Dear colleagues
Our College is growing and so is our conference. Both depend on the spirit of volunteerism of our members. Much of the planning, organisation and inspiration of the conference has been achieved by members in their own time. I would especially like to thank the conference academic committee, who guided me and tolerated crackly teleconference lines!
My wish for the conference is that the spirit of volunteerism begins to see rewards from the College. I hope the programme will help us work towards a greater understanding of where we are as a profession, and in turn, enhance the College’s ability to advocate on our behalf and our patients. As at all conferences, there is informal networking. Hopefully this will develop into a formal network with the ability to use the conference and College structures to achieve what psychiatry in Ireland needs to be excellent.
In the future, I would like to continue a number of themes, particularly through the parallel sessions. Professional Competence for a while now has been a permanent slot. I’m hoping that Ethics, Law and a session on how to support our own mental health will also be regular topics on the programme. The poster exhibition is another fixed slot which I think works well as an opportunity to showcase and explore psychiatry beyond service provision. There has been discussion about changing the format of the poster display and I’d welcome any suggestions.
I’d like to welcome our speakers from outside Ireland and thank all our speakers and chairs. Again, this conference would not be possible without your spirit of volunteerism.
Please don’t forget the social side of the conference. There is our very popular conference dinner, and I’m sure a hearty performance from the College Choir on Thursday evening. I’d like to invite everyone to also attend the CSCST Graduation and Examination Award Ceremony to welcome the future members of our growing College.
With best wishes for a most successful event.
Dr William Flannery
Vice President and Conference Academic Coordinator
ELIZABETH BARRETT is a Consultant in Child and Adolescent Liaison Psychiatry at Children’s University Hospital Temple St in Dublin, Ireland and an Associate Professor at UCD. Following initial training in paediatric medicine, she undertook specialist training in Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Ireland and worked at Great Ormond Street and the South London and Maudsley trust before returning to Ireland. As a liaison psychiatrist, she is especially interested in the interface between mental and physical health, neuropsychiatry, eating disorders and psychosomatic medicine. As a research active department, the service supports a range of clinically oriented research exploring supporting parents of young people who self-harm, emergency psychiatry projects, supporting young people with Tics and Tourette disorders, and supporting approaches to somatic symptoms. She undertook a Masters degree in Medical Education, and sees training and interprofessional educational initiatives as crucial to early detection and intervention and longer term in achieving improved health outcomes for young people. An active contributor to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programmes in Ireland for paediatric and psychiatry trainees, she is a current trainer for Psychiatry BST and HST trainees, and for Paediatric HST trainees. She hosts Balint groups for Paediatric, psychiatry and surgical postgraduate groups. Since 2017 she is the Clinical Lead for Schwartz rounds in the paediatric hospital and the Lead for the National Paediatric Hospital Project Psychological medicine group. At UCD she leads a Narrative in Medicine project called MindReading with medical humanities colleagues at the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham.
GERARD CLARKE is a lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioural Science and a faculty investigator in APC Microbiome Ireland. His research interests include translational biomarkers of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders, the impact of the gut microbiome on brain and behaviour across the life span and microbial regulation of tryptophan metabolism. He is particularly interested in the advancing our understanding of how tryptophan degradation along the kynurenine pathway influences psychopathology and in evaluating novel therapeutic interventions which can reverse such deficits.
JOHN COONEY, MD, FRCPI, MRCPsych, qualified in 1986 from the RCSI and trained in internal medicine in the Federated Hospitals scheme in Dublin from which he obtained his membership of the Royal College of Physicians. He trained in Dublin for the Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK. He moved to St Bartholomew’s in London where he did his MD in the relationship between stress and psychiatric/psychological disorders and also trained in Cognitive behavioural Therapy at the Maudsley Hospital. His higher training in psychiatry was between St Bartholomew’s & the Maudsley Hospital. Following this he was appointed as a senior lecturer/ consultant Psychiatrist between Guy’s Hospital & Lewisham in South London. He returned to work as a specialist in Mood Disorders in St Patrick’s in Dublin before taking up his current role as consultant in the Psychological Medicine Service focusing on the relationship between physical & mental health.
GEAROID FITZGERALD was a Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy in Yorkshire for 25 years up to his retirement in February 2018. For 13 years he led a specialist service for doctors in difficulty who were training which was funded by the Yorkshire Deanery. The service was called Take Time and over the years has seen 1600 doctors in difficulty. It is a self-referral service using a psychoanalytic model for the initial consultations and short term therapy. It is one of the few specialist services in the UK to continue and has indeed grown as demand has increased. He led the development of Balint groups in Leeds for all grades of doctors and has been delighted to be a part of developing Balint in Ireland, Greece and Pakistan. He is the Vice President of the UK Balint Society. He is now a psychoanalyst in private practice half time.
