Archives: Teams

Dr Siobhán O’Sullivan is Executive Director of the Royal Irish Academy. She is an Honorary Associate Professor in the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, where she teaches Healthcare Ethics and Law. From 2011-2022, she was the Chief Bioethics Officer at the Department of Health in Ireland where she provided advice on policy and legislative instruments on bioethics related issues. She was a member of the National Public Health Emergency Team for COVID and also served as a Member of the National Immunisation Advisory Group. Dr. O’Sullivan was the Director of the Irish Council for Bioethics from 2002-2010 which published a number of influential reports and recommendations for the healthcare and scientific sectors. She was Chair of the of the Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health (CDBIO) at the Council of Europe from 2022-2024, and vice-chair of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies, an independent body advising the President of the European Commission in connection with Community legislation or policies until 2022. She received her Doctor of Medicine from Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm in 1998 and holds a Master in Healthcare Ethics and law and a Masters in Human Rights Law.

Derbhile McDonagh is a registered architect with the Royal Institute of Architects, where she was a member of the RIAI Urban Design Committee. She holds a Director position within O’Mahony Pike Architects Ltd where her role includes strategic master planning, architecture, design and contract administration. Her practice is concerned with creating places of quality for living and working, which make a positive and enduring contribution to our communities and built environment.

Having worked for 35 years in healthcare Sheilagh retired as the HSE National Lead for Palliative Care in 2022. Prior to that she worked in Addiction/HIV services, Health Promotion and in regional and corporate management.

Originally qualifying as a teacher, she has an MSc in Community Health and a PG Dip in Healthcare Management.

Sheilagh has served on a variety of boards including Bloomfield Hospital, Christian Aid Ireland, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and The Cork Street Fund.

As well as chairing a number of Quaker committees she is currently the Child Safeguarding Liaison and Vetting Officer for the Religious Society of Friends in Ireland.

Aisling has worked in PwC for over 27 years, and she leads the PwC Not-for-Profit assurance practice. Aisling spends c. 80% of her time working with Not-for-Profit and public sector clients, covering a range of organisations including educational establishments, HSE and other publicly funded healthcare organisations and hospitals as well as various housing agencies, religious congregations including schools and various other charitable organisations which derive most of their income from a combination of public sector funding and fundraising. Aisling has considerable experience in the area of external audit, accounting for charities, as well as regulatory and governance and risk matters relating to Charities. Aisling has been involved in providing induction training to a number of not for profit boards, and she has also facilitated various governance and charity compliance update sessions for a number of her clients.