Frank Hallinan PhD is a biopharmaceutical operations expert with many years industry and Regulatory Agency experience. He is the founder owner of Quality System Support a consultancy focused on providing support to pharmaceutical companies in the Quality Systems area. Frank graduated in Biochemistry from UCC, Ireland and received his PhD from the University of Southampton, UK.
After some years in biomedical research Frank worked with Schering-Plough in development, quality and regulatory functions for over 11 years. He was CEO of the Irish Medicines Board from1998-2002 during which period he was responsible for a number of new developments within the Agency including its taking responsibility as national competent authority for medical devices.
He joined Wyeth Biopharma in 2002 to head-up the Quality Unit at its new Grange Castle facility and moved onto work in Pfizer Corporate Quality in Collegeville, PA for a period before starting Quality System Support in 2012.
Adjunct Professor Kamal Sabra
Professor Sabra previously held an Adjunct Professor appointment when the School of Pharmacy in UCC was being set up in 2003. He has a very high national and international profile in the area of hospital pharmacy. He is a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (our accrediting Body) and he was a past President of the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists.
He also holds Qualified Person (QP) Status for manufacturing with the Irish Medicines Board.
Professor Sabra has pioneered the development of clinical pharmacy services in Ireland. He was also responsible for developing and expanding the role of Hospital Pharmacists in the Irish Hospitals. This has resulted in promoting the interest and ensuring continued support for our MSc in Clinical Pharmacy since 2004.
Since then he worked with the HSE and the Minister of Health on drugs related issues where he had responsibility for the national policy relating to drug purchase and use in both hospitals and community and managed a €2 billion drug budget during this time. He also advised the Minister for Health and the Cabinet on issues relating to drugs/medicines. He then took a career break from the HSE and went to work as Head of Pharmaceutical Services since 2008 where he was working for the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the North Africa region and also as the First Assistant to the Egyptian Minister for Health on Pharmaceutical Affairs.
Professor Sabra is also visiting Professors to a number of Universities and is also a member of the Management Board in the School of Pharmacy, university of Cairo.
Adjunct Clinical Senior Lecturer Ita Fitzgerald
Ita is a Senior Psychiatric Pharmacist working in both clinical practice and research in St Patrick's Mental Health Services, Dublin. Ita has worked in psychiatry since qualifying as a pharmacist and recently completed credentialing at an advanced level with the College of Mental Health Pharmacy in the UK, demonstrating attainment of specialist skills and knowledge consistent with an advanced practitioner.
Following completion of an MSc in Clinical Pharmacy with UCC, Ita is currently pursuing a PhD within the School of Pharmacy, focussing on improving obesity management within psychiatric settings, particularly overweight and obesity caused by antipsychotic medication. Aside from this, her research interests include methods to improve evidence-based prescribing of psychopharmacology amongst clinicians and implementing shared decision-making in psychiatric settings. Ita has convened several research groups as part of her MSc and PhD work, including with international collaborators, and has published her work in peer-reviewed, international journals.
Ita has also been involved in guideline development at a national level, is a member of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy and represents Irish Psychiatric Pharmacy within several groups, including the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy.
Adjunct Clinical Senior Lecturer Mala Shah
Mala Shah is a Chief II Antimicrobial Pharmacist with the HSE. She is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at University College Cork.
She graduated in Pharmacy (BPharm) from the University of Nottingham, UK in 1998. She undertook her internship at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospitals NHS Trust, London. She embarked her career as a hospital pharmacist, working as a Resident Pharmacist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, and then continued there as a Senior HIV/GUM Pharmacist. She undertook an MSc in Clinical Pharmacy Practice with the University of Brighton. In 2004 she moved to Ireland and worked as a Senior Pharmacist and then Senior Antimicrobial Pharmacist in Cork University Hospital until July 2020. In August 2020, she took up the new role of Senior Antimicrobial Pharmacist for Cork Kerry Community Healthcare before progressing to her current role.
