Board

Dr Deirdre Collins has served on the Irish College of GPs Board since 2019. She was Chair of the Education Governance Committee until June 2023, when she took over as Chair of the Board. During her tenure, the Committee provided oversight for the expansion of the college Education team and the delivery of traditional and blended learning for members in a rapidly changing educational environment.

She is a Trinity College graduate and completed her GP training in Dublin. Deidre is a founding partner of a multidoctor training and teaching practice in her hometown of Kilcullen, Co. Kildare and a member and formerly honorary treasurer of the College's Kildare faculty.

As a committee member and former chairperson of KDoc Out of Hours Co-Operative she has a role in GP liaison with Naas Hospital and Kildare West Wicklow Integrated Care Committee.

As Chair of the Board, Deidre looks forward to working with the Board, Council, and Members to continue delivering on the Irish College of GPs College Strategy 2023-2026.

Dr Nuala O Connor is a partner at Elmwood Medical Practice in Cork for the past 33 years. 
Elmwood is a large multidisciplinary team with practice nurses, physio, psychologist ,practice manager and administrative team working alongside 9 GPs.

She has a varied general practice population covering all ages but has special interest in Primary Care Dermatology and Women’s Health.

Previous roles and posts

• Irish College of GPs Clinical Lead for the Covid 19 pandemic (2020 – 2023)
• College member of the Government High Level Taskforce on COVID-19 Vaccination in Ireland (2021 – 2022)
• College Lead for Antimicrobial Drug Resistance and Infection control (2012 – 2023), working with other health care professionals to develop and implement Irelands National One Health Action Plan for Antimicrobial Resistance #iNAP
• College member national task force which set up the HPSC Health Protection Surveillance Centre in 1998 and served on its scientific committee for several years  
• College examiner and member of examinations board 1994-2000

Dr Velma Harkins has dedicated her career to rural general practice, diabetes care, and GP training. A GP in Banagher since the early 1990s, she co-founded the Midlands Diabetes Structured Care Programme and authored the first national guidelines for integrated diabetes care. She served as National GP Lead for Diabetes and contributed to the development of the Chronic Disease Management programme.

Dr Harkins has played a key role in national health policy through her work with the BreastCheck Steering Group and the National Screening Advisory Committee. A committed educator, she founded and chaired the National Association of Trainers in General Practice and led the negotiation of the GP Training Contract. She has also contributed to research and quality improvement initiatives within the ICGP, including the development of Quick Reference Guides.

Most recently, she helped establish the International Medical Graduate Programme for Rural Practice, supporting recruitment and strengthening general practice in Ireland

Dr Pat Durcan, GP in Ballina, Co Mayo, is the representative of the Mayo Faculty since 2016. Graduating from UCD Medical School in 1978 he trained with the Eastern Scheme 1979 to 1981 and spent a year in Ballyfermot followed by some locum work in Ireland, rural Canada and Australia. 

Previous roles and posts

• CME tutor in Mayo since 1986 
• Trainer in Sligo GP training from 1989 retiring in 2019 after 25 trainees
• Assistant Program Director of the Western GP Training Scheme in 1990, retired when transferred training to the college in 2021
• Irish College of GPs board member 2019 to 2022 and chaired the Membership Committee
• National GP Stroke Lead for a number of years in the mid 2000's
• Chairperson of the college's Mayo Faculty and local CHO GP lead

Dr Gráinne Ní Ghairbhí graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 1999 and became a full member of the College soon after her return to Ireland in 2005 following a period training and working overseas.

She was a single handed GP for the initial 6 years after setting up a new GP practice in Newtownmountkennedy in 2011. She is a member of the College’s Wicklow Faculty.

Previous roles and posts

• Previous Chair Irish College of GPs Wicklow Faculty
• Wicklow Faculty Rep at Irish College of GPs Council 2016-2020
• Member of ECAD Steering group 2018- current
• GP Trainer UCD Mid-Leinster training scheme 2020 - current
• Irish College of GPs Board Member 2020 – current

Dr. Rukshan Goonewardena is a General Practitioner based in Ballyjamesduff, County Cavan. He has a strong interest in both undergraduate and postgraduate GP training. Dr. Goonewardena serves as a GP Trainer with the Dublin North East training scheme and is also a GP tutor with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).

Dr. Rukshan Goonewardena is a member of the IMO GP Committee and serves as Secretary of the Cavan Monaghan GP Faculty. He is also the GP Lead for Cavan. In addition, Dr. Goonewardena has held various roles within the Irish College of GPs and has advocated for stronger connections between newly established GPs (NEGs) as they establish their careers in general practice.

Yvonne is a Business Leadership and Organisation Development Consultant with extensive experience in strategic transformation, executive coaching, and HR leadership. She has held senior roles in the Financial Services and Pharmaceutical sectors across Ireland, Europe, and the US. In 2019, she established Empowering Leadership Ltd, a consultancy specialising in Organisation Development and Executive Coaching.

