‘Diabetes in Ireland’ Conference Speakers
Professor Hilary Hoey
MA, MD, FTCD, FRCP(UK), FRCPI, FRCPCH (UK), MICGP, D Obs RCOG
Chairman Diabetes Ireland, Paediatric Endocrinologist, Director of Professional Competence RCPI, Vice President European Paediatric Association and Union of National European Paediatric Societies and Associations (EPA/UNEPSA), European Regional Representative on the International Paediatric Strategic Advisory Group on NCD. Emeritus Professor & Past Head of Department of Paediatrics Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Previously Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist Tallaght University Hospital and CHI Crumlin. Past Dean Faculty of Paediatrics RCPI, Past President Irish Paediatric Association and Past President European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE).
Graduated University College Dublin, trained Hospital for Sick Children Great Ormond Street London, University San Francisco, Children’s Hospital Pittsburgh and studied medical education at the University of Dundee.
Currently a member of many national and international councils, committees and working parties. Member of: Academy of Medical Royal Colleges UK Directors of CPD Committee; EACCME (UEMS European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education); Council of the International Academy for CPD Accreditation and of the European CPD Forum.
Received many National & International awards including ESPE Outstanding Clinician Award 2016, The Irish Lifetime Achievement Health Care Award 2017, International Collaboration Award Croatian Medical Association 2021, the McKenna Lecture Medal Irish Endocrine Society 2021.
Research includes over 200 peer reviewed publications. Specialist reviewer of many international academic publications and editorial boards. Served as External Examiner Universities of Cambridge, Nottingham, Kuwait and Cairo, UCD, RCSI, Galway and Limerick.
Professor Seamus Sreenan
Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology at Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown in Dublin. In 2006 he was appointed as associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and was promoted to full professor in 2019. In 2010 Prof Sreenan was appointed director of the graduate entry medical programme at RCSI.
Prof Sreenan received his medical degree from University College Dublin. Having completed tra ining in general medicine in Dublin he completed his specialist training in the endocrinology section at the University of Chicago Medical Center. His research interests have included the pathophysiology of beta cell function in diabetes, utilization of technology in type 1diabetes and the impact of sleep quality on cardiovascular risk in diabetes. Prof Sreenan has completed more than 40 clinical trials in diabetes as chief investigator at Connolly over the last 20 years and has more than 80 peer-reviewed publications.
Cormac Devlin
Chairperson of the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on Diabetes, Deputy Government Whip & TD for Dún Laoghaire.
Cormac was elected to Dáil Éireann in 2020 to represent Dún Laoghaire. In December 2020, he was appointed by An Taoiseach as Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Dublin and in January 2023 he was appointed Fianna Fáil Chief Whip and Deputy Government Whip.
He previously served on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, where he was elected to represent the Dún Laoghaire until 2019. He served as Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in 2016-2017.
Cormac is the Chairperson of the Oireachtas All-Party Committee on Diabetes and he is a member of the Public Accounts Committee, the Climate Action Committee, and the Public Petitions Committee.
Representing a county with a long maritime tradition, Cormac is passionate about protecting the environment, particularly the Dublin Bay biosphere, supporting the development of public transport, increasing the supply of housing and promoting an enterprise culture.
Professor Derek O’Keefe
Prof Derek O’Keeffe is a Physicianeer, he holds dual first-class honors degrees and doctorates in Engineering and Medicine. He was a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard, a Green Templeton Scholar at Oxford and is a graduate of the Endocrinology Clinical Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, USA. As well as multiple academic publications, he holds biomedical patents and several international research prizes. He has previously worked with NASA placing a sleep experiment onboard the International Space Station and was their flight surgeon for a NEEMO Aquarius mission.
He has explored over 110 countries, volunteered extensively & was awarded The Outstanding Young Person of the World by Junior Chamber International. He is a Black Belt Taekwondo Instructor, Qualified Pilot, Advanced Scuba Diver & Triathlete.
In 2022 he designed an award winning Cardiovascular themed garden for Bloom in the Phoenix Park. He was recently awarded a first-class honors MBA degree and is the new HSE National Clinical Lead for Diabetes. He is a Consultant Physician (Endocrinologist) at University Hospital Galway and is the Professor of Medical Device Technology at the University of Galway.
