IGPNEA Conference Speakers 2023

Speaker 1

Georgina Basset, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer 

Georgina Basset is the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for the Department of Health.

Georgina is a strong nurse leader and advocate for nursing and midwifery professions, highlighting their contribution to positive patient-reported outcomes and supporting peer-to-peer collaboration and learning. Keen interest community and older persons’ care innovations.

Experienced Director Of Nursing with a significant history of working in the health care industry. Skilled in leadership development, clinical governance, quality management, team building, facilitation, continuous improvement, and networking. Former Leadership Advisor with the HSE National Clinical Leadership Centre for Nursing and Midwifery. Strong healthcare services professional with a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Healthcare Management from Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and an Advanced Diploma in Executive Coaching. Experienced in leading teams, leading an organisation, programme design, policy development and implementation.

Speaker 2

Ms Leah Gaughan, National Immunisation Office

BSc Pharm, M Pharm, MPSI, MSc (Hospital Pharmacy). Senior Pharmacist
Completed undergraduate and postgraduate training in Trinity College Dublin and M.Pharm in Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
Has worked in both the community and hospital pharmacy sectors and delivered education to undergraduate pharmacy and medicine students.
Has a keen interest in public health, preventative medicine and vaccine management.

Speaker 3

Dr Una Kennedy, GP Adviser NCCP

Completed undergraduate training in Trinity College Dublin and completed GP Training in Scotland.  I am a GP Principal in my practice in Phibsborough, Dublin and I am GP Advisor to the National Cancer Control Programme

Speaker 4

Ms Aileen Gillic, RGN, Nurse Support Service, IHF

’IHF Stroke Connect Service’

Aileen trained at St James Hospital and Trinity College Dublin. She has worked in general practice as a GPN. Her professional passion is primary and secondary prevention and empowering people to take charge of their own health. She has a post graduate diploma in Food Nutrition and Health in UCD and she is working towards a masters in this area. Aileen currently works in Patient Support at the Irish Heart Foundation, helping people after their stroke or heart event and educating those at identified risk of cardiovascular disease.

Speaker 5

Ms Anita Cahill

Anita Cahill  is a cANP Prostate Cancer working in CUH. She has  thirty years of Nursing experience the last 15 dealing with patients diagnosed with Urology cancers. She is educated to a masters level in Nursing. She has a keen interest in cancer survivorship and improving quality of life for patients. She is currently  completing academic preparation to register as an Advanced Nursing Practice and is on the registration for  nurse prescribers.

Speaker 6

Ms. Deirdre O Reilly, Cardiac Rehabilitation Coordinator

‘ESC Guidelines and Lipid Management .’

Deirdre O’Reilly is the Cardiac Rehabilitation Coordinator in Roscommon University Hospital.
Qualified as an RGN in 1989 (St. Lawrence’s/Beaumont Hospital) she began her cardiology journey in 1994. Obtaining Coronary Care Certification 1994; Certified ACLS instructor for 12 years, BLS instructor for 12 years, BLS instructor trainer for 4 years. In 2007 she began working in Cardiac
Rehabilitation as a Clinical Nurse Specialist.

She joined Irish Association Council 2018 and is the current President.

Speaker 7

Ms Maggie Carroll, Eli Lilly

’Diabetes Masterclass Series: Module 5 – Diabetes in the older patient and frailty’

Maggie Carroll, RGN,ABPI, INP
Maggie joined Lilly after a thirty-year career in nursing within the NHS, which focused upon primary care. Her career began in general practice as a practice nurse where she soon realised her passion of Diabetes management and was fortunate to secure a position of Diabetes Specialist Nurse in London and later as a Clinical lead across Hertfordshire.
She is a thought leader in diabetes care, actively involved in education and mentoring.
Maggie ’s Role within Lilly is Medical Education Associate, this is a non-promotional role allowing. Maggie to use her knowledge, experience, and skills across the country. Maggie also holds a position a day a week in general practice.
Maggie is delighted to join us , she spends a lot of time visiting family in County Kerry and West Meath where she enjoys the country side , food and music.

Speaker 1

Dr Hassan, Mental Health 

Mental Health Series – Topic 2: Depression Treatment and What to Expect

Dr Hassen graduated from University College Dublin and previously trained as a Psychiatrist. He has a special interest and extensive experience in all aspects of Mental Health including Depression, Anxiety and Burnout. He runs the mental health clinics on Tuesday mornings and Wednesday afternoons. He is available for Extended Mental Health consults on those time slots to provide a holistic assessment of your needs. He also has a special interest in sports injuries, weight management and nutrition as well.