She delivers the Infection Management Module of the UCC Postgraduate Masters in Clinical Pharmacy. She is also undertaking an employment-based PhD (part-time) with the UCC School of Pharmacy on Antimicrobial Stewardship in Primary Care.
Experience:
August 2020 to present: Senior Antimicrobial Pharmacist, Cork Kerry Community Healthcare. Works with a team of Community Antimicrobial Pharmacists throughout the country to set up Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes in the community setting. She coordinates the content review of the Respiratory Section of the Community Antimicrobial Guidelines.
2007-2020: Senior Antimicrobial Pharmacist, Cork University Hospital. Worked in a multidisciplinary team and lead the delivery of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme for a large tertiary hospital. Lead on the development of guidelines, prospective audit and feedback including frequent antimicrobial stewardship ward rounds, education for doctors, nurses and pharmacists, antimicrobial consumption monitoring.
2004-2007: Senior Pharmacist, Cork University Hospital. Oversaw the pharmaceutical care needs for the HIV patient cohort. Provided a dispensary and clinical pharmacy service to inpatients.
2000-2004: Senior HIV/GUM Pharmacist, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London. Managed a busy HIV outpatient pharmacy. Was responsible for training and appraisal of rotational pharmacists. Deputised for the lead directorate pharmacist. Set up clinical trials. Experience in directorate budget management. Provided a clinical pharmacy service to the HIV ward.
1998-1999: Resident Pharmacist, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Part of a team of pharmacists providing an on-site, on-call service providing a clinical pharmacy service to inpatients at this tertiary hospital, to mental health units, outpatient pharmacy and HIV clinic.
Committee appointments:
Chair of the Cork Kerry Regional Antimicrobial Guidelines for Acute Hospitals Working Group, 2008-2019
Member of the Editorial Board for the Irish Primary Care Antimicrobial Guidelines, 2016 to 2022
Co-chair of the HSE AMRIC National Antimicrobial Guidelines Working Group for Community Settings (2022 to present)
Adjunct Clinical Senior Lecturer Virginia Silvari
Virginia is a Hospital Pharmacist working in Cork University Hospital, where she delivers specialised advanced pharmaceutical care to patients with cardiovascular diseases. She is an adjunct lecturer at University College Cork and clinical lecturer in Trinity College Dublin. She sits on the Scientific Committee of the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP).
She graduated in Pharmacy (MPharm) and was subsequently registered as a Pharmacist in 2000 in her native Italy. She went on to complete her Ph.D in Toxicology in 2004, at the University of Messina.
Having worked for several years as a Post-Doctoral Researcher in Stockholm University and University College Cork, she became a Hospital Pharmacist at CUH. She also worked for a number of years as a part-time locum Community Pharmacist.
While working as a Hospital Pharmacist she has continued her education by completing:
Post-Graduate Certificate in Clinical Pharmacy Practice (2017), Robert Gordon University
Post-Graduate course in Cardiology in Clinical Pharmacy Practice (2015), Trinity College
Post-Graduate course in Anticoagulation Management (2014), University of Birmingham.
Experience:
2019 - present: Clinical lecturer, Cardiology in Clinical Pharmacy Practice (post graduate module) Trinity College Dublin- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
2016 - present: University College Cork - School of Pharmacy
Organises and hosts clinical pharmacy visits for Pharmacy students to the Cardiology and Respiratory wards in CUH as part of the M.Pharm course.
2014 - 2016: Tutor Pre-registration / National Pharmacy Internship Program
2008 – present: Senior Hospital Pharmacist delivering specialised advanced pharmaceutical care to patients with cardiovascular diseases.
2007-2016: Locum Community Pharmacist.
2006 - 2008: Post Doc. Researcher - Marie Curie Transfer of Knowledge (TOK) fellowship University College Cork - Biochemistry Dept. Carried out research on the health risks of airborne particulate matter exposure. Taught research skills to students.
