Innovation in Healthcare Podcast

• An interview with Prof Sam McConkey

  Episode 08 Innovation in Healthcare podcast series “Vaccination as a tool continues to excite me and to sort of offer up really innovative, novel, effective, safe solutions to these horrible diseases.”In this episode, Prof Samuel McConkey, Head of the Department of International Health and Tropical Medicine at the RCSI, and Consultant in General Medicine, Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Beaumont Hospital Dublin, and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, discusses the transformative potential of vaccination for human health, with Priscilla Lynch, Clinical Editor of the Medical Independent, and International Center for Journalism Health Innovation Journalism Fellow.  Prof McConkey is Chair of the board of the European Vaccine Initiative, a leading European non-profit partnership that supports global efforts to develop effective and affordable vaccines against diseases of poverty and emerging infectious diseases that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries. In this podcast, he highlights the successes of vaccination in tackling a huge range of diseases, and discusses the exciting ongoing advancements in new vaccination technology, such as mRNA vaccines, and their potential for preventing and treating cancers like melanoma and autoimmune diseases. In addition, Prof McConkey emphasises the importance of ensuring access to vaccines for those who need them the most, particularly in low-income countries, and highlights the challenges of vaccine rollout in very rural and conflict-affected areas. The conversation also touches on the importance of trust, communication, and sustained funding and support in advancing vaccine research and development.This project was funded by the International Center for Journalists through the Health Innovation call.

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• An interview with Prof Mark Lawler & Prof William Gallagher

  In this episode, we host our first joint interview, featuring the two co-leads of the All-Island Cancer Research Institute (AICRI), a unique initiative that brings together cancer researchers and clinicians from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Prof William Gallagher, Professor of Cancer Biology at University College Dublin; and Prof Mark Lawler, Professor of Digital Health at Queen's University Belfast, speak about innovation in oncology research, and the fascinating journey of how AICRI came about, its successes to date, and the various areas it is working in. The conversation highlights several key themes in oncology research and innovation, including the impact of environmental factors on cancer, the importance of further commitment to cancer prevention, the need for interdisciplinary research, as well as an increased focus on cancer survivorship and quality of life, the significance of international collaborations, and the use of data in driving advancements in cancer research and patient care.  Prof Lawler and Prof Gallagher also share their personal journeys in oncology research and the motivation behind their work, emphasising the importance of collaboration, inclusivity, and patient-centred research. Their joint interview highlights the need to break down silos and work together to address the challenges in cancer care.

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• An interview with Prof Dominic A. Hegarty

  Episode 06 Innovation in Healthcare podcast series “…It's been a pleasure really to be in this area, such an exciting area and even in my short window of 15 or 20 years involved now, so many things have changed, so many things for the better in my opinion and there's a greater acceptance. So it was the challenge, the innovation, looking forward. It had everything you wanted [as a specialty] from my point of view.” - Prof Dominic A. HegartyIn this episode we interview Prof Dominic A. Hegarty, Consultant in Pain Management and Neuromodulation at the Orthopaedic and Spine Centre, Mater Private Hospital, Cork. Prof Hegarty has specialised in pain management for over two decades and is recognised as one of the country’s foremost interventional pain management doctors, who is constantly developing new techniques to deal with the most complex cases of pain. He co-founded the Division of Pain Medicine in the Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine in Cork University Hospital and South infirmary and Victoria Hospital in Cork, before joining the Mater Private Hospital Cork where he was appointed as Clinical Director in 2023. Prof Hegarty is also the first formal Professor in Pain Medicine at University College Cork, the current President of the World Institute of Pain, and Clinical Director of Pain Relief Ireland.In this podcast interview, Prof Hegarty discusses the key challenges in pain medicine, and how innovation and being open to new technologies is vital in achieving better outcomes for patients.In particular, he discusses the evolution and success of neuromodulation and implantable devices for various pain conditions, the appropriate use of different classes of analgesics to manage pain, and the different approaches in the private and public sector.

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• An interview with Prof Mary Horgan

  “I think we need to collaborate not only in health; I think I get a lot of my good ideas from friends and colleagues that work outside medicine and health –  engineers, computer people, business people who look at the health issues from a totally different perspective. So I think the more we can maybe step out of our comfort zone a little bit and interact with people outside pure medicine, really helps to innovate a lot.” - Prof Mary Horgan Episode 05 innovation in Healthcare podcast series In this episode we interview Prof Mary Horgan, one of Ireland's best known infectious diseases specialists and medical education leaders, who was recently appointed by the Government to lead the design of a new emerging health threats agency.  Prof Horgan is currently Professor of Infectious Diseases at University College Dublin, and recently completed her second term as President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, the first female in this role since its establishment in 1654, and she is a former Dean of the Medical School in University College Cork. During her career, Prof Horgan has spearheaded the development of many medical education initiatives in Ireland, alongside a distinguished clinical and research career. Prof Horgan's work to date in this field has been instrumental in reversing the downward trend in the uptake of the HPV vaccine, being heavily involved in Ireland’s Covid-19 pandemic response, and also in tackling the HIV epidemic in Ireland. Truly a career dedicated to innovation in infectious diseases, medical education and public health. In this podcast, she discusses what attracted her to infectious diseases, the importance of clear and ongoing communication about public health issues, and how collaboration is key for innovation and protecting public health. 

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• An interview with Prof Doug Veale

  Prof Doug Veale passed away in May 2024. RIP.“…without research, we wouldn't have the treatments of tomorrow. We wouldn't have the services of tomorrow. And actually, what I often say is, you know, research is just another term for curiosity and curiosity is asking the questions. So if we accept the status quo of where we're at today, then we'll never ask the questions – where do we want to be tomorrow? So if you're curious about what you want to do tomorrow and next year and the year after, in terms of how you want to improve services for patients, and improve treatments, then you've got to ask the question: How are we going to do that? And what do I not know?”- Doug VealeIn the latest episode of our Innovation in Healthcare podcast series, Priscilla Lynch interviews Prof Doug Veale, one of Ireland's leading translational researchers in rheumatic disease, whose ground-breaking work is renowned internationally in the areas of early inflammatory arthritis, and autoimmune diseases including scleroderma. Prof Veale is a Consultant Rheumatologist at St Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, and a Principal Investigator at the Conway Institute for Biomedical and Biomolecular Research, at University College Dublin (UCD). He set up the only EULAR centre of excellence in Ireland with a broad research team, funded by peer-reviewed grants from a range of national and international sponsors. Prof Veale has also been deeply involved in advancing patient-centred rheumatology care and research in Ireland, and has a long established relationship with Arthritis Ireland.He recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Irish Society for Rheumatology, where his impressive list of clinical and research achievements were honoured during a dedicated dinner ceremony, which attracted a full room of colleagues from across the country, the UK, and Australia.  In this podcast, Prof Veale discusses what attracted him to rheumatology, details his many firsts in clinical practice, research, and healthcare advocacy, his professional research partnership with Prof Ursula Fearon, and how his latest innovative research is looking at the prevention of rheumatic and autoimmune disease. 

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