Yvonne has worked with a range of organisations, including the FAI, Volkswagen Financial Services, and the Medical Council, where she served as Interim CEO and Executive Director of Organisation Development. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD) and holds an MSc in Management (Organisational Behaviour) from Trinity College Dublin and an MSc in Business and Executive Coaching from UCD Smurfit.

She is passionate about building leadership capability and supporting organisations to adapt, grow, and achieve sustainable success.

Dr Knut Moe is a GP Partner working across two family-run practices in South Dublin. Knut studied medicine in RCSI, interning in Beaumont Hospital and then completed GP training through RCSI Dublin North East GP Scheme in 2015. 

Before studying medicine, Knut studied Business & Politics in TCD and worked in the investment banking sector in London. He completed an Executive MBA in UCD Smurfit Business School in 2019 and has undertaken courses in Value Based Healthcare from Harvard Business School and in Medical Law from the Honorable Society of King’s Inns.

Knut was Programme Director of the Irish College of GP’s Network of Establishing GPs from 2021 to 2024, representing and advocating for establishing GPs to the College. He has a particular interest in promoting career planning and demystifying practice management among trainees and establishing GPs. He has presented at GP Trainer and Trainee conferences and produced blended learning training material on these topics.

Knut represented the College  on the Department of Health’s Taskforce on the NCHD Workforce. He is an EDOC out of hours steering committee member and an IMO GP Sub-Committee Member. He is involved in undergraduate medical training in UCD and is an Associate Clinical Professor in UCD School of Medicine. 

Prof Liam Glynn is the Professor of General Practice at the School of Medicine and a member of the Health Research Institute at the University of Limerick. Professor Glynn joined the College in 2003, is a member of the Clare Faculty and also a fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. 

Additional and previous roles and posts

• ICGP Sláintecare Liaison Committee
• Co-founder of COVIDWATCHIRL 
• IPCRN Committee
• Forum Editorial Board
• Association of University Department of General Practice in Ireland (AUDGPI)
• Co-founder of the "No Doctor No Village" advocacy campaign
• Principal Investigator on EU and HRB funded research programmes
• Cochrane Fellow
• Assistant Director of Western General Practice Training Programme
• Communications and Publications committee member 

Professor Glynn' career ambition is to contribute to the development of general practice and primary care in Ireland and the transformation of the Irish healthcare system with high quality teaching and research of international standing while continuing an active clinical role as a rural GP. His primary research interests are in preventive medicine with a focus on physical activity, knee arthritis, chronic kidney disease and diabetes and on bringing technological solutions to healthcare through connected health and particularly mHealth solutions. 

Dr Cristina Warren is a GP working in Dublin's north inner city in the Grangegorman Primary Care Centre. Cristina initially studied history and philosophy in TCD, and then went on to study Graduate Entry Medicine in UCC, graduating in 2013. She undertook GP training with the North Inner City GP Scheme and obtained the MICGP in 2017. In 2021 she became the first Aspire fellow for ENT in the Community and set up a community ENT clinic in July 2022 for non-surgical ENT complaints with links to HSE audiology and hospital services.

She was recently awarded Spark Innovation funding for a collaborative project with the ENT department in the Mater Hospital to improve hospital waiting times.

Cristina is interested in promoting the role of GPs with Extended Roles within the Irish health service generally and particularly in the area of ENT. To this end she has contributed as an SME to the design of the ICGP ENT e-learning module for trainees and coordinated a Community ENT webinar series. She has presented at fora including the Irish Head and Neck Cancer Society, Rural WONCA 2022, PCSA, the ICGP Autumn Conference 2022 and the Irish Otological Society. She has also been a regular columnist for Forum since 2019.

Ms Siobhan O'Leary is a Non-Executive Member of the Board. Siobhan is a business transformation specialist with a background in finance and HR. She has over 10 years' experience in developing and refining strategy and in designing and implementing change programs in medium sized enterprises, with a particular focus on delivering enhanced profitability.

She has specific experience in financial management, operational efficiency and effectiveness, and organizational and culture change management. Experienced in risk identification and mitigation, Siobhan also has considerable Board experience as noted below:

• Fishamble Theatre Group 2016 - 2024: Board Member, Deputy Chairperson of Board, Chairperson of Finance and Remuneration Sub-committee
• Gonzaga College Secondary School, Ranelagh Dublin 2009 - 2018: Board of Management Member, Chairperson of the Finance Committee, Member of the Strategic Development Steering Group
• Scoil Bhríde Gaelscoil, Ranelagh Dublin 2003 - 2012: Chairperson of the Board of Management, Chairperson of the Finance Committee

Dr Pascal O’Dea is family doctor in County Carlow for the past  thirty five years. As part of a long established group practice in Bagenalstown he enjoys the collegiality of fellow GPs through the Carlow and Kilkenny Irish College of GPs faculties.

Pascal has wide experience of representing colleagues through the College, IMO, Caredoc out of hours CO-OP, St Lukes Hospital Kilkenny, College liaison committee and the South East GP training scheme. He also enjoying the benefit of close co-operation with his local community and patients he values the unique position and the privilege of working in general practice in Ireland.