Professor Nuala Murphy
Professor Nuala Murphy is a Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist in Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street Hospital in Dublin. She is the current HSE National Clinical Lead for Paediatric Diabetes and the Chair of the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit. She graduated from UCD and completed Endocrinology training in Dublin, Oxford, Cambridge and London. She was awarded her MD from UCD and is a UCD Clinical Professor. Her research interests are in hypoglycaemia, optimising diabetes management in type 1diabetes as well as Thyroid Hormone physiology.
Professor David Keegan
Prof Keegan, (MB BCh BAO; LRCP&SI; MMedSc (Anat); FRCSI(Oph); FRCOphth; PhD), completed his basic and higher ophthalmology surgical training at Moorfield’s Eye Hospital, London (1997-2005). He completed his Fellowship in Vitreo-retinal surgery at Columbia University / New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, USA (2005-2006).
Prof Keegan’s areas of special interest include inherited retinal degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal transplantation (immunological consequences), health economics, low-vision device development, biomarkers in age-related macular degeneration, retinal detachment, retinal repair and regeneration.
In addition to his role as consultant vitreo-retinal surgeon, Mater Hospital, Prof Keegan also serves as:
- National Clinical Lead for Diabetic Retinopathy, National Screening Service, NSS, Dublin
- Honorary Consultant Vitreo-retinal Surgeon, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, Dublin
- Board Member of National Council for the Blind (NCBI) and Fighting Blindness Ireland Voluntar
- Chair of the NCBI Vision 20/20 committee to develop a state of the art low vision assistance programme in Ireland.
His is involved in an active retina research group and we also strive to ensure that our basic sciences studies parallel those in the clinic and have run seven clinical trials.
He is involved in residency and fellow training and lectures at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
He is a member of Scientific and Medical Advisory Board for Retina International.
Professor Mary Higgins
Originally from Kildare, Mary Higgins graduated from University College Dublin and completed her training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Ireland, with membership and then fellowships of the RCPI and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (UK). Following an MSc in the University of Oxford she gained further research experience by a MD (Diabetes) from UCD. She gained experience in Maternal Fetal Medicine in Toronto, Canada and returned to Ireland to her current post, as Associate Professor in University College Dublin and a consultant Obstetrician/Gynaecologist in the National Maternity Hospital (NMH). As a Principal Investigator in UCD Perinatal Research Centre she has more than 100 publications and supervises PhD, MD, MSc and undergraduate students. Mary was a ministerial appointee to the Slaintecare Medical Advisory Council (2018-2021).
She is currently completing a Masters in Medical Education and has a Diploma in Entrepreneurial Education. She is an Associate Fellow AMEE (Association for Medical Education in Europe) and Fellow of the Academy of Medical Educators. Within the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, she is Chair of the Examination Board for the MRCPI (O&G) and the Board of the Postgraduate Certificate in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Prof Mary Higgins is an elected Fellow and Censor on the RCPI Council and was appointed Vice President of the RCPI in October 2021. She is co-chair of the Diabetes and Pregnancy Model of Care with Prof Fidelma Dunne.
She is actively involved in diabetes/maternal medicine and pregnancy care as part of the multidisciplinary team in the NMH.
Dr Kate Gajewska
Kate is a Clinical Manager for Advocacy and Research in Diabetes. In her role Kate is responsible for all advocacy activities, and oversees Diabetes Ireland Research Alliance. Consecutively, Kate is still involved in academic research as a Postdoctoral Researcher (Knowledge Broker) at the School of Public Health, University College Cork. In 2020 Kate has been awarded a PhD degree by RCSI: University of Medicine and Health Sciences for her thesis focusing on access to insulin pump therapy in Ireland.
Prior to joining Diabetes Ireland, Kate worked as a lecturer in Epidemiology and Public Health at RCSI: University of Medicine and Health Sciences, and a Postgraduate Researcher in the OPEN diabetes project focusing on the DIY artificial pancreas systems. Before conducting her PhD she worked as a research data manager in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, in Dublin, and as a psychologist and a diabetes educator in an outpatient diabetes clinic in Warsaw, Poland. She completed MSc in Clinical Psychology in 2010, and received a Postgraduate Award in Mixed Methods for Health Services Research. Kate’s research interests include diabetes, mainly type 1 diabetes, its epidemiology, determinants of (barriers and facilitators to) access to technology in diabetes care, health and well-being of people with chronic illnesses, as well as health services research and its role in improving health, outcomes and quality of care. She is the author of peer-reviewed publications, educational materials, presents as a speaker at international and national conferences, and actively engages in patient advocacy and scientific organizations (i.e. ISPAD, IES, PSI) as a healthcare professional, researcher and a person living with diabetes (since 1987).
