Psychologist and Assistant Professor of Occupational Health Psychology. I joined the University of Nottingham in 2002 as a researcher on a project commissioned by the UK Health and Safety Executive that explored the feasibility of developing a case definition - ingredient list and recipe - for work-related stress. The project gave rise to my PhD thesis, Defining a Case of Work-related Stress. I was appointed to a lectureship in 2007, specifically to launch the MSc in Workplace Health and Wellbeing that I continue to direct. This part-time distance learning course develops practitioners' theory- and evidence-based knowledge on the protection and promotion of workforce health and wellbeing at the strategic (non-clinical) level.

My research focuses on the assessment of work-related stress in high stress occupational groups, such as police officers (e.g., Houdmont & Jachens, 2021) and surgeons (Houdmont et al., 2022). I also have a methodological interest in the assessment of work-related stress (e.g., Houdmont et al., 2021). My research has been supported by the UK Health and Safety Executive, Health Education England, Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, Northern Ireland Civil Service, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, Royal Mail Group, Devon and Cornwall Police and Federation, Nottinghamshire Police, West Midlands Police Federation, Sergeants' Central Committee of the Police Federation, and the Research and Policy Support Unit of the Police Federation of England and Wales.

Previous external examiners of the MSc Occupational Health were:

• Prof Gerard Zwetsloot, Netherlands, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gerard-Zwetsloot
• Prof Stavroula Leka, previously University of Nottingham, https://www.cubsucc.com/faculty-directory/Stavroula-Leka/
• Prof Reiner Rugulies, University of Copenhage, https://www.linkedin.com/in/reiner-rugulies-01b1677/?originalSubdomain=dk