2004 - 2006: Post Doc. Researcher - Marie Curie Research Training Network fellowship - Dept. of Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University. Investigated vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) as trapping agent of genotoxic metabolites. Trained in in-vitro studies and analytical techniques (LC-MS/MS).
Committee appointments:
2018 - Present: Scientific committee member European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP). Provide education, CPD and networking opportunities to hospital pharmacists across Europe.
2016 - Present: Hon. Secretary of the Cardiology Specialist Interest Group (SIG) Hospital Pharmacists Association of Ireland (HPAI). Provide education and CPD to HPAI members with an interest in cardiology.
Adjunct Clinical Senior Lecturer Darren Walsh
Dr Walsh is an advanced specialist geriatric oncology pharmacist, with specialist interest in symptom management, palliative care, pancreatic cancer and medication optimisation in complex comorbidity. His research interests include unplanned hospitalisation due to adverse drug events, medication-related problems in older adults with cancer and pharmacological management of cancer-related symptoms and cancer treatment-related toxicity. He is a member of the National Cancer Control Programme Geriatric Oncology Steering Committee, the British Oncology Pharmacy Association Geriatric Oncology Specialist Advisory Group and the International Society of Geriatric Oncology Nursing, Allied Healthcare and Scientists group. His work in geriatric oncology has led to national and international recognition, being named the International Society of Geriatric Oncology Nursing and Allied Healthcare researcher of the year in 2023, and the HPN Irish Hospital Pharmacist of the Year in 2024.
As an adjunct senior clinical lecturer in the School of Pharmacy, Dr. Walsh will contribute to the curriculum design, teaching, delivery and research focus of oncology, haematology and palliative care within the school. He will also contribute practice-based research outputs through his clinical work in University Hospital Waterford, and contribute to the supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate research projects, where indicated.
Adjunct Clinical Senior Lecturer Kieran Walsh
Dr Kieran Walsh is a Deputy Director of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) in the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) and a Member of Young Academy Ireland (MYAI). He oversees the Strategy, Support and Research Function within the HTA Directorate with the overarching aim of supporting the provision of evidence-based advice to national policy- and decision-makers in the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health.
Kieran is a registered pharmacist with experience in community, hospital and clinical trial settings. Kieran completed his undergraduate pharmacy degree in UCC in 2012 and undertook his internship year in Cork University Hospital through the RCSI. He undertook his PhD in UCC, between 2014 and 2018, on the topic of antipsychotic prescribing to nursing home residents with dementia. He has a strong research profile and has won several national awards for his work including the HSE Open Access Research Awards and the Royal Academy of Medicine (RAMI) Awards.
Experience:
Apr 2023 – Present Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA)
Deputy Director of Health Technology Assessment (HTA)
Jan 2021 – Apr 2023 HIQA
Senior HTA Analyst, HTA Directorate
Jul 2020 – Jan 2021 HIQA
HTA Research Analyst, HTA Directorate
Oct 2018 – Jul 2020 HIQA
Health Services Researcher, HTA Directorate
Apr 2014 – Jan 2022 Allcare Ballincollig Pharmacy
Support Pharmacist (part-time)
Apr 2014 – Mar 2017 Clinical Research Facility, Mercy University Hospital
Clinical Trials Pharmacist (part-time)
Nov 2013 – Mar 2014 Various Pharmacies
Locum Pharmacist (part-time)
Sep 2012 – Sep 2013 Pharmacy Department, Cork University Hospital
Intern Hospital Pharmacist
Committee Appointments:
Member of Young Academy Ireland (2023 to present)
Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group, HIQA (2022 to present)
Member of the HSE National Dementia Office, Education Working Group for the Implementation of NCG No. 21 (“Appropriate prescribing of psychotropic medication for non-cognitive symptoms in people with dementia”) (2022 to present)
Chair of the Academic Publication Working Group, HIQA (2020 to present)
Member of the Quality and Risk Implementation Group, HIQA (2020 to present)
Member of the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group, HIQA (2020 to present)
Member of the National SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance & Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) Working Group (January 2021)
Writing group member of Guideline Development Group for NCG No. 21 (“Appropriate prescribing of psychotropic medication for non-cognitive symptoms in people with dementia”) (2017 to 2019)
Member of the Research and Postgraduate Affairs Committee (RPAC) in the School of Medicine, UCC (2017 to 2018)
Member of the College of Medicine and Health Postgraduate Student Committee, UCC (2017 to 2018)
Member of the Athena SWAN committee in the School of Pharmacy, UCC (2017 to 2018)
Pharmacist representative on the TRUST trial Pharmacovigilance committee (2014 to 2017)
Awards and prizes:
Received external research grant funding of over €460,000.
