Irish Thoracic Society Podcast Productions

In this episode, Sarah Geraghty shares clear, practical strategies for healthcare professionals who want to advance their careers with intention. From defining your personal brand to building meaningful networks, this conversation focuses on reflection, self-awareness, and strategic action as the foundations of sustainable growth in a demanding field.

In this episode, we explore:

-The most common mistake in healthcare career planning: an unclear personal brand.

-How to define and communicate your professional brand effectively

- The importance of self-awareness and aligning your actions with your brand

- Practical steps to assess and close gaps between how you're perceived and how you want to be seen

- Balancing technical expertise with communication skills for career progression

- Customising your brand for different stakeholders and career stages

- Building meaningful, high-quality relationships over superficial connections

- The role of reflection and goal-setting in strategic career planning

- Staying authentic while adapting your persona to different professional contexts

Guest

Sarah Geraghty is Head of Careers at The Communications Clinics, specialising in high-stakes interview preparation and career transitions. A seasoned communication trainer and coach, she blends practical storytelling with leadership development to help professionals articulate their value clearly and confidently.

With a background in journalism and editorial work, including contributions to The Irish Times and The Journal, and experience as Assistant Editor of Gloss Magazine, Sarah brings real-world insight into performing under pressure in healthcare and beyond.

Hosts

Marissa O’Callaghan is an Irish-trained Respiratory Fellow currently undertaking a post-doc fellowship at Erasmus MC Rotterdam in the Netherlands. She completed Irish respiratory and internal medicine training and her PhD in 2025. Her interests include interstitial and rare lung diseases, clinical research, medical education, and medical innovation. Together with co-host Sandra Green, she founded the ITS podcast series in June 2024.

Sandra Green is an Irish-trained respiratory doctor and climate advocate, and co-founder of Irish Doctors for the Environment. She holds an MSc in Leadership and Innovation in Healthcare from the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (2023–2025). With Marissa, she co-founded the Irish Thoracic Society Podcast Productions in 2024 to share knowledge, insights, and innovation in respiratory care.

Chapters:

00:00 – Navigating Career Development in Healthcare

01:56 – Understanding Professional Branding

09:37 – The Importance of Communication Skills

11:52 – Practical Steps for Building and Demonstrating Your Brand

14:19 – Communicating Technical Skills and Intentional Self-Promotion

18:23 – Staying Authentic While Adapting Your Brand

21:42 – Actionable Steps for Career Advancement

Resources & Links

- Sarah Geraghty – LinkedIn: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/sarah-geraghty-comms

- The Communication Clinic: https://www.communicationsclinic.ie/

Whether you’re preparing for a specialty registrar or consultant post—or are part of the wider respiratory multidisciplinary team—excelling in healthcare interviews requires clarity, authenticity, and strategic storytelling. In this episode, career and communication expert Sarah Geraghty shares practical guidance on standout interview preparation, avoiding common pitfalls, and clearly demonstrating your value.


Prioritise evidence-based answers over generic statements


Use the STAR framework (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure responses


Practice speaking answers out loud rather than memorising scripts


Address gaps or perceived weaknesses honestly and positively


Align your unique experiences with the specific needs of the role


Stay composed when faced with unfamiliar or unexpected questions


Understand interviewer priorities and tailor responses accordingly


Deliver a strong closing statement to reinforce suitability


Leverage informal meetings and networking strategically


Build a consistent professional brand and story bank for long-term success

Sarah Geraghty
Head of Careers at The Communications Clinic, specialising in high-stakes interview preparation and career transitions. A communication trainer and coach with a background in journalism and editorial work (Irish Times, The Journal, Assistant Editor of Gloss Magazine), Sarah brings real-world insight into performing under pressure and articulating professional value.

Marissa O’Callaghan
Irish-trained respiratory fellow and postdoctoral researcher at Erasmus MC, Rotterdam. Completed Irish respiratory and internal medicine training and a PhD in 2025. Interests include interstitial and rare lung diseases, clinical research, medical education, and healthcare innovation. Co-founder of the ITS Podcast Series (2024).

