Meet our Speakers
Prof Déirdre Daly
Director of Trinity Centre for Maternity Care Research
Déirdre Daly is Professor in Midwifery at Trinity College Dublin and Director of the Trinity Centre for Maternity Care Research. Déirdre leads the longitudinal Maternal health And Maternal Morbidity in Ireland (MAMMI) study and related projects, including national service evaluations. She is dedicated to translating research into policy and practice to improve maternity services and maternal health outcomes. Deirdre has engaged with national and EU policy, serving on committees addressing maternal mortality and maternal morbidity. She has contributed to EU working groups and provided expertise for the European Commission on midwifery education.
Webinar: 10th September 2025
Influencing Policy and Changing Practice through Research
Mr Michael Foley
Civic Engagement and Social Innovation
Michael Foley is the Civic Engagement for Societal Impact Manager at Trinity College Dublin, with a focus on fostering connections between research and external communities such as policymakers. He previously managed Trinity’s PPI Ignite Office, promoting public and patient involvement in health research, and was a Research & Development Officer at the Trinity Centre for Ageing and Intellectual Disability. He has coordinated research modules at Maynooth University and worked for many years in the NGO sector, including at Age & Opportunity and the public sector in the National Disability Authority. Michael’s expertise is in applied social research centres on research translation and impact, especially in bridging research, policy, and practice.
Dr Liz Farsaci
Programme Manager at the PPI Ignite Office
Dr Liz Farsaci is the P
rogramme Manager at the PPI Ignite Office in Trinity College Dublin. She previously worked as a Research Fellow at the Centre for Health Policy and Management in the School of Medicine at Trinity. In this role, she researched health policy, universal health coverage and health financing. She also established a teaching collaboration with the Institute for Global Health Sciences at University of California San Francisco. She completed her PhD in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Trinity, investigating service users' lived experiences of access to midwifery care.
Webinar: 2nd October 2025
Engaging with Policy Makers
Professor Catherine Comiskey
Professor Of Healthcare Modelling
Professor Catherine Comiskey is a leading expert in healthcare statistics and public policy, with a focus on substance use, child wellbeing, and innovation. She has served as Vice Chair and Chair of the EU’s Scientific Committee for the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (2017–2024) and was invited to advise the UN’s World Drug Report in 2024. She has also advised Ireland’s National Drug Strategy Implementation Committee, Oversight Forum on Drugs, and National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Alcohol. Catherine is Professor of Healthcare Modelling, Global Addiction and Transformation at Trinity College Dublin, with extensive experience in research translation and impact.
Webinar: 6th November 2025
Win/Win: Using Research to Enhance the Policy to Practice Reciprocal Process
Ms Áine Griffin
Director of Trinity Communications
Áine Griffin is an experienced communications professional and currently serves as Director of Trinity Communications. With over 25 years in public service, Áine has played a key role in shaping policy through strategic communications and public engagement. As Head of Communications for Project Ireland 2040, she established InfraNet, a forum fostering constructive policy dialogue that informed the revised National Development Plan. Her leadership in the Commission on Taxation and Welfare’s public consultation ensured inclusive, transparent policy-making. Áine’s work exemplifies the vital link between communication, stakeholder engagement, and evidence-informed policy development.
Webinar: 4th December 2025
Knowledge to Power: Insights from a Career in Public Service
Professor Mary McCarron
Director of Trinity Centre for Ageing and Intellectual Disability
Professor Mary McCarron is Professor of Ageing and Intellectual Disability at Trinity College Dublin, Director of the Trinity Centre for Ageing and Intellectual Disability, and Executive Director of the National Intellectual Disability Memory Service. She founded and leads IDS-TILDA, a pioneering longitudinal study driving healthcare practice and national policy change for people with intellectual disabilities. Professor McCarron also spearheaded Ireland’s first dedicated memory service for this population. A champion of public and patient involvement, she is Principal Investigator of the PPI Ignite Programme and plays a pivotal role in dementia research through national and international collaborations and advisory roles.
Webinar: 21st January 2026
Research in Translation: Building Collaborative Pathways Between Policy & Practice
Professor Joseph Roche
Associate Dean of Research
Professor Joseph Roche is Associate Dean of Research and Professor in Education at Trinity College Dublin. He leads international projects examining the role of science in society, with a focus on citizen science, science communication, and public engagement. His work shapes evidence-based policies that bridge science and society. Joseph has collaborated with NASA, served as a Visiting Scholar at Harvard, and is an Honorary Research Associate at University College London. A Fellow of Trinity, he is also the author of Essential Skills for Early Career Researchers, a comprehensive guide supporting academic capacity and research impact.
Webinar: 5th February 2026
Engaging Policy through Citizen Science and Science Communication
Professor Imelda Coyne
Director of Trinity Research in Childhood Centre
Professor Imelda Coyne is Director of the Trinity Research in Childhood Centre (TRiCC) and a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin. A global leader in child health research, she has shaped national policy through consultations that informed Ireland’s Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures and First 5 Early Years strategies. Her work focuses on children’s rights, participation, and shared decision-making in healthcare. Imelda serves as an expert advisor to national and international bodies, including the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. Through her research and advocacy, she champions evidence-informed, child-centred policy development that recognises and elevates the voices of children and young people.
Webinar: 12th March 2026
Making Participation Matter: Embedding Children’s Voices in the Heart of Policymaking
Dr Fergus Mc Auliffe
Head of Research Engagement and Impact
Dr Fergus McAuliffe is Head of Research Engagement and Impact in Trinity Research, with a focus on engaged research, knowledge mobilisation, evidence for public policy, communications and research impact across and beyond the University. He is a previous winner of FameLab International and has also been shortlisted for The Guardian science writing prize. Fergus is a television presenter on Irish research on RTE’s “10 Things to Know About” show, a regular contributor on research to Newstalk FM’s Futureproof, and previously served on the board of SCI:COM Ireland. Prior to joining Trinity, Fergus was Public Engagement and Communications Manager at the iCRAG Research Ireland Centre in UCD, where he chaired the University-wide public engagement working group and co-founded MESSAGE, the Marine & Energy Social Sciences & Humanities Interdisciplinary Research Group.