Appointments/reappointments to St. James Hospital Board - 24 September 2024

The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has appointed/reappointed the following as members of St. James Hospital Board.

Máire Devine was born and raised in Dublin. She was educated by the nuns in the Liberties and went on to obtain her Degree in Politics and Post-graduate qualifications in Belfast. She is a Registered Mental Health Nurse and has many years’ experience in acute healthcare and community settings.

Máire was co-opted onto South Dublin County Council in 2011, representing Tallaght Central. She was re-elected in 2014.

She stood unsuccessfully in Dublin South-Central at the 2016 General Election but was later elected to the 25th Seanad on the Labour Panel.

In October 2020 she was co-opted to Dublin City Council representing the Southwest Inner City to replace Críona Ní Dhálaigh who resigned from her seat the previous month.

Ms Máire Devine is reappointed following nomination by Dublin City Council with effect from 12 August 2024 and ending on the day of the first meeting of Dublin City Council after the appointment of members following the next local authority election of members to the said Council.

Aideen is an is an experienced organisational leader, having successfully operated at executive level within three of the world leading technology companies, in a career spanning over 30 years. She holds a master’s in business from UCC, specialising in Strategy and Innovation, Organisational Development and in Strategic Leadership. She is a graduate of Sustainability Leadership programs from both Cambridge University and Trinity business school and holds a Diploma in Corporate Governance and Compliance.

Aideen currently chairs the board of the Irish charity, Work Equal and is an independent non-executive director of Castille Technologies Group. She is a mentor for Sustainability leadership and a member of the advisory council at the IMI.

Aideen is a long-time advocate for inclusive leadership in business and led the DEI agenda for Microsoft Ireland. She is a co-founder of Jordisk, a sustainability consulting organisation, focused on leveraging CSRD for positive transformation.

Ms Aideen Cardiff is nominated by the Chair of the Hospital Board and her appointment is with effect from the 12 August until 29 August 2025.

Bio to follow.

Professor Desmond Fitzgerald, a medical graduate of UCD, has worked as a clinician in institutions in Ireland and the US. Over the past 30 years he has held a number of senior academic positions, most recently as President of the University of Limerick (until 2020). He has served on a number of medical boards, including the Mater Misericordiae Hospital, St. Vincent’s University Hospital and the Institute of Translational Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Pennsylvania. He has also served on a number of charities, including the Beacon Foundation and UL Foundation. Professor Fitzgerald is a recipient of a Freedom to Discover Award and is currently Adjunct Professor of Medicine in TCD and strategic advisor to the TCD School of Medicine.

Professor Des Fitzgerald is appointed by the Minister for Health following nomination by St James's Hospital Foundation with effect from 11 September 2024 to 13 May 2025.

Professor Orla Sheils is Vice-Provost/Chief Academic Officer and Deputy President of Trinity College Dublin. Professor Sheils has served as Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Director of the Trinity Translational Medicine Institute (TTMI), and is currently Professor of Molecular Diagnostics. She has a DSc and a PhD in Molecular Pathology from Trinity College Dublin and an MA in Medical Law and Ethics from Kings College London. The underlying theme of her research is to understand the causes and molecular basis of the development of disease, with particular reference to cancer, and to apply this knowledge to improving disease prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment. Professor Sheils has been an independent investigator since 2001 and has supervised 28 students to PhD level and 12 to MD. She works closely with industry bringing novel technologies and applications to the translational research setting.

Professor Orla Sheils is appointed by the Minister for Health following nomination by the University of Dublin with effect from 11 September 2024 to 26 September 2025.