IRELAND AMS SUMMIT 

 

Finatan Kelleher

Fintan Kelleher is the leader of the Molecular Design & Synthesis Group in TU Dublin, with over 30 years’ experience in research in both Industrial and Academic settings. From 1991-1997 he was a Senior Research Chemist in the Medicinal Chemistry Department of the Neuroscience Research Centre of MSD, UK. There he worked on projects related to diseases of the CNS. He is the Founder of AMR Ireland, a network to help to address the AMR global public health crisis. He is the Ireland Representative on the Management Committee of the EURESTOP COST Action [CA21145] – European Network for Diagnosis and Treatment of Antibiotic-resistant Bacterial Infections (2022-2026).

In TU Dublin, he has supervised 19 PhD and MSc research students to completion. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Institute of Chemistry in Ireland, as well as being a Chartered Chemist and Chartered Scientist. His research funders include SFI, IRC, EI, HEA (PRTLI) and TU Dublin. He has collaborative links with researchers in Ireland (UCC, RCSI, ICHEC, DCU, Maynooth University and TCD) and Internationally (Germany, France, Netherlands and UK), as well as industry links with MNCs (Ipsen, Henkel) and the SME, APC Ltd.

 

Gerry Hughes

Having trained and qualified in NHS Scotland, Gerry worked as a clinical pharmacist and antimicrobial pharmacist in both the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and St James's Hospital Dublin. Witnessing the negative outcomes arising from drug-resistant infection, Gerry was inspired to undertake a PhD in Clinical Medicine at the School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin. This work focused on the behavioural determinants of antimicrobial prescribing in acute care. Gerry currently works at the Wellcome-HRB Clinical Research Facility at St James's Hospital as a research project manager, locums as an addiction services pharmacist in primary care and publishes healthcare articles as a freelance medical writer.

 

Zina Alfahl

Dr. Zina Alfahl is a Lecturer in Bacteriology and a member of the Centre for One Health at the University of Galway, affiliated with the Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbial Ecology Group. She completed her PhD in Pharmacy at the School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, focusing on determining clinical and microbiological endpoints in chronic airway diseases. Dr. Alfahl holds an Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) and currently teaches Bacteriology at the School of Medicine. Her research interests focus on molecular diagnostics to detect bacterial pathogens and antimicrobial resistance and stewardship. She has presented her work at several international conferences and has received multiple awards and grants for her research.

 

Claire McSherry

Claire Mc Sherry is a Senior Antimicrobial Pharmacist at St Columcille’s Hospital in Loughlinstown, Co. Dublin. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a BSc. (Pharm) in 1994 and later completed an MSc. in Clinical Pharmacy at Queens University Belfast in 2002.

Claire began her professional pharmacy career at the University Hospital Waterford in 1994, holding Senior and Acting Chief II pharmacist positions at the same institution until 2001. She then worked as a Clinical Pharmacist at St. Columcille’s Hospital until 2004, before taking up the post of Chief 1 Pharmacist at Mount Carmel Private Hospital in Dublin, where she remained until 2014.

In 2014, Claire rejoined the pharmacy team at St Columcilles Hospital in Loughlinstown. In working closely with the consultant microbiologist the antimicrobial stewardship service was further developed at the hospital and they formed the Antimicrobial Stewardship Team (AST). Having demonstrated a keen interest in antimicrobial stewardship, Claire was officially appointed as Senior Antimicrobial Pharmacist at St. Columcille’s Hospital in 2021. Under the AST, St. Columcille’s Hospital was awarded Level 3 accreditation, the highest achievable level, by the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) for the Global Antimicrobial Stewardship Accreditation (GAMSAS) programme in 2023.

 

Donna Martin

Donna graduated from Queens University Belfast in 2010 with a 2.1 MSc Pharmacy Degree. She completed her work experience year in a local community pharmacy in Fermanagh. Once registered Donna secured a locum Pharmacist job with a large community pharmacy group CARA, where she progressed through the ranks to Pharmacist manager of one the groups busiest stores in 2013. During this time she undertook a pharmacy management certificate from University of Ulster. In 2015 she won CARA group store of the year.  

In 2016 seeking a change from managerial to more clinical pharmacy, Donna acquired a job as a hospital pharmacist in Cavan General Hospital. In 2017 she commenced a 2 year Post-Graduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy from University College Cork. Due to a job vacancy, Donna undertook an acting role as an Antimicrobial Pharmacist role in Cavan Monaghan Hospital. She has a passion for Antimicrobial Stewardship and preserving antimicrobials for future generations. Donna continues to keep up-to-date with new innovate ways to improve antimicrobial prescribing. She was apart of the hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship team (AST) who were awarded an innovation award for penicillin de-labelling program at the Hospital Pharmacists of Ireland (HPAI) conference in April 2024. The AST were also awarded Level 3 accreditation by GAMSAS in 2023.

 

Sana Tansey 

Working in Microbiology as a medical scientist for 20 years. Awarded BSc (Hons) Science (Microbiology) from University Of Galway in 2002. Working in University Hospital Galway since 2006 and have worked in all aspects of Diagnostic Microbiology including Galway Reference Laboratory Service (incorporating National Salmonella, Shigella & Listeria (NSSLRL) and CPE Reference Laboratory) & PHL Galway.

Awarded MSc Biomedical Science (Distinction) from Coleraine in 2010; part of which was published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy in 2012. Currently in Department of Medical Microbiology as Senior Medical Scientist in AST and Maldi Tof (organism identification) since June 2020. Special interest in AST and Mycology (guest lecturer in ATU).

 

Siobhán Boothman

Siobhán graduated from TUD Dublin (formerly DIT Kevin St.) with a fellowship from the Institute of Medical laboratory Sciences (Microbiology). Siobhán worked in Microbiology St James’s for nine years followed by nine years in private industry.  Siobhán have been working in Microbiology Naas General Hospital since 2001.