Winner of two Royal Academy of Medicine (RAMI) Awards 2021 (Psychiatry and Epidemiology/Public Health Medicine categories)
Overall winner of the HSE Open Access Research Awards 2021.
Best poster awards at the 2018 SPHeRE and 2016 PRIMM Conferences.
Best thesis-in-three oral presentation at the 2017 DNNI conference.
College of Medicine and Health Doctoral Travel Bursary recipient worth €1000.
Awarded Scholarships worth €2000 in total for the best results in 1st and 3rd year Pharmacy.
Awarded the Prize for the best overall result in Pharmaceutics in the BPharm programme.
Adjunct Clinical Lecturer Elizabeth Barron
Elizabeth has over 40 years of working in Community Pharmacy and Hospital Pharmacy in Cork. Her main area of interest is in Inter Personal Learning (IPL) which takes place in the Mercy University Hospital. These involved final pharmacy and final medicine students. The theme of these sessions is on safe prescribing and medicines reconciliation for a real patient. Feedback from students on these sessions is excellent. This educational initiative has resulted in research publications at national and international conference including the International Federation of Pharmacy Conference. Also she is involved in promoting medication reconciliation within the hospital to NCHD, Consultants, GPs, Community and Hospital Pharmacist with the correct medications that the patient is actually taken at all points of transfer within the Hospital, GPs and community pharmacy.
Adjunct Clinical Lecturer Laura Dillon
Laura Dillon is currently the National Pharmacy Innovation Fellow with the HSE Spark Innovation Programme, where she works to advance innovation and service transformation across the Irish healthcare system.
Prior to this role, Laura held senior clinical pharmacy and management positions in Cork University Hospital and the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, leading initiatives in medicines optimisation, medication safety, frailty care, and electronic medication reconciliation. She has extensive experience in multidisciplinary collaboration, healthcare leadership, and the development of patient-centred services.
Laura is passionate about education and professional development and has lectured on postgraduate pharmacy programmes, mentored pharmacists and students, and contributed to research, quality improvement, and innovation projects. Her teaching interests include healthcare innovation, human centred design, medication safety, quality improvement, and clinical pharmacy practice.
Through her adjunct lecturer position in the School of Pharmacy, Laura will contribute to the curriculum design, teaching delivery and innovation focus of the school’s undergraduate and MSc in Clinical Pharmacy programmes.
Adjunct Clinical Lecturer Peter Duddy
Peter graduated with an Honours Degree in Pharmacy from Trinity College Dublin in 2005. He completed a MSc in Clinical Pharmacy at UCC in 2010. He has worked as a pharmacist in The Coombe Hospital in Dublin since 2006 covering a wide variety of clinical roles. He specialises in Neonatal Intensive Care with a particular interest in parenteral nutrition, late onset sepsis & procedural sedation.
Outside of neonatology, Peter has a keen interest in perioperative medicines use, pharmacological interventions during labour and neuraxial administration of medicines in obstetrics. In 2017, Peter took on a dual role as Chief Pharmacist for Neonatal Services and Medication Safety, with an emphasis on developing and implementing the hospital's medication safety programme.
Peter is an executive member of the Irish Medication Safety Network and previously sat on the National Clinical Programme for Paediatrics & Neonatology’s Parenteral Nutrition Expert Group.
