Committee

I qualified from medicine in UCC in 1992 and spent time working in Australia and then Oxford before returning to Cork and starting work in student health in UCC.

I completed a masters in sports medicine in 2012 and later became interested in concussion management and I am now one of the lead clinicians in the concussion network Ireland .

I also have done a lot of work in sexual health and travel medicine and I am an active member of the Irish Travel Medicine Association.

I am married to Kieran  and we have 3 wonderful boys who have kept me very busy on and off the sports fields! We live in Kinsale which is an amazing place to live and I love sea swimming and sailing . Recently I have being involved in setting up a Kinslae pickle ball club which I am thoroughly enjoying.

Dr. Serena O Connell was elected to the ISHA Executive Committee at the 2020 AGM. She held the position of ISHA President from 2022- 2023.

Serena works as a GP in the Student Health Centre in University of Galway. Having graduated in Medicine from University of Galway in 2006 and following her internship year, Serena worked in Emergency Medicine in Ireland and Australia for a number of years where she gained significant experience across a wide number of specialities.

Serena entered the Ballinasloe GP Training scheme in 2010, graduating as a GP (MICGP) in 2014.

With a continued passion for emergency medicine Serena volunteers as a medic at various motorbike rallies around Ireland. Equipped with emergency medical supplies she rides alongside the other motorcyclists and is usually the first on scene if there is an incident.

Serena's areas of special interest in medicine include women's health (DRCOG London 2011), dermatology, oncology and she has a particular interest in mental health.

Serena, who really enjoys working at the Student Health Unit at University of Galway, says "there is never a dull moment and I consider it a privilege to be involved in the care of our emerging generations"!

Niamh has been working as a medical secretary for the past 14 years. She joined the Student health unit at University of Galway in 2019. She is currently vice-treasurer with ISHA.

Deirdre trained as a RPN and also as a RGN. She completed her BNS (Hons) at Trinity College. Deirdre has a special interest in Sexual Health and completed her Post Grad in Sexuality and Sexual Health Education with DCU. She is IFPA certified and has completed the STIF course at St. James Hospital.

After working in mental health, general health, learning disability and forensic  psychiatry, Deirdre put all those skills to use as the College Nurse at TU Dublin, Blanchardstown Campus.

She has raised 9 pups for the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind and regularly brings in an IGDB Community Dog to visit the students on campus, particularly during exam periods.

Karen completed her Nursing training in the Adelaide Hospital, Dublin and was involved in the transfer of the Hospital’s final patients when it was absorbed into the Tallaght Hospital in 1998. She spent the next 10 years in AMNCH, working in the Acute Stroke Unit and A&E, before side-stepping in to General Practice in 2008, and has not looked back since!  Karen has furthered her studies over the years, including BSc Nursing Management (UCD), Skin Cancer Screening & Dermoscopy (UK), Osteoporosis screening & DXA scanning, ICGP cert in Diabetes Care, IFPA Family Planning Course, HSE Sexual Health Course and Cert in Nurse Prescribing (TCD). She joined the College Health Team in Trinity College in 2015 and feels very privileged to be working there – the students’ energy and enthusiasm are like a breath of fresh air!

Dr. Mary O Brien joined the ISHA Executive Committee in 2022. She graduated in medicine in UCD in 2000, and worked in emergency medicine in Australia for 2 years after her internship. After this, she spent 18 months working with MSF in South Sudan, returning to complete her GP training in Ireland and the UK.

Like most Cork people, Mary eventually returned back home, and has been working as a GP in Cork since 2007. Mary has been working in Student Health in UCC for 15 years. She has a special interest in women's health and contraception.