Investigators

Prof. Glen Doherty
Network Chair

Consultant Gastroenterologist,
St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin

In 2010 Prof. Doherty took up a position as a Consultant Gastroenterologist at the Centre for Colorectal Disease at St Vincent’s University Hospital and UCD and is also Research Director of the Centre for Colorectal Disease. Prof. Doherty is Honorary Treasurer and an Executive Board member of the Irish Society of Gastroenterology (ISG) and is National Representative and member of the Guidelines Committee (GUI-COM) for the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO).

Research Interests:
The role of innate and adaptive immunity in inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s Disease) and the importance of the host immune response in gastro-intestinal neoplasia, particularly Colorectal Cancer and Barretts Oesophagus. The Centre for Colorectal Disease at SVUH/UCD have an established track record in clinical research on a range of digestive disorders and are actively involved in clinical trials in IBD and Cancer.

Dr. Garret Cullen

Consultant Gastroenterologist,
St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin

 

  • Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 2012
  • Attending Gastroenterologist, Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, 2011-12
  • MD (University College Dublin) 2011
  • Attending Gastroenterologist, Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, 2011-12
  • Advanced Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fellow, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, 2010-11
  • Advanced Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 2009-10
  • Newman Fellow in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, University College Dublin, 2006-2008

Prof. Laurence Egan

NUI Galway

In 2005, Prof. Egan was recruited by NUI Galway and the Health Service Executive West as Professor of Clinical Pharmacology/Consultant Clinical Pharmacologist and Head of the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics.

Research Interests:
Molecular characterization of signalling pathways involved in intestinal epithelial cell stress, death and malignant transformation.

Dr. David Kevans

Consultant Gastroenterologist,
St. James’s Hospital, Dublin

Dr. Kevans was appointed as a Consultant Gastroenterologist at St. James’s Hospital and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at Trinity College Dublin in September 2014. He currently leads the IBD programme at St. James’s Hospital which provides both regional and tertiary level care for IBD patients, and has an active research programme at St James’s Hospital / Trinity College, Dublin.

Research Interests:

  • Genetic, microbial and environmental contributions to Inflammatory Bowel Disease susceptibility
  • Pharmacokinetics of monoclonal antibodies
  • Biomarkers of prognosis and therapy response
  • Clinical trials of novel therapeutics for gastrointestinal disorders
  • Nutrition in gastrointestinal health.

Dr. Jane McCarthy

Consultant Gastroenterologist,
Mercy University Hospital, Cork

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Dr. Jan Leyden

Consultant Gastroenterologist,
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin

Dr. Aoibhlinn O’Toole

Consultant Gastroenterologist,
Beaumont Hospital, Dublin

Research Interests:

  • Immune evasion and colorectal cancer
  • Immune mechanisms in Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Colorectal cancer detection and surveillance
  • Environmental triggers of Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Therapeutic drug monitoring / optimizing biologic medications
  • Sexual dysfunction in Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Pregnancy and fertility outcomes in Inflammatory bowel disease

Dr. Martin Buckley

Consultant Gastroenterologist,
Mercy University Hospital, Cork

Dr.Buckley was appointed Consultant Gastroenterologist and Lecturer in Clinical Medicine at Mercy University Hospital in 2004 and has been appointed as a national Gastroenterology representative on the National Cancer Control Program Advisory Groups on both Colon Cancer and Pancreatic Cancer.

Research Interests:

  • Endoscopy/Surveillance
  • Role of IBD nurse ANP/IBD nurse specialist
  • Vaccinations/infections in immunocompromised hosts
  • Stopping Biologics
  • Disease remission/Non-invasive documentation/Faecal calprotectin
  • Prediction of disease recurrence
  • Virtual clinics

For more information on Gastroenterology and Endoscopy at MUH visit their website here.

Prof. Deirdre McNamara

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine and Consultant Gastroenterologist,
AMNCH, Tallaght, Dublin.

Prof. McNamara is Associate Professor and Interim Head of Department for Clinical Medicine AMNCH with  Trinity College Dublin and is a Consultant Gastroenterologist at AMNCH. She is also the lead Clinician for GI Physiology, capsule endoscopy and Double balloon enteroscopy and she co-leads the IBD service at Tallaght. Prof McNamara co-founded the Trinity Academic Gastroenterology Group (TAGG), a multidisciplinary research and clinical team working collaboratively at the Adelaide & Meath Hospital, St James’s Hospital Dublin and Trinity College Dublin.

Research Interests:

  • Small Bowel Crohn’s Disease
  • Treatment outcomes in IBD; Mucosal Healing / Deep remission
  • Angiogenesis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • Steroid Responsiveness and IBD
  • Immunomonitoring in IBD

Email: mcnamad@tcd.ie                 Tel: 01-4144181                Fax: 01-8962988

For more information on the Trinity Academic Gastroenterology Group, visit their website here.