Sandra Green
Irish-trained respiratory doctor and climate advocate; co-founder of Irish Doctors for the Environment. Holds an MSc in Leadership and Innovation in Healthcare (RCSI, 2023–2025). Co-founder of Irish Thoracic Society Podcast Productions (2024).


00:00 – Introduction and episode overview


02:25 – Why speaking answers out loud matters


04:20 – Evidence over experience: thinking like an interviewer


06:15 – Building a targeted story bank


08:35 – Avoiding scripts and improving fluency


10:22 – Answering “Tell me about yourself”


13:09 – Structuring competency and scenario responses


18:03 – Addressing gaps and unfamiliar topics


24:23 – What to do when you don’t know an answer


27:49 – Demonstrating leadership and management skills


32:45 – Closing with impact


36:14 – Interview prep realities in busy clinical roles


56:55 – Differences in prep for SpR vs consultant roles


61:08 – Networking and informal meetings


63:43 – Crafting your professional brand


Sarah Geraghty (LinkedIn): https://ie.linkedin.com/in/sarah-geraghty-comms


The Communications Clinic: https://www.communicationsclinic.ie/


STAR Method: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/interview-advice/the-star-method

This episode features an evidence-based dialogue with Professor Luke Clancy on contemporary tobacco control. The discussion critically analyses tobacco's disease burden, cessation knowledge gaps in respiratory medicine, industry evolution toward novel nicotine products, adolescent neurodevelopmental risks of nicotine addiction, and missed opportunities in tobacco control during COVID-19.

Listen to learn:


The key health impacts of tobacco every respiratory MDT member must know.


How the tobacco industry is using tech, AI, and synthetic nicotine to addict a new generation.


Why framing e-cigarettes as "95% safer" was a public health disaster.


The sobering lesson COVID-19 taught us about our priorities in tobacco control.


Professor Clancy's one key message for making a difference in Ireland and beyond.

Guest: Professor Luke Clancy, Director General of the TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland, and a leading figure in Irish public health policy.

Hosts: Margaret Higgins & Sandra Green

Chapters:

00:00 - 01:32 | Introduction & Rapid-Fire Round

01:32 - 07:09 | Framing the harms of tobacco use

07:09 - 15:10 | The Formidable Tobacco Industry: Evolution & Tactics

15:10 - 20:31 | The Problem of Nicotine Addiction: E-Cigarettes & Harm Framing

20:31 - 25:07 | The COVID-19 Wake-Up Call & Missed Opportunities

25:07 - 27:02 | Conclusion & One Key Message

Show Notes:


ESPAD (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs): The long-running study tracking substance use in Irish and European youth.


HSE Smoking Cessation Service: Praised by Clancy for doing "a great job, better than in many countries."


TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland (TFRI): Professor Clancy's institute.


Irish Thoracic Society: Supporters of the Breathwork podcast.

This episode is sponsored by AstraZeneca with no involvement in the input or content discussed. Produced with the support of the Irish Thoracic Society.

For more, or to get involved, please use the links in the podcast description.

Join hosts Dr Margaret Higgins and Dr Marissa O’Callaghan as they sit down with respiratory physiology expert Ciarán Heatley to explore the science and clinical value of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET). Moving beyond static resting tests, this episode highlights how CPET provides dynamic, real-time insight into integrated cardiopulmonary, metabolic, and muscular responses to exercise.

Ciarán, who leads the Respiratory Physiology Laboratory at Mater University Hospital Dublin, draws on over a decade of experience to explain what CPET truly measures and how it is applied in modern respiratory and cardiovascular care. The discussion covers CPET’s role in diagnosing unexplained dyspnoea, preoperative risk stratification, transplant assessment, pulmonary hypertension management, and personalised rehabilitation planning.