Professor Sarah Wild
Sarah Wild did her medical training in London and Cambridge. Her postgraduate experience included general medicine and diabetes, general practice and public health medicine, a cardiovascular epidemiology fellowship at Stanford University and a PhD at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Sarah has worked at the University of Edinburgh since 2002 and is now professor of epidemiology and an honorary consultant in public health at Lothian NHS Board and Public Health Scotland. Her main interests are the epidemiology and prevention of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases, the use of routine data for research, including the role of diverse health inequalities.
Professor Seán F. Dinneen
Seán Dinneen is an Academic Endocrinologist based in the West of Ireland. His professional interests include developing and evaluating programmes of self-management education and support for people living with diabetes, developing optimal models of community-based diabetes care and understanding the diabetic foot. Past leadership roles include Head of the School of Medicine, University of Galway (2013 to 2016) and National Lead for Diabetes, Irish Health Service Executive (2016 to 2022). He is a current Editor with Diabetic Medicine, the journal of Diabetes UK.
In March 2021 he became National Lead for the PPI Ignite Network, aiming to increase capacity for high quality public and patient involvement in health and social care research in Ireland https://ppinetwork.ie/
Dr Sonya Deschênes
Dr Deschênes is an Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology at University College Dublin (UCD) and the director of the UCD Psychosocial Approaches to Health (PATH) Laboratory. She completed a PhD in Psychology and a postdoctoral fellowship in Mental Health Epidemiology in Canada. Her current research is at the intersection of health psychology and mental health epidemiology, with a focus on understanding the complex relationships between mental and physical health conditions and the underlying mechanisms that contribute to comorbidity.
During her talk, she will describe the epidemiology of diabetes and mental health comorbidity and discuss recent findings from her lab, which used network psychometric approaches to examine diabetes-related distress and specific symptoms of depression in individuals with diabetes.
Dr Shane O’Donnell
Shane is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Law, University of Birmingham. He also holds an appointment in the School of Sociology, University College Dublin where he works as PI on the EU-funded OPEN project.
Since embarking on a career in research over 10 years ago, Shane has combined his background as a medical sociologist with his own personal experiences of living with diabetes, enabling him to develop new and innovative ways of conducting patient-oriented research. His current work focuses on patient communities who innovate medical devices and treatments through peer-processes to address their unmet healthcare needs.
Professor Edna F. Roche
Edna Roche is Professor In Paediatrics at the University of Dublin, Trinity College and a paediatric consultant at CHI, Tallaght University Hospital where she leads a busy tertiary service in paediatric endocrinology and diabetes. She graduated in Medicine from Trinity and undertook her specialist clinical training in Dublin, London and North America. She was awarded an MD from TCD for her work on childhood diabetes. She also holds a postgraduate qualification from the NUI, Membership and Fellowships from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Edinburgh and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health London.
She was awarded an MBA from Trinity for which she received the Sir Charles Harvey Award and John Good Prize. She serves on the Board of the Irish Medical Council, Chairs the Nutrition Council of the Irish Heart Foundation and is a member of the Paediatric Clinical Advisory Group (RCPI), which guides national policy in child health.
Her clinical and research interests include Diabetes–epidemiology and clinical care. Growth and development , and the rare disorders of Prader willi and Turner Syndromes. Professor Roche established and leads the Irish Childhood Diabetes National Register. She is a member of the international Hvidore and EURODIAB Diabetes Research Groups. She has published widely in the medical literature and was elected to Fellowship of the University of Dublin in recognition of her research and scholarship.
Professor Colin Hawkes
Professor Colin Hawkes is an Associate Professor of Paediatrics in UCC and Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist at Cork University Hospital. He completed his endocrinology fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he was subsequently appointed as Clinical Director of the top-ranked diabetes programme in North America. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed studies and his primary research interest is on improving outcomes in children with type 1 diabetes.