GUY GOODWIN, DPhil, FMedSci is Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. He completed his medical degree and DPhil in physiology at the University of Oxford and, following training in psychiatry, became a Clinical Scientist and Consultant Psychiatrist at the MRC Brain Metabolism Unit at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh, UK. His research interests are in the treatment of bipolar disorder and the application of neuroscience in understanding the neurobiology of mood disorders, with a focus on developing new treatments. He has been a lead investigator in clinical trials for mood disorder, including the BALANCE and CEQUEL studies. His current interest is the potential to improve treatment using new technology. He has served as a member of the Wellcome Trust Neurosciences Panel, the Council of the British Association for Psychopharmacology, the Clinical Fellowships Panel and Advisory Board of the Medical Research Council, INSERM’s ANR panel. He is a Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and has previously held the position of President of the British Association for Psychopharmacology (2004–2005). He is past president of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) and a Senior Investigator on the faculty of UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). He is a Thomson Reuters highly cited researcher (top 1% in field).
NAVROOP JOHNSON is a consultant psychiatrist in general adult mental health services in Co. Kerry. He finished his medical graduation in India and engaged in rural medicine for 2 years before moving to Ireland to pursue his basic and higher training in psychiatry. His BST in psychiatry was in and around Dublin. He finished his psychiatry membership exams, with the Royal College of Psychiatrists UK, in 2009. He then successfully attained an HST with the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland in 2010. He finished his HST in 2013 and was successful in attaining a Consultant Psychiatrist post straight after in University Hospital Kerry. He has been active regarding service development in this post and was instrumental in bringing DBT as a service to his catchment area in South Kerry, having attained his training in DBT in 2012. He is an active member of the Personality Disorders Special Interest Group in College of Psychiatrists Ireland. He sought formal training in perinatal psychiatry as well in 2017 in response to growing need for same. He remains committed to teaching and training junior staff. He also is keen in management and leadership aspect of his role and is currently undertaking a post-masters course in Healthcare Leadership called Leading Care 1.
MIRIAM KENNEDY is a dual qualified Consultant Psychiatrist in General Adult psychiatry and Later Life (over 65) with a particular interest in Mood Disorders and Depression. With an additional doctorate in medical physiology and a qualification in interpersonal psychotherapy, her approach emphasises a biopsychosocial model of treatment. She works in Highfield Healthcare in acute inpatient and (new) general adult day hospital services, and also serves a later life long term care group. A senior lecturer at RCSI and TCD (honorary), Dr Kennedy has wide experience in education, teaching and learning at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Research and professional interests include Capacity and Consent to treatment (Human rights) and medical education. In August 2017 she took up the additional role of Director of Communication and Public Education at the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland.
Dr. Kevin Kilbride graduated in medicine at UCD and undertook his Basic Specialist Psychiatric Training in the Eastern Health Board scheme. He completed Higher Specialist Training in General Adult Psychiatry in Manchester. He was Consultant Adult Psychiatrist in east Manchester before returning to Dublin in 2005 as Consultant Psychiatrist in the Programme for the Homeless, which is affiliated with the Phoenix Care Centre.
AOIBHINN LYNCH MD, MRCPsych, MSc (Medical Education) is a Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry in Dublin North City/North West and UCD Associate Clinical Professor. She is currently Chief Examiner for The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland.
LORCAN MARTIN is Director of Professional Competence in the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland. He is a Consultant in General Adult Psychiatry with Longford/Westmeath Mental Health Services. He trained in Trinity College and with the Eastern Health Board as was. His special area of interest is greater integration of mental health services into the community and he has been instrumental in developing many new initiatives in this regard including a Primary Care Liaison Service, a service for deaf clients, an ongoing public mental health awareness programme and a consultative group so that service users/carers may be involved in service development. He has presented these projects and others at a number of international conferences. Dr Martin has also been involved in training programmes in the area of mental health for a number of statutory and voluntary agencies, and also has a particular interest in the clinical training and examination of non-consultant hospital doctors working in psychiatry.
PAUL MATTHEWS is a General Adult Psychiatrist with Kildare West Wicklow Mental Health Service and Clinical Senior Lecturer with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He studied medicine at the University of Oxford where he completed his doctorate in neuropathology and gene expression in schizophrenia and mood disorders. He completed higher training in General Adult and Liaison Psychiatry on the Oxford training scheme and worked in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire in General Adult Psychiatry and Early Intervention in Psychosis. Paul has an interest in the treatment of personality disorders and previously worked in the Oxfordshire Complex Needs Service Therapeutic Community.
CONOR O’NEILL is a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist at the Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum. He trained in Ireland and Australia and since 2006 has developed and led the Prison Inreach and Court Liaison Service (PICLS), at Cloverhill, Ireland’s main remand prison. He is a member of the advisory group for the Quality Network for Prison Mental Health Services of the UK Royal College of Psychiatrists and a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychiatry at Trinity College, Dublin.