He has been in Ireland since 2001 and over the years has worked in various medical services across Ireland. He is a native French speaker and originally from Mauritius.

Speaker 2

Ms. Jane Campbell

“The role of Physiotherapy in the prevention and treatment of chronic illnesses”

Jane graduated with an honours degree in Physiotherapy, from the University of the West of England and has a Masters of Clinical research from the University of Ulster. She spent 9 years working in the area of Orthopaedics and has presented work both nationally and internationally.
Jane has been the Head of Physiotherapy in UPMC Aut Even since 2016. She is passionate about keeping people active through every stage of life and has a special interest in assessment and treatment of osteoarthritis.

Speaker 3

Dr Paul Kavanagh, Consultant in Public Health Medicine 

Tobacco Free Ireland Programme

Dr Paul Kavanagh (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8576-2247) is a medical doctor, specialist in public health medicine, and holds postgraduate
qualifications in Community Health, Health Economics, Medical Education,
Healthcare Leadership and Data Science.

He is currently a Consultant in Public Health Medicine with the HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme.
He led on the development of Ireland first National Stop Smoking Clinical Guidelines, and various initiatives to improve tobacco control across health services in Ireland. In the past, Paul has led a wide range of strategic initiatives across different health system settings in areas including population-based health planning, health improvement, disease prevention,
clinical governance, and medical education.

Speaker 4

Ms. Anne Houston

New Conversations Will Change Your Life 

Anne Houston works with pregnant woman to establish pathways of care at
first hospital appointment and in review clinics for high-risk pregnancies at
Wexford General.

Anne trained as a nurse in Mercy Hospital Cork and as a midwife in the
Coombe Women’s Hospital Dublin. Anne has a Masters in Personal and
Business Management from University College Cork.

Author of New Conversations Will Change Your Life, Anne has
designed the MEGA Coaching Method empowering a holistic approach to
wellbeing with skills to self-care, self-coach, and reduced stress.

Speaker 5

Ms Sani George, ANP (CKD/Pre-Dialysis)  

Kidney Disease

Sani George, received her Nursing qualification from Kerala Nursing and Midwifery Board, India and subsequently worked as a Staff Nurse in India. In 2002, she joined the Renal Dialysis team in Harward International, Saudi Arabia as a Staff Nurse before moving to Ireland in 2006.

In 2012, she completed the Nurse Prescribing Course from RCSI and with her colleague they became the 1 st Renal Nurse prescribers in Ireland at the Renal Dialysis Unit in MRHT. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a Masters in Nursing (2015) and a Higher Diploma in Renal Nursing (2019). She was appointed as Clinical Nurse Specialist in CKD (Pre Dialysis) in 2019 and the following year became the 1 st Renal ANP in Ireland (CKD/Pre Dialysis) at the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore.

Speaker 5

Demelza Dooner, Advanced Nurse Practitioner Diabetes

Kidney Disease

Demelza Qualified with a BSc Honours degree in Nursing in 1999 from Middlesex University, London. She joined MRHT in June of 1999 as a staff nurse. In 2001 she completed her higher diploma in

Diabetes and took up the post of CNS in diabetes in 2002.In 2007, she graduated from NUIG with an MSc in Advanced practice Diabetes. In 2010, she completed the nurse prescribing from Royal

College of Surgeon. After 19 years of working as a CNS in Diabetes, in 2020 she was appointed as ANP in Diabetes.

Speaker 6

Dr Rachael Comer, Education and Training Manager, Screening Training Unit, CervicalCheck

‘New Developments in Cervical Screening Education’

Dr Rachael Comer is a nurse and a midwife and was awarded her doctorate in Nursing and Midwifery from the University of Galway. Her PHD thesis was titled “Spiralling Vulnerabilities: understanding the cervical screening behaviours of women over 50 years”.  She has held a variety of senior nursing positions including; a Clinical Nurse Manage, Clinical Nurse specialist in Colposcopy, specialist co-ordinator in the CNME, Assistant Director of Nursing and Midwifery in medicinal Nurse/Midwife prescribing. In 2021, she was appointed the Education and Training Manager in the CervicalCheck screening Training Unit.