Dr Niamh McGrath
Dr McGrath graduated from UCD in 2007 with an honours degree and first class honours in Paediatrics. She was awarded student of the year. Completed basic specialist training and then higher specialist training in Ireland including two years post graduate training in Paediatric Endocrinology rotating between CHI at Temple St and Crumlin hospitals. Following higher specialist training, Niamh completed an MD with Professor Nuala Murphy in 2017 titled ‘ Outcomes of the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme for Congenital Hypothyroidism in the Republic of Ireland’.
In 2018, Dr McGrath took up a post as Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist and General Paediatrician at University Hospital Galway and we developed the Saolta Children and Young Peoples Diabetes Network providing an outreach service for patients with type 1 diabetes attending the Saolta Hospital Group.
Professor Roman Hovorka
Roman Hovorka PhD FMedSci is Professor of Metabolic Technology Research at the Institute of Metabolic Science and Department of Paediatrics at University of Cambridge. He made seminal contributions to diabetes technology including the “Artificial Pancreas”, a device that delivers insulin in glucose responsive fashion. He has been Chief Investigator on several trials evaluating the Artificial Pancreas in populations such as young children and newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes.
Professor Sharleen O’Reilly
Sharleen is a Registered Dietitian and Associate Professor at University College Dublin, Ireland. Her research centres on NCD prevention. In 2019 she was awarded Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute ‘Research Dietitian of the Year’.
Sharleen is an investigator on over €7M of active research funding, has 85 peer-reviewed publications and currently leads a €4.4M EU Horizon2020-NHMRC implementation project in pregnancy and the first year after birth focused on obesity and diabetes prevention.
Sharleen sits on the Executive Committee of the European Federation of Associations of Dietitians (EFAD) and the Federation of International Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Committee on Impact of Pregnancy on Long-term Health.
Dr Christine Newman
Dr. Christine Newman is currently working as a clinical fellow in Diabetes Technology and Endocrinology in Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals Group. She has previously held posts as a consultant endocrinologist in Galway University Hospital and clinical lecturer in the School of Medicine at the University of Galway. She recently completed her MD in the area of diabetes in pregnancy. She graduated from NUIG in 2012 with an MB BCh BAO.
Since that time she has worked clinically in General Internal Medicine throughout Ireland before specialising in Diabetes and Endocrinology. She obtained postgraduate qualifications from the The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and is a member of the college and she has a Speciality Certificate in Endocrinology and Diabetes from the Society of Endocrinology. In addition she recently completed the EASD Robert Turner Clinical Research training program.
Dr Newman’s research interests are currently focused in the area of diabetes, diabetes in pregnancy, thyroid disease and calcium metabolism. She is engaged in medical education teaching undergraduate endocrinology through both didactic lectures, small group tutorials and via simulation based education.
Ms Pauline Ferry
Pauline graduated with a diploma in nursing studies from the Queen’s University of Belfast in 1994. She graduated with a higher diploma in midwifery studies from UCD in 2000. She studied diabetes nursing in University of Ulster and graduated with a Bsc Hons degree in 2011. She graduated from NUIG with an Msc Hons Degree in advanced nursing practice, with prescribing, in 2022. She is now working as a Candidate Advanced Midwife Practitioner in Diabetes at Letterkenny University Hospital. Her thesis, for her masters was published in Diabetic Medicine in November 2022. She performed a scoping review of attendance at pre-pregnancy care clinics for women with type 1 diabetes.
Today, Pauline will give us some detail on her findings and possibly provide us all with a vision of how we can achieve adequate pre-conceptual care for each woman with type 1 diabetes, therefore helping us to achieve the 5 year targets set by the St Vincent’s Declaration in 1989.
Professor Mensud Hatunic
Consultant Endocrinologist and UCD Associate Clinical Professor in Medicine at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital/Holles Street Hospital Dublin.
He qualified from Trinity College Dublin in 1998. His specialist training in Endocrinology and Diabetes was conducted at Hospitals in Dublin and Addenbrookes Hospital Cambridge. He completed MD thesis with Trinity College Dublin. His particular expertise is in Diabetes, Insulin Resistance, Diabetes Technology, Diabetes in Pregnancy, Reproductive Endocrinology. In recent years his research focuses on the impact of glucose abnormality in pregnancy.
Dr Austin Bayley
Dr Austin Bayley, Principal Clinical Psychologist, works within the Psychological Medicine Service in St. James’ Hospital.
