We are pleased to announce that 12 new members have joined the Board of NMBI.

The Board comprises of 23 members. There is a lay majority of one, with 12 members who are not, or have never been, registered nurses or midwives. Of the remaining 11 members, eight are registered nurses and midwives elected by the professions. A further three nurses and midwives are appointed by the Minister for Health.

In order to ensure continuity, Board members’ terms of office end at different times. Of the 23 Board members, the terms of office of 13 members ended on 5 December 2022.

One of those members was reappointed by the Minister for Health:

The following seven members were appointed by the Minister for Health:

In addition, an election was held in September 2022 in five categories with the successful candidates being appointed to the Board by the Minister in January 2023:

The Board met for the first time in 2023 on 24 January. We would like to welcome each Board member and wish them well in their roles.

Meet the 13 newly appointed members of the NMBI Board

Professor Gautam Gulati

Professor Gautam Gulati is a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist at University of Limerick.

He trained at Oxford University and holds an Adjunct Professor at the University of Limerick. He has completed a Master’s degree in Forensic Psychiatry, and a PhD in Law and Medicine.

He has extensive clinical experience in Ireland and in the UK. His research interests lie at the interface of medicine and law. He has published extensively in international peer reviewed journals and has authored two books of Psychiatry.

John Horan

John Horan joined the Board of NMBI in 2019 and has a wide range of experiences at senior management and Board level. He has served on a number of NMBI committees including as Chairperson of the Audit and Risk Committee, as Chairperson of the National Treatment Purchase Fund and on other professional regulatory bodies.     

He has more than 20 years working in a variety of roles in the Aer Lingus Group, and was Chief Executive of the Irish Hotels Federation and of Veterinary Ireland. He is currently an Honorary Life Member of the national organisation for the veterinary profession. He has also represented these sectors at Council and Board levels in a range of national and European organisations. 

He holds a Masters of Science (MSc) in Management Practice from Trinity College Dublin.

Kate O’Halloran

Kate O’Halloran is a registered nurse and registered midwife with 18 years of clinical experience across a broad platform of settings. She holds additional qualifications as a registered nurse and midwife prescriber and as a Forensic Clinical Examiner (FCE).

Kate is currently a Clinical Midwife Specialist (CNS) in the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU).

Prior to her current role, Kate has worked as a Clinical Midwife Manager 1 (CMM1), Covid Drivethrough Coordinator and the clinical lead during acute cases as a Forensic Clinical Examiner. She has also worked in all areas of midwifery care, antenatal, postnatal and intrapartum before returning to education to specialise in forensic clinical examination and sexual assault care.

Dr Lydia Buckley

Dr Lydia Buckley is the Data Protection Officer (DPO) and Freedom of Information (FOI) Officer for the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).

As the Authority’s DPO, Lydia provides advice on data protection issues and monitors its compliance with GDPR.

Prior to joining HIQA, Lydia was Assistant Commissioner in the Data Protection Commission (DPC) where she was Head of the DPC’s Complaint Assessment Team. She later became the Lead Investigator for Multinational Technology Inquiries and was previously an Investigator in the Office of the Information Commissioner, the appeal body for FOI.

Lydia has a background in legal research and holds a PhD in Law from UCC. In addition, she worked as a Judicial Researcher in the Four Courts.

Dr Margaret Murphy

Dr Margaret Murphy is a registered midwife and a registered general nurse and holds a Doctor of Nursing, as well as a Master’s, Bachelor’s and postgraduate diploma in teaching and learning in higher education. She is currently the Programme Lead for the Bachelor's degree in Midwifery and a Lecturer in Midwifery at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork.

Dr Murphy lectures across all years of the Bachelor degree and Higher Diploma in midwifery programmes, as well as delivering the Maternal and Child Health module on the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health Nursing programme.

Prior to her current role, she has over 20 years’ working at the HSE.

She was elected as Treasurer and Executive Board Member, International Stillbirth Alliance in 2017. She is also a member of the International Stillbirth Alliances' (ISA’s) Bereavement Working Group, Stillbirth Advocacy Working Group, Stillbirth Prevention Working Group.

She has over 30 peer-review publications and has co-authored the book Different Baby, Different Story: Pregnancy and Parenting After Loss for couples in pregnancy, and parenting after loss with international colleagues.

Mark Johnston

Mark Johnston is a registered mental health nurse and nurse prescriber. He works as a Nurse Practice Development Co-ordinator for mental health services in Community Healthcare Organisation 3 (CHO3) which covers Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary. In recent years he has worked in developmental roles including as a Clinical Placement Co-ordinator and as a Lecturer in mental health nursing.  

He has extensive across various specialities including acute, community and rehabilitation. As part of his work, he leads and supports the continued development of mental health services to meet HSE policy objectives, such as the national drive for clinical supervision of nurses working in mental health services.

Mark also leads the Practice Development of Nursing Unit which assists in the evaluation, development, and implementation and monitoring of nursing practice in the mental health service across CHO3 to ensure the quality of the learning environment for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

He is Branch Secretary for the Psychiatric Nurse Association (PNA) in Clare Mental Health Services and is the Mid-West Regional Representative for the PNA. He regularly participates in the Strategic Nurse Advisory Group and in partnership groups with the University of Limerick, such as the Local Joint Working Group and Practice Learning Environment Group.

