Dr Fionnuala Cooney

Dr Fionnuala Cooney is the Director of Public Health in the HSE Dublin and Midlands Region. She has over 20 years’ experience working in Public Health.

Dr Cooney’s medical degree is from Trinity College Dublin. She holds a Masters in Epidemiology and a Higher Diploma in Health Systems Management, both from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Dr Cooney is a Member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG) and is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine at Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI), where she is also a trainer and member of the Faculty Board. She is an honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at Trinity College Dublin.

Dr Cooney’s experience in screening was first gained in 1992 in her MRCOG gynaecology dissertation on false negative cervical smears. In her subsequent positions in hospital medicine, primary care, community medicine and public health she gained operational experience in a diverse range of screening programmes and services.

Dr Cooney has contributed to a large number of publications, including being an author on a Cochrane systematic review, and is a member of the editorial board of an international journal.

Dr Cooney maintains an active interest in education and research and utilises evidence to guide Public Health action for population health and wellbeing, with the principles of equity and inclusivity as central to her professional practice.