The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has appointed two new members to the HRB Board. Dr Paula Kilbane and Mr Andy Heffernan will take up their positions on the Board in June 2026.
Dr Julie Ling and Dr Cliona Saidlear were both reappointed to the Board.
Welcoming the appointments, Dr Tracy Cunningham, Chairperson of the HRB Board, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Paula and Andy to the HRB Board. Their breadth of experience and insight will provide invaluable guidance as we begin implementing our new strategy, Bringing Research to Life, which outlines the HRB’s ambition to strengthen Ireland’s health research capability over the next five years.”
Dr Paula Kilbane trained in London in public health medicine and held consultant posts there before returning to Northern Ireland (NI) as Director of Public Health. She was subsequently CEO in two NI Health Boards from 1993 to 2009. She is currently serving a second term as a board member of the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA). Prior to this she was a member of the Board of the HSE, the Centre for Effective Services (CES), and HIQA where she chaired the Regulatory Committee. She was awarded a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 2003 for services to health in Northern Ireland.
Andy Heffernan is currently Chief Executive of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. He previously served as National Secretary of the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP). Before joining SVP, he was Chief Executive of St John of God Community Services, which provides a range of services for people with learning disabilities and mental health needs across Ireland. He is also a Board member of Acquired Brain Injury Ireland and Alzheimer Europe. Andy has a BSc from University of Galway, an MSc from the University of Ulster and a certificate in Charity Law, Trusteeship and Governance from the Law Society of Ireland.
Read full bionotes for Mr Heffernan and Dr Kilbane here.