He holds a Master’s degree in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, a Post-graduate Diploma in Nursing and Midwifery, a Higher Diploma in Nurse Prescribing and a Diploma in Leadership and Management.

Mary Leahy

Mary Leahy is a Public Health Nurse with 26 years’ experience, most recently focused on the health needs of migrants and refugees.

She is a registered public health nurse, a registered general nurse and a registered midwife.

Prior to her current role, Mary was National Coordinator for Nurse and Midwife Health and Safety Representatives. She was also an investigator in HSE human resources, implementing Trust in Care, Dignity at Work and disciplinary procedure policies. Additionally, she carried out research and development for Public Health Nurses for Multiculturism, and was employed as a midwife, practice nurse and staff nurse in both Ireland and the UK.

She holds a number of qualifications including a Master's degree in Healthcare Leadership, a Higher Diploma in Public Health Nursing, a Diploma in Mediation Studies and Certificates in Professional Practice (Family Planning) and Professional Practice (Audit).

Mary Rose Loughnane

Mary Rose Loughnane is a registered intellectual disability nurse and works as an enhanced nurse practitioner in Brothers of Charity Services, Galway.

In her role, she delivers evidence-based practice for residents with intellectual disabilities.

Prior to this, she has worked across a range of settings in the Galway region, including day centres, respite services, dementia care and geriatric care in community residential care.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Intellectual Disability Nursing from Atlantic Technological University, Letterkenny and recently completed a Master's degree in Advanced Leadership from the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI). As part of her Master's, she completed a thesis on developing staff bereavement training to support grieving adults with intellectual disabilities and she aims to implement the findings through training in her local service area.

She is also a qualified Studio III trainer, providing guidance and techniques in managing behaviours of concern, stress management and crisis intervention in supporting people with intellectual disabilities as well as staff members.

Mittu Fabin Alungal

Mittu Fabin Alungal is a registered general nurse and is the Director of Nursing at Meath Community Unit.

Prior to her current role, she worked as a clinical trial nurse at the Institute of Cancer Research in Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Institute of Cancer Research, as well as previous experience as an Assistant Director of Nursing and staff nurse in a nursing home.

She is a committee member of Migrant Nurses Ireland (MNI) and a member of its Professional Forum which provides career guidance to migrant nurses.

She holds a Master's degree in Gerontological Nursing from the Royal College of Surgeons, a Postgraduate Certificate in Health Care Management from Dorset College, and a Bachelor's degree in Nursing from the Mahatma Gandhi University in India. She has also completed a course in change management from Oxford University.

Muireann Ni Shuilleabhain

Muireann has 30 years’ experience in the pharmacy profession (hospital and community), both in Ireland and the USA. She has been in a Chief / Superintendent Pharmacist role since 2001.  She is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin.

She has a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma, a law degree and a diploma in corporate governance. She also has experience in accreditation processes, clinical governance, healthcare management, project leadership and regulation.

She has served as a Council member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) since 2015 and during her term, she has been a member of the advisory committee of Regulatory and Professional Policy, and the statutory committee of Professional Conduct. She also serves as President of the Council of the PSI.

Niamh Murphy

Niamh Murphy is the Physiotherapy Manager in charge in St James’s Hospital, Dublin, the largest academic teaching hospital in Ireland. She has worked as a physiotherapist for over 25 years in Ireland, the USA and Australia. She was a member and Chair of the CORU Physiotherapy Registration Board between 2018 and 2021.

Niamh qualified from University College Dublin with a Bachelor in Physiotherapy and holds a Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology from Trinity College Dublin. She has also completed further study in healthcare management, leadership, quality improvement and coaching.

Niamh has a keen interest in operational excellence, research, quality improvement and leadership.

Raymond Dolan

Raymond Dolan is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants and recently retired CEO of Safefood, an All-Ireland body set up under the Good Friday Agreement.

Ray has over 40 years’ experience in the public sector both nationally and in Europe, working in the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Office, the European Space Agency, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and Safefood. He is currently a member of various audit and risk committees and was recently elected as Vice President of the Institute of Public Administration.

He holds a Master of Arts (MA) in Public Administration and is an experienced executive coach with a Diploma in Executive Leadership Coaching. Additionally, he has completed the Leadership Challenge Programme in association with the Institute of Public Administration and Harvard University in the USA. He also holds certificates in the Hogan Assessment Recruitment Method and in governance and cyber security.

Terry McGonigal

Terry McGonigal is a qualified Accountant (FCCA) and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personal and Development (FCIPD). He has over 30 years’ experience working in the public sector and is an experienced Director of Finance and Corporate Services. He has a strong track record of providing leadership and direction for major change initiatives to improve organisational effectiveness and to deliver sustainable public services.

He also has significant experience in supporting the work of public sector boards and audit committees, both in an executive and non-executive capacity. Additionally, he has in-depth experience in developing and strengthening corporate governance arrangements to ensure compliance with best practice.

Terry studied at the University of Ulster and Queens University. He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) and a Master's degree in Public Sector Innovation Management.

If you would like to find out more about the Board of NMBI, please click here.