Adjunct Clinical Lecturer Ciara Ni Dhubhlaing
Ciara is the Pharmacist Executive Manager in St Patrick's Mental Health Services, Dublin. She has worked in Community and Hospital settings in the UK and Ireland and has over 20 years experience in psychiatry. Ciara is credentialed at an advanced level with the College of Mental Health Pharmacy (CMHP) in the UK, demonstrating attainment of specialist skills and knowledge consistent with an advanced practitioner, and is a former President of the CMHP and a current member of the Executive of the Hospital Pharmacy Association of Ireland (HPAI).
She completed the PgDip in Psychiatric Pharmacy with Aston University in the UK and also qualified as an Independent Non-Medical Prescriber. On returning to Ireland she completed the MSc in Clinical Pharmacy with UCC and subsequently published her MSc research on the impact of pharmacist counselling on clozapine knowledge. She has also co-authored publications on improving benzodiazepine and hypnotic prescribing, monitoring of high dose antipsychotic therapy, and weight management strategies for people taking antipsychotic medication. Ciara has been a peer reviewer and contributor to several journals and a local tutor/supervisor for postgraduate students for a number of universities.
She believes strongly in the importance of facilitating ongoing learning and research within St. Patrick’s Mental Health Services Pharmacy Department.
Adjunct Clinical Lecturer Keith O’Hourihane
Keith O’Hourihane is a Community Pharmacist working as the Superintendent of the Pharmacy First Plus Group in Cork. Keith graduated with MPharm (Hons) from the Robert Gordon University in 1999 and joined the register of pharmacists in Ireland in October 2000.
Having worked for several pharmacy groups, national and multinational, Keith joined with two others in forming a pharmacy group in the summer of 2002. Since then, Keith’s greatest interest is in the development and evolution of the role of the community pharmacist. He believes that community pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare professionals and therefore can help patients in many ways other than solely dispensing prescriptions.
Keith was instrumental in setting up UCC Healthvine to encourage undergraduate pharmacy students to, “think outside the pharmacy box”, helping pharmacy students to develop strategies and informative healthcare campaigns. He continuously supports undergraduate pharmacy students with placements at his pharmacy group and regularly gives of his time to speak with and present his vision to students during their academic year.
Adjunct Lecturer Stan O'Neill
Mr. Stan O’Neill is an experienced pharmacist with a strong international profile in the pharmaceutical industry. A registered pharmacist (MPSI), he began his career in industry roles across Regulatory Affairs, Marketing, and Quality Assurance before joining the Irish Medicines Board (now the HPRA), where he spent ten years imcluding his position as a Senior Inspector. In this role, he conducted global GMP inspections, contributed to European regulatory standards, and delivered inspector training at national and international levels.
In 2009, he founded The Compliance Group, leading a specialist team focused on regulatory compliance, problem resolution, and risk mitigation across pharmaceutical and related sectors. He has advised companies, hospitals, NGOs, and government bodies, with experience spanning over 40 countries and hundreds of facilities worldwide.
Mr. O’Neill is also a dedicated advocate for the pharmacy profession, with extensive experience in mentoring and education. He was the founding Chairperson of Pharmacists in Industry Education and Regulatory (PIER) in 2010 and returned to the role in 2020 to mark its ten-year anniversary.
Through his adjunct Lecturer in the School of Pharmacy, Mr. O’Neill will contribute to the curriculum design and research focus of the School’s industrial focused taught Master's programmes; Pharmaceutical Regulatory Science, Pharmaceutical Technology and Quality Systems, and Industrial Pharmaceutical Sciences, Operations and Management and guest lectures on the CPD module in Pharmaceutical Auditing.