TRUDIE ROBERTS BSc, MBChB, PhD, FRCP, FHEA, NTF, Hon FAcadMEd; Director, Leeds Institute of Medical Education, University of Leeds, England; President, AMEE – Association of Medical Education in Europe. Professor Roberts graduated from Manchester with a degree in Medicine and a BSc in Anatomy. She undertook her early medical training in Manchester and research in Manchester and the Karolinska Institute, Sweden. In 1995 she was appointed Senior Lecturer in Transplant Immunology at the University of Manchester. In 2000 she was appointed Professor of Medical Education at the University of Leeds. She was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2006. In 2009 she was appointed Director of the Leeds Institute of Medical Education. She was a council member of the General Medical Council (2009 – 2012) and Chair of the Association for the Study of Medical Education until July 2013. She was a council member for the Royal College of Physicians of London (2010 – 2013) and is currently a Censor for the College. In September 2013 she became President of AMEE (*). Professor Roberts’s main interests and expertise are in the areas of assessment of competence, professionalism, and transitions in training and education. In 2013 she was awarded a Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Educators. In January 2017 she received the MILES award (**) at the Asia Pacific Medical Education Conference. She is married to a surgeon, has two children and dreams of owning a Subaru WRX.
JOANNE RYAN is a multi-award winning theatre maker who loves to make quality, ambitious, socially-engaged work with a particular interest in the relationship between arts and health. Her solo multimedia show Eggsistentialism, which explores her journey to a decision about whether or not to have a child through the prism of Ireland’s reproductive health history, has been presented to critical acclaim in Ireland, Edinburgh, London, Liverpool, Cyprus, Malaysia and Australia. It has won a number of awards including a Lustrum Award, Best Storytelling Bouquet and The Melbourne Fringe Award at Edinburgh Festival, The Strollers Touring Award and most recently The Critics’ Pick Award at Sydney Fringe Festival. She is an active member of several artist networks and in December 2017 was awarded Civic Honours by Limerick City and County Council in recognition of her international success and contribution to theatre and the arts in Limerick.
ADITYA SHARMA Dr Adi Sharma is a Clinical Senior Lecturer and Hon Consultant in child and adolescent psychiatry at Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University and Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust. His clinical academic interests include the epidemiology of and risk factors for the development of Early Onset Bipolar Disorders to improve psychosocial outcomes. Adi trained as a Clinical Lecturer with Prof Le Couteur at Newcastle developing expertise in assessment and management of youth with complex neurodevelopmental disorders particularly youth with ASD. He furthered his experience by training with Prof Kiki Chang (Stanford University, USA), Prof Barbara Geller (Washington University at St Louis, USA) and Prof Ellen Leibenluft (NIH, USA) in the field of Bipolar Disorder. Adi has a PhD in ‘Neurocognition and emotion labeling in bipolar offspring’ for which he was awarded the Margaret Davenport award by the faculty of child and adolescent psychiatry (RCPsych). He was chief investigator for the first Surveillance study of the incidence of Narrow Phenotype Bipolar I Disorder in the British Isles. Currently Adi is chief investigator for the first paediatric bipolar disorder trial in the UK. This innovative project funded by the Research for Patient Benefit funding stream of NIHR is using a mixed methods approach to assess the acceptability and feasibility of using the Family Focussed Treatment for Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder (FFT-A UK version). He is also a co-applicant on an NIHR HTA trial: Clinical and cost effectiveness of a parent mediated intervention to reduce challenging behaviour in pre-schoolers with moderate to severe learning disability: a randomised controlled trial. Adi has been using participatory design to co-produce digital health technologies to improve outcomes for Early Onset Bipolar Disorder. In addition, Adi in his role as CAMHS Champion for the North East and North Cumbria Clinical Research Network has developed and is chair of the Paediatric Psychopharmacology Trials Steering Group which has links with Newcastle University, mental health and acute trusts to facilitate industry sponsored and investigator led psychopharmacology trials.
CLEO VAN VELSEN, Member British Institute of Psychoanalysis. Until May 2017 Dr Van Velsen was Consultant Psychiatrist in Forensic Psychotherapy based within the Forensic Personality Disorder service of the East London NHS Foundation Trust. Her post was as a Responsible Clinician in a Community of Communities Accredited Therapeutic Community, which specialises in forensic personality disorder in men. Most of the patients are transferred prisoners. She trained as a Doctor in London and went on to train as a Psychiatrist and specialised in Psychotherapy. She was Consultant Psychotherapist at the Maudsley Hospital for five years. She is a member of the British Institute of Psychoanalysis.
DAMIAN SMITH is a Senior Registrar in Forensic and General Adult Psychiatry. Prior to commencing the CPsychI higher training scheme in 2015, Dr Smith worked as a registrar in Forensic Psychiatry in both Ireland and Melbourne, Australia. In both jurisdictions he developed an interest in prison psychiatry and has published peer-reviewed articles based on projects in young offender, remand and sentenced prison populations. One such project at Mountjoy Prison was awarded a Certificate of Special Recognition at the Health Service Excellence Awards 2017.
GREG SWANWICK, Prof, is the current Dean of Education with the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland and a Consultant Psychiatrist in the Psychiatry of Old Age based at Tallaght University Hospital.
FEMI OYEBODE is Consultant Psychiatrist at the National Centre for Mental Health Birmingham & Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Birmingham. He is author of Sims’ Symptoms in the Mind – Textbook of Descriptive Psychopathology 6th edition.