IGPNEA Conference Speakers 2022

Speaker 1

Ms. Essene Cassidy, NMBI President

Essene began her nursing career in Temple Street in 1991 completing a three-year apprenticeship model children’s nursing course. When asked about her early nursing career, Essene said that while the training programme and work was challenging at times, she received an excellent training, made lifelong friendships which continue to this day, and she appreciates the guidance and mentorship she received.

Through her commitment to continuing professional development, she holds qualifications across a broad range of areas, achieving a Master’s level in Child Health at UCD, a Higher Diploma in Rehabilitation Management from UCD, a Higher Diploma in Public Health Nursing from UCC and a Bachelor of Nursing Studies from Trinity College Dublin.

More recently, Essene has completed courses in Corporate Governance and Medical Law and is currently studying Quasi-Judicial Decision Making.

Essene has extensive experience working in a variety of roles and functions across a number of acute and community settings, from immunisations, disability, area public health nursing, schools nursing teams and early year’s inspectorate.

She worked on the first Meningoccol C immunisation programme which provided the framework for all programmes that followed (MMR, HPV, Swine Flu). In her position as Liaison Nurse for Physical and Sensory Disability, she was involved in the roll out of the national disability database and the development of Acquired Brain Injury services across the south east of the country.

In 2007, when An Bord Altrainis removed the mandatory midwifery requirement from the public health nursing course, Essene studied the programme and qualified as a public health nurse (PHN). Over the following years she worked as an Area PHN, Schools PHN and Immunisation team lead before moving to an inspectorate role in the Early Years Inspectorate in TUSLA.

In her current position as Director of Public Health Nursing, Essene leads a team of 160 nurses, midwives and care staff responsible for providing health services across the Dublin North West region of Community Health Organisation 9 (CHO), currently known as Dublin North City and County (DNCC), with active involvement in frontline clinical care within the community.

Speaker 1

 Ms. Sheila McClelland, NMBI CEO

Ms Sheila McClelland was appointed CEO of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) in January 2022.

Ms McClelland was interim CEO of NMBI since June 2019 and during that time the County Down native has guided NMBI through a major digitisation and modernisation programme, as well as dealing successfully with the challenges brought by the pandemic.

“Sheila’s wealth of experience in the public sector and her solid leadership in the modernisation of NMBI over the past two and a half years made her the stand-out candidate for the role. I want to wish her the very best as she continues to lead the NMBI team in the time ahead.”

Ms McClelland has held a number of senior positions in Northern Ireland, including Chief Executive of Carrickfergus Borough Council. She has also served as a member of the Board of Cooperation Ireland since June 2017, sits on the Board of the Community Relations Council for Northern Ireland and is Chair of the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland.

Speaker 2

Ms Maria Doyle, ANP

‘The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic upon the Elderly Patient.’

Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner –Older Adults- Frailty

I am currently working on the frailty team “RAFT- Rapid Assistance with Frailty Team” in University Hospital Waterford.  This team is part of the Integrated hub in WICOP “Waterford Integrated Care for Older Persons”. The frailty team carries out a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment on adults with mild to moderate frailty while in hospital where frailty syndromes are identified and addressed and support structures are put in place.  I have been working in the acute setting for over 25 years including Care of the Elderly, Orthopaedics and Nurse Practice Development.

Speaker 3

Dr Caoimhe Hartley

’Menopause and Vaginal Atrophy’

Since qualifying in Medicine from UCD in 2007, Dr. Hartley has developed her skills and expertise in the area of Women’s Health and Menopause care. She became accredited by both the North American Menopause Society and the British Menopause Society. She was recently honoured to become a British Menopause Society Trainer. She is a member of the Advisory Board of both the European Menopause And Andropause Society and The Newson Health Menopause Society.

She was awarded membership of the Irish College of General Practice in 2013, obtaining diplomate status with the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists in 2012 and achieving a certificate in Women’s Health from the Irish College of General Practice.

Speaker 4

Prof. John Nolan

 ‘The role of nutrition for vision, cognitive function and prevention of age- related diseases.’

Prof Nolan is a Fulbright Scholar and currently holds a Chair for Human Nutrition Research at the School of Health Science, Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland. Prof Nolan is the Founder and Director of the Nutrition Research Centre Ireland (NRCI) and is also the Principal Investigator of the Macular Pigment Research Group (MPRG, a specialized research group within this centre). HOWARD CHAIR IN HUMAN NUTRITION, FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR, ERC FELLOW, was born and raised in the Republic of Ireland, where he studied Science at the Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT). It was at WIT where Professor Nolan obtained his primary degree and also completed his PhD. He then worked at the Medical College of Georgia in the US as part of the Fulbright Scholar Program. Upon successful completion of the Fulbright Scholarship, he returned to Ireland, where he established the Macular Pigment Research Group.

His research group studies the role of nutrition for vision, cognitive function and prevention of age-related disease. In 2011, Prof Nolan won a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) research grant to study the impact of nutritional supplementation on visual function via two major clinical trials (CREST 281096; Central Retinal Enrichment Supplementation Trials). These trials identified how targeted nutrition can improve visual function for the general population, and for patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Current studies at the NRCI are investigating the link between nutrition and brain health and function, and over the last number of years the Nolan and team have published novel papers on how targeted nutrients enhance cognitive function for the general population and improve quality of life for patients suffering with Alzheimer’s disease.