Austin has a long-established interest in the area of diabetes and mental health. During his time in the Mater Hospital, he liaised directly with the diabetes team to enhance the process of screening for mental health within the MDT, offer individual psychotherapeutic input, and ran a number of coping skills groups for young adults and women planning pregnancy. Austin and colleagues completed research evaluating the psychological and cognitive needs of patients with diabetes and foot ulcer.
Austin sits on the National Clinical Programme for Diabetes and feels passionately about promoting the need for an embedded psychologist as part of standard care within diabetes teams.
Professor Ken McDonald
Professor McDonald is Clinical Professor at UCD and Consultant Cardiologist at St Vincent’s Healthcare Group. He graduated from UCD in 1981 and carried out his cardiology training in Ireland and at the University of Minnesota in the USA. He went on staff in the Department of Cardiology in Minnesota in 1991 returning back to Ireland in 1998 to take up his present position.
Professor McDonald has a subspecialty interest in heart failure and in particular in prevention of heart failure, biomarkers and health care delivery in this area. He has been the Director of the Heart Failure and STOPHF units at St Vincent’s and St Michaels since their development and has authored in excess of 200 papers. He is an ex-President of the Irish Cardiac Society and is presently the Clinical Lead of the HSE National Heart Programme.
Ms Majella Toomey
CNS in diabetes and is working in Sligo University Hospital since 2001. She completed RGN training in Kerry University Hospital in 1989. She undertook Higher Diploma in Diabetes Nursing in 1999 and is a Registered Nurse Prescriber. She has a special interest in Type 1 diabetes and technology and is a DAFNE trainer.
Dr Stuart Flint
Dr Stuart W. Flint is Associate Professor at the University of Leeds, and President of Scaled Insights. Dr Flint is an Honorary Academic for the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities. He is a contributing member to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Obesity and APPG on a Fit and Healthy Childhood.
He has a specific interest and expertise in stigma and discrimination, leading work internationally and nationally to highlight the pervasiveness and impact of health based stigma and discrimination. He has developed interventions to reduce stigmatising attitudes and discriminatory behaviours working national and local governments, health systems, education, media and the general population. Dr Flint has published widely in high impact journals including the Lancet, BMJ and Nature Medicine.
Dr Caroline Stewart
Dr Stewart has been a consultant in Antrim for the last 22 years and has had a special interest in working in paediatric diabetes for around 30 years, which started as the “camp doctor” living with 60 Type 1 kids for a week! Over the last 2 decades, it has been a delight for her to see the diabetes team growing from just her alone , to a full MDT, and now around 400 patients.
Our best educators are the dedicated families of many inspirational young people, who constantly push the boundaries and explore the frontiers of medicine, technology and social equity for all patients living with diabetes.
Ms Maddie Julian
Maddie is the Co-Founder of DigiBete, a centrally funded NHS funded diabetes self-management Platform and App for all young people and families in the UK. Offering support through essential age-appropriate and tailored video and educational resources, clinic communications features, personal diabetes organisers, food, exercise, carb counting and diabetes technology support.
Maddie, a teacher by profession, has always worked with unrepresented communities including those with challenging behaviour and complex needs, both in the classroom and in wider youth & media projects.
Maddie and husband Rob, identified the need for DigiBete in 2016, following their toddler son’s diagnosis, where he was rushed to hospital and later diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. While they were able to find information online for adults, there was limited visual content to support children, young people and their families. With existing video production skills, they decided to create a social enterprise which would help other families in a similar situation, to access the vital information they needed, 24/7.
DigiBete now houses over 300 self-management resources and extends the reach of clinical teams to a more pedestrianised video platform online which can be assessed by anyone, when required. The web platform is free to use and the App is now funded by the NHS Diabetes Programme which is currently being implemented in over 220 Children and Young People’s Diabetes Clinics nationally. The App has the added functionality of allowing local diabetes teams to create their own personalised digital service, complete with messaging and a diabetes organiser with inbuilt appointment tracker to support contact.
Overall, Maddie’s passion is serving her community of families living with Type 1 Diabetes and she has a strong belief in peer supported learning, enabled through DigiBete’s community-led, yet clinically approved approach.
Mr Conor Cronin
Conor is a Candidate Advanced Nurse Practitioner for Children’s Diabetes in Cork University Hospital. He is working as part of the Children’s Diabetes MDT since 2013.
