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 Eamonn Shanahan, GP in Farranfore, Co Kerry, has been elected College Vice President.

Dr Shanahan graduated from UCC in 1982 and started training with the Cork Vocational Training Scheme a year later. Passing his Membership of the Royal College of GPs in July 1986 he became a Foundation Member of the Irish College shortly after. Following graduation, Dr Shanahan joined his father in practice and has worked since in rural general practice since. He is the senior partner in a four doctor teaching practice.

He has a long-standing interest in information technology, particularly as it applies to general practice. He has been involved in teaching at under and post graduate medical education for most of his career and is passionate about medical education; "teaching through doing". He has been the radio doctor on the local radio station for over 30 years. His clinical interest is in chronic disease management.

Previous roles and posts

• GP Trainer since 1990
• Chair of the Membership Committee
• Chair of the Computer Task Force
• Chair of Kerry Faculty
• Chair of ICGP Council
• Chair of the Certification Committee
• ICGP Board Honorary Secretary
• Chair of the ICGP Post Graduate Training Committee
• Provost (Chair) of the Republic of Ireland Faculty of the RCGP (2010 to 2012)

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 ICGP in 2021
• ICGP 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 Mayo Faculty of ICGP and local CHO GP lead

Dr Armstrong, a member of the College since 2014 and a GP Trainer in the Donegal Training Scheme, has contributed to the College in a variety of roles, including:

• Chair of the Education Committee
• Chair of the Quality and Standards Committee
• ICGP representative with the UCD Centre for Emergency Medical Science
• Representative Irish Health Services Accreditation Dept of Health & Children
• Council Member
• Executive member

Dr Armstrong has also published papers in the BMJ, IMJ, ICGP Forum Journal and the Family Practice Journal.

Dr Gráinne Ní Gháirbhí graduated from the Trinity College Dublin in 1999 with her MICGP. Dr Ní Gháirbhí practices in Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow. She has been on the Irish College of GPs Council since 2016 as Wicklow Faculty representative. 

Previous roles and posts

• Member of the college Communications Committee
• Diploma in Child Health DCPsyc
• Diploma in Clinical Psychiatry
• Diploma in Family Planning
• Completed specialist training in General Practice in Scotland in 2003
• Worked delivering primary care services to the population in a remote area of Papua New Guinea in 2004

Dr Liam Twomey is a GP at Rosslare Strand, Co Wexford and a graduate of TCD and obtained the MICGP in 1997. Liam has been in practice in a two-partner practice in Rosslare Co. Wexford since 1999. He completed GP Training in the Cork Vocational Training Scheme.

Previous roles and posts

• Chairman of Wexford Clinical Society
• Instrumental in setting up Care Doc – Out of Hours GP Service - for County Wexford.
• A Member of the Oireachtas, elected to Dail Eireann in 2002.
• Previously appointed spokesperson for Health and Children
• Made a number of policy proposals including medical card for all children under 5, free medical insurance for all children under 16 and established a Patient Safety Authority.

Dr Lucia Gannon is a principal in a two GP practice in Killenaule, Co. Tipperary and a member of the South Tipperary Faculty. 

Additional and previous roles and posts

• GP Trainer with the South East GP Training Scheme 1998-2001
• Assistant Programme Director with the South East GP Training Scheme 2001 to date
• GP Clinical Tutor for University of Limerick Graduate Entry Medical School (GEMS) from 2010-2018
• Member of National Association of Programme Directors (NAPD)
• NCCT Network
• Columnist with the medical newspaper, Medical Independent

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. 

Ms Anna Broderick is a graduate of UCD and holds a European BCL degree in law and a Masters in Commercial Law. She was previously a partner with Eversheds Sutherland, a commercial law firm in Dublin.

Anna currently holds the position of General Counsel and Company Secretary with the Mater Hospital Group. In this capacity she works with 7 boards within the Mater Group working with the respective Chairs and Directors on all aspects of corporate governance and compliance.

Anna works with the CEOs and senior management of the hospitals in the Group advising on company and charity law, commercial contracts, data protection including GDPR, patient consent issues, ward of court High Court applications as well as protected and open disclosures.

She is a guest lecturer for the Law Society of Ireland and a member of the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association employment law committee. 

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 the new 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