Prof Nolan has published 106 peer-reviewed scientific papers on his area of research (5748 = citations, H index = 46). In 2014, he successfully edited a CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group book publication entitled “Carotenoids and Retinal Disease.” He has also edited a special issue in the prestigious Journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research (MNF) “Nutrition for the Eye and Brain”. Professor Nolan has editorial roles at the European Journal of Ophthalmology and the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. A major career highlight is his role as Chair of the International Brain and Ocular Nutrition Conference (BON Conference), which is held at Downing College, Cambridge University (www.bonconference.org). See www.profjohnnolan.com for further details and access to his scientific publications and full academic profile.

Speaker 5

Prof. Grace O Malley

‘Addressing Childhood Obesity in Primary Care: Learning, Caring, Supporting.’

Prof. Grace O’Malley is a Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist in Paediatrics and is Clinical Lead of the W82GO Child and Adolescent Weight Management Service in Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street www.w82go.ie – Ireland’s only Tier 3 Child and Adolescent Obesity Service. Grace also leads the Obesity Research and Care Group at Royal College of Surgeons University of Medicine and Health Sciences. Grace graduated as a registered Physiotherapist in 2004 from the University of Dublin, Trinity College (TCD), completed an MSc Scholarship in childhood obesity research in 2006 at TCD and a Fulbright Scholarship to the Yale University School of Medicine to investigate the pathophysiology of Type-2 diabetes in child and adolescent obesity. In 20015 she completed a HRB-funded PhD in Epidemiology/Public Health on the management of child and adolescent obesity in University College Cork and more recently she completed a Dip in Health Education in RCSI. For the past 18 years, Grace has led the development of The W82GO Obesity Service.

Grace specialises in the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of complex interventions in paediatric healthcare. Her work encompasses patient-orientated research, health services and public health research and involves patients and public representatives as key stakeholders throughout. She is a dedicated academic and clinical educator and leads on interprofessional post-graduate and undergraduate education for health professionals related to child and adolescent obesity. Dr. O’Malley holds voluntary positions as Secretary of the European Association for the Study of Obesity, Inaugural Chair and Committee member at the Association for the Study of Obesity on the Island of Ireland (www.asoi.info) and the Paediatric group of World Physiotherapy.  An overview of Grace’s peer-reviewed publications, conferences and educational activities are listed on the RCSI website. As the daughter of a vocated nurse, Grace has experienced first-hand how powerful, impactful and supportive quality nursing care is.

Speaker 6

Dr Brendan O Shea, MD FRCGP MICGP

ICGP Special Interest Group on Global Health

Dr Brendan O Shea  is a GP & Principal in Practice in Co Kildare, on Council at The Irish College of General Practitioners, and Assistant Adjunct Professor at Trinity College Dublin. Interests include improving care for people with multimorbidity, end of life planning and overweight. He chairs The Clinical Advisory Group to the HSE RCPI Obesity Program, is on Board of Directors at The Irish Hospice Foundation and Beyond Stigma. He has previously acted as Irish Representative on Council at EURACT, and as Medical Director at The ICGP. He is on the Board of the ROI Faculty of The RCGP

Speaker 7

Dr M. Ahmed

Depression and Anxiety in General Practice’

Senior registrar in psychological medicine service, St James’s Hospital

Research interest: first-episode psychosis- capacity in mental health

Speaker 8

Ms. Brigita Moore, CNS

Colposcopy  “Who/Why/What”

RGN, RM, COLPOSCOPIST

Working in Colposcopy for 20 years as practitioner, manager, and trainer.

Speaker 9

CNS Ms. Sheila Ryan

‘Dermatology Course Module 3 – Eczema Overview and Management’

Sheila became joint first registered advanced nurse practitioner in Dermatology in December 2015. She has 29 years’ experience in dermatology practice in both the UK and Ireland. Sheila’s general nurse training was completed at the Limerick School of Nursing in 1992. She completed her Nursing Degree in Trinity College Dublin in 2000 and her masters at University College Dublin in 2006.  Furthermore she obtained her dermatology qualification at Kings College London 1995 and her Nurse Prescribing at the Royal College of Surgeons 2007.

Sheila’s caseload includes patients with psoriasis, eczema and bullous pemphigoid. She has specialist interest in Stevens Johnson Syndrome and Psychodermatology. She is currently She is currently undertaking research in conjunction with Dr Pauline O’Reilly at UL on the Psychological Effects of Stevens Johnson Syndrome / Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. Sheila has publications on Psoriasis, Eczema, Acne, Emollients, Cryotherapy, Psychodermatology, Nodular Prurigo & Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

In addition to her RANP role she holds the following positions; Chair of the ANMP Forum, Nurse advisor National Clinical Programme, Trustee of the Irish Skin Foundation, Treasurer of the Irish Dermatology Nurse’s Association and Nurse Lead in Nurse Association Working Group (committee within the European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology). She is winner of the 2017 British Dermatology Nursing Group’s Stone Award for her contribution to Dermatology Nursing.