He is an Registered General Nurse, Registered Children’s Nurse and Registered Nurse Prescriber. He completed his undergraduate training in Cork (BSc in Nursing in UCC) and then went to complete a Higher Diploma in Children’s nursing in UCD. He has also completed an MSc in Diabetes at the University of Warwick.
Professor Helen Murphy
MBBChBAO, FRACP, MD
Dr Helen Murphy is a Professor of Medicine (Diabetes and Antenatal Care) at the University of East Anglia, and a practicing clinician (Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust, Cambridge University NHS Foundation Trust).
She runs a diabetes pregnancy research programme which aims to support women with diabetes to achieve the pregnancy glucose targets required for optimal mother and baby health outcomes. She co-led the CONCEPTT Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) trial. CONCEPTT demonstrated health benefits for mothers with type 1 diabetes (T1D), their newborn infants and the potential for substantial healthcare cost savings. In addition to important scientific contributions, building research infrastructure and supporting the next generation of clinical academics, data from CONCEPTT led to changes in clinical practice, CGM is now the recognised standard of care for pregnant women with T1D.
She works with a multidisciplinary team of diabetes and obstetric clinicians, engineers, and social scientists to develop and evaluate closed-loop insulin delivery systems. Her work demonstrating that closed-loop systems could transform the future clinical management of T1D during pregnancy was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Based on these landmark studies, the CamAPS FX closed-loop system is licensed for use during T1D pregnancy and strongly endorsed by the 2023 NICE guidelines for women who are pregnant or planning pregnancy.
Helen also serves as clinical lead for the National Pregnancy in Diabetes (NPID) audit, which is the largest population-based study in diabetes pregnancy. Data from NPID directly informs national healthcare policy, highlighting the urgent need to improve glycaemic management in type 2 diabetes (T2D) pregnancy. She will lead a high quality RCT to examine the impact of CGM on pregnancy outcomes in T2D.
Supported by JDRF, Diabetes UK, and the NIHR, her research is changing the management of diabetes in pregnancy. Helen serves on several research committees, the editorial board for Diabetes Care, Diabetologia, and is a regular contributor to national and international scientific meetings.
Ms Aine Kelly
Áine Kelly is a Chartered Physiotherapist in Women’s Health. She is the Physiotherapy Manager in The Coombe Hospital, where she leads a dynamic group of pelvic health and paediatric physiotherapists. Áine is passionate about the role of exercise and rehabilitation across the perinatal period; in particular the use of exercise as a management tool in gestational diabetes and in postnatal recovery.
Recently, Áine graduated from The University of Galway with a PGDip in Clinical Education. She completed her undergraduate physiotherapy degree in 2011 in RCSI and also holds a degree in BSc. General Nursing from Trinity College, Dublin. She values the importance of research and evidence, contributing to many publications throughout her physiotherapy career and continues to inspire a culture of evidence-based practice with her team in The Coombe.
Dr Eoin Noctor
MB BCh BAO, MD, MRCPI, PGDip (Clin Ed)
Eoin Noctor is a graduate of University College Dublin, and became a member of the Royal College of Physicians in 2007. Following completion of his specialist training in Endocrinology and Diabetes Mellitus in Ireland in 2013, Eoin took up a post as a Chief Physician at Steno Diabetes Centre in Denmark, where he led the international medical education team, working with local organizations in low and middle-income countries to design and deliver educational and training programmes in diabetes management. Eoin returned to his native Limerick in 2016 to take up his current post as Consultant Endocrinologist and Adjunct Senior Lecturer with the University of Limerick Hospitals Group, where he is also Associate Clinical Director for Medicine.
His areas of interest include; research into the diagnosis and long-term impact of gestational diabetes, and prevention of type 2 diabetes, in which he was awarded his doctoral thesis, methods of provision of diabetes care in different populations, and the training of health care professionals in diabetes management. He holds a postgraduate diploma in clinical medical education from the National University of Ireland, Galway, and is a member of the Postgraduate Education committee for the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). He is currently an MSc candidate in Epidemiology with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (distance learning). He is also a member of the American Diabetes Association, the European Society of Endocrinology, and the Irish Endocrine Society, and sits on the working group of the National Diabetes Clinical Programme.