MSc in Clinical Pharmacy contributing practitioners
Dr Kieran Walsh, Deputy Director of Health Technology Assessment at HIQA
Prof Anne-Marie Tobin, Consultant Dermatologist, Tallaght Hospital, Dublin and Clinical Lead National Clinical Programme in Dermatology, HSE
Ms Niamh O’Connell, South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital (SIVUH), Cork and Adjunct Clinical Lecturer, School of Pharmacy UCC
Dr John Waterstone, Waterstone Clinic, Cork
Ms Stephanie Slevin, MPSI, affiliated to the School of Pharmacy, UCC
Ms Hilary Ward, Lead Oncology Pharmacist, Beacon Hospital, Dublin and Adjunct Clinical Lecturer, School of Pharmacy UCC
Mr Peter Duddy, Pharmacy Department, The Coombe Women’s Hospital, Dublin and Adjunct Clinical Lecturer, School of Pharmacy UCC
Ms Denise Leamy, Critical Care Pharmacist, Cork University Hospital
Mr Stephen McInerney, Advanced Paediatric Pharmacist, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Prof Martin Buckley, Consultant Gastroenterologist/Physician at Mercy University Hospital and Senior Lecturer in Clinical Medicine, UCC
Dr Clara McGurk, Geriatrics Specialist Registrar, Stroke Unit, Cork University Hospital, Cork
Prof Liam Plant, Clinical Professor in Renal Medicine, Cork University Hospital and UCC
Ms Claire Keane, Pharmacy Department, St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin
Ms Derina Byrne, Senior Pharmacist, Mercy University Hospital, Cork and Adjunct Clinical Lecturer, School of Pharmacy UCC
Ms Tessa Cagney, Clinical Pharmacist, Bon Secours Hospital, Cork and Adjunct Clinical Lecturer, School of Pharmacy UCC
Ms Anna Keating, Senior Pharmacist, Cork University Hospital, Cork
Ms Mari Hughes, Senior Pharmacist, Cork University Hospital, Cork
Dr James Dollard, Consultant Cardiologist, Mater Private Hospital, Cork
Dr Virginia Silvari, Chief II Pharmacist, Cork University Hospital, Cork and Adjunct Senior Clinical Lecturer, School of Pharmacy UCC
Ms Sharon Byrne, Senior Pharmacist, Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services, Harold’s Cross, Dublin
Dr Maeve Durkan, Endocrinologist, Bon Secours Hospital, Cork
Ms Mala Shah, Chief II Antimicrobial Pharmacist, HSE Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control Programme (AMRIC) and Adjunct Senior Clinical Lecturer, School of Pharmacy UCC
Dr Emma Troy, Specialist Registrar in Neurology, Cork University Hospital
Ms Ciara Ni Dhubhlaing, Chief I Pharmacist, St. Patrick's University Hospital, Dublin
Ms Ita Fitzgerald, Senior Psychiatric Pharmacist, St. Patrick's University Hospital, Dublin and Adjunct Clinical Lecturer, School of Pharmacy UCC
Ms Ciara Reddy, Acting Chief II Pharmacist, Clinical Pharmacy Services Manager / Senior Clinical Pharmacist - Critical Care, Beaumont Hospital.
Ms Muriel Pate, Chief II Pharmacist HSE Acute Hospitals and Adjunct Clinical Lecturer, School of Pharmacy UCC
Ms Norma Harnedy, National Liaison Pharmacist, HSE Addiction Services and Adjunct Clinical Lecturer, School of Pharmacy UCC
Dr David O’Riordan, Senior Pharmacist (Cancer Clinical Trials) at CUH
Ms Maedhbh Flannery, Senior Pharmacist, Marymount University Hospital and Hospice and Adjunct Clinical Lecturer, School of Pharmacy UCC
Ms Lisa Dunne, Senior Pharmacist, National Medicines Information Centre (NMIC), St James’s Hospital, Dublin
Gráinne O’Malley, Chief II Pharmacist, National Medicines Information Centre (NMIC), St James’s Hospital, Dublin
Ms Mary Kelly, Laboratory Services Manager, Pathology Dept, Bon Secours Hospital, Cork
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