Key Topics Covered

1. What CPET Really Measures

CPET is more than a stress test—it evaluates ventilatory, cardiovascular, metabolic, and muscular responses during exercise. Core parameters discussed include VO₂ max, metabolic threshold (VT1), and respiratory compensation point (VT2), with emphasis on the distinction between aerobic capacity and functional capacity.

2. Clinical Applications

CPET is valuable for:

Investigating unexplained breathlessness Preoperative risk assessment for major surgery Heart and lung transplant evaluation Monitoring treatment response in pulmonary arterial hypertension Assessing pregnancy risk in congenital disease Individualised pulmonary rehabilitation planning

3. What the Test Involves

A full CPET takes approximately 90 minutes, including setup, an 8–12 minute exercise phase, and interpretation. Bike ergometry is preferred clinically. Equipment includes ECG, spirometry, a metabolic mask, and continuous blood pressure monitoring. Safety protocols require two physiologists and one doctor present.

4. Interpreting CPET Data

The episode breaks down:

VT1 and VT2 identification Ventilatory efficiency (V̇E/V̇CO₂) Detection of V/Q mismatch and pulmonary hypertensionChronotropic incompetence and heart rate reserveVentilatory limitation vs maximum voluntary ventilationThe impact of obesity on interpretation

5. Referral Considerations

Good referrals clearly state the clinical question, relevant comorbidities, and medications (especially beta-blockers). Contraindications include acute illness, recent MI, severe cognitive or mobility impairment, and significant claustrophobia.

6. CPET in Ireland

CPET remains underutilised compared to the NHS, largely due to resource, training, and education gaps. However, there is growing recognition of respiratory physiology’s role within Irish healthcare.

Educational Chapters

00:00 Introduction & disclaimer

03:28 What is CPET?

05:54 CPET procedure

09:32 Data interpretation

18:14 Clinical indications

22:51 Practical referrals

25:20 CPET in Ireland

29:32 Closing thoughts

Further Learning

ARTP CPET Course

ERS Clinical Exercise Testing Course

Cambridge CPET Course

ATS/ACCP CPET Guidelines

Wasserman’s Principles of Exercise Testing and Interpretation

Guest: Ciarán Heatley, Chief II Respiratory Physiologist, Mater University Hospital Dublin

Hosts: Dr Margaret Higgins & Dr Marissa O’Callaghan

Disclaimer: Sponsored by AstraZeneca. Sponsor had no input into content. Always follow local clinical guidance.

Professor Luke Clancy, Director General of the Tobacco Free Research Institute Ireland and Professor at Technological University Dublin, describes how clinical observation, focused research and coalition‑building translated into major public‑health wins — the 1990 Dublin smoky‑coal ban and Ireland’s 2004 Public Health (Tobacco) Act.

He reflects on the science behind excess winter mortality and air pollution, clinical innovations (bronchoscopy, COPD outreach, lung‑cancer MDTs), tobacco control advocacy, implementation lessons and leadership advice for clinicians to influence policy.

 

Chapters

00:00 — Introduction & guest bio
01:12 — Why clinicians should turn observation into research
01:41 — Early training, influences and clinical work
04:38 — Dublin smog: excess winter mortality & particle debate
08:01 — Publishing the evidence & getting external support
08:58 — Politics & the path to the Smoky Coal ban
11:09 — Why national rollout took decades
15:36 — Tobacco control: forming ASH & building strategy
20:04 — Coalition building, unions & the 2004 Public Health (Tobacco) Act
23:21 — International influence & lessons
24:42 — Clinical innovations: bronchoscopy, COPD, lung cancer services
27:30 — Leadership lessons for clinician‑advocates
28:46 — Wrap up & next episode preview
28:56 — End

 

Show notes

• Kelly, I., Clancy, L. et al., 1984. Mortality in a general hospital and urban air pollution. ResearchGate. [online] (Accessed 14 December 2025)

• Tobacco Free Research Institute Ireland (TFRI) https://www.tri.ie/

• Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Ireland https://ash.ie/

• Framework Convention on Tobacco Control https://fctc.who.int/convention