Dr-Patrick-Allen 2

Dr. Patrick Allen

Consultant Gastroenterologist,
Ulster Hospital, Dundonald, N.I.

Dr. Allen was appointed Consultant Gastroenterologist in the Ulster Hospital in 2012. He is currently the Secretary for the Ulster Society of Gastroenterology and the NI Representative for the British Society of Gastroenterology. Dr. Allen is a member of the IBD interest group in the NI clinical research network and is a lead for research in the South Eastern Hospital trust in NI.

Current research:

  • Phase 3 trial with Golimumab PI GO COLITIS
  • Phase 3 trial with linaclotide PI
  • Phase 3 trials currently ongoing
  • ICARE PI for NI – to start May/June 2016
  • PRED 4 and PANTS studies – to start June 2016
  • Lancet articles on Ulcerative Colitis and Crohns – for publication

Dr. Richéal Burns

Senior Health Economist
Health Economics Research Centre (HERC) in the University of Oxford

Dr. Burns is a senior health economist at the Health Economics Research Centre (HERC) in the University of Oxford and specialises in economic evaluation of clinical trials. Dr. Burns is also a research affiliate of the Health Economic and Policy Analysis (HEPA) group at NUI Galway and an affiliate member of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO).

Research Interests:

  • Economic evaluation of clinical trials
  • Burden of illness studies
  • Patient-reported outcomes research
  • The role of health education
  • Dr. Burns has a strong interest in the economic impact of IBD diagnosis and treatment

Dr. Eoin Slattery

Consultant Gastroenterologist
University Hospital Galway

Dr. Slattery was appointed as a Consultant Gastroenterologist at University Hospital Galway in 2015, having completed higher specialist training in Gastroenterology at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and thereafter obtaining sub-specialty fellowship training in interventional endoscopy and advanced GI nutrition in Boston and New York. He is currently the clinical lead for endoscopy for University Hospital Galway.

Research Interests:

  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Outcomes, therapeutic drug monitoring, patient experience/education
  • Endoscopy/Interventional endoscopy
  • Nutritional therapy

Dr. Anthony O’Connor

Consultant Gastroenterologist
Tallaght Hospital, Belgrade Road, Dublin 24

In October 2016 Dr. O’Connor took up position as Consultant Gastroenterologist at Tallaght Hospital having spent the previous 3 years as a Consultant at the IBD unit at Leeds Gastroenterology Institute in the UK.

Research Interests:

  • Post-operative prophylaxis in IBD
  • Colorectal Cancer Chemoprevention in IBD
  • Colitis associated with Checkpoint Inhibitors used for Oncology
  • Quality of life for IBD patients
  • Pouch disorders

Kathleen Sugrue

Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Mercy University Hospital, Cork

In 2016 Kathleen Sugrue was appointed the 1st Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Ireland at the Mercy University Hospital, Cork. She is currently vice secretary of the IBDNAI.

Research Interests:

  • Post-operative prophylaxis in IBD
  • Colorectal Cancer Chemoprevention in IBD
  • Colitis associated with Checkpoint Inhibitors used for Oncology
  • Quality of life for IBD patients
  • Pouch disorders

Dr. Karen Boland

Consultant Gastroenterologist

Beaumont Hospital

Research Interests:

  • Cutaneous complications of anti-TNF Therapy
  • Therapeutic drug monitoring in IBD
  • Tissue associated microbiome and bile acid composition in IPAA fashioned for ulcerative colitis
  • Predictors of disease recurrence after resection in Crohn’s disease

Dr. Conor Lahiff

Consultant Gastroenterologist

Mater Misericordiae University Hospital

Dr. Lahiff was appointed Consultant Gastroenterologist and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Mater Hospital and University College Dublin in 2019, after subspecialist training in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Advanced Endoscopy in Boston, Oxford and Japan. He is clinical lead for Inflammatory Bowel Disease at the Mater.

Research Interests:

• Clinical trial design and outcome research in IBD
• Advanced endoscopic imaging and resection
• Endoscopic assessment of IBD
• Surveillance for colitis-associated cancer in patients with IBD
• Training and quality metrics in IBD clinical care and endoscopy

Dr. Sarah O’Donnell

Consultant Gastroenterologist
Tallaght University Hospital

Dr O’Donnell was appointed as a Consultant Gastroenterologist at Tallaght University Hospital in 2019. Dr O’Donnell had previously been working as a consultant gastroenterologist, since 2015, at The Royal London Hospital, Bartshealth Trust, forming part of a large specialist IBD service in central London.

Research Interests:

  • Pregnancy and peri-conception management of IBD
  • Markers of Crohn’s disease progression
  • Therapeutic drug monitoring