Read More About Our Directors
Tim Lynch
A Royal College of Surgeons medical graduate and a UCD BSc Pharmacology graduate, Prof Lynch trained in clinical medicine and neurology in Dublin and then spent eight years at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Centre/Columbia University New York completing a residency in neurology under the supervision of Prof Lewis P Rowland, a two-year Fellowship in Movement Disorders & Genetics of Neurodegeneration under Prof Stanley Fahn’s supervision and was appointed an Assistant Professor of Neurology.
Prof Lynch returned to Dublin as a Consultant Neurologist to develop the MMUH Department of Neurology and opened the Dublin Neurological Institute at the Mater (DNI) (www.neurologicalinstitute.ie) as a charity to develop excellence in academic clinical neuroscience.
Prof Lynch is currently Vice Principal for Health Affairs at University College Dublin (UCD), Chief Academic Officer at the Ireland East Hospital Group, Consultant Neurologist at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH), Clinical Director of the DNI and Professor of Neurology at UCD.
His research interests include academic health science systems, integrated care, movement disorders, Parkinson’s disease, movement control, genetics of neurological disease, and frontotemporal dementia.
Past leadership roles includes HSE national clinical lead in neurology, chairperson of the division of medicine, chairperson of the MMUH Medical Executive, and a number of key roles in the International Parkinson’s disease & other Movement Disorders society.
Prof Lynch is the founder and driving force behind the growth and development of the DNI.
Suzanne Dempsey
Ms. Suzanne Dempsey successfully qualified as a children’s nurse in the Children’s University Hospital in 1988 and as a General Nurse in 1990 from Beaumont Hospital, Dublin. During her time there she worked predominately in the speciality of Neurosciences including Neuro Intensive Care before taking on the role of Director of Nursing at Temple Street Children’s University Hospital in 2010.
From 2014 until 2019, Suzanne was appointed to the role of Chief Director of Nursing, Children’s Hospital Group. As part of this role Suzanne was the executive lead for the transformation and integration of all clinical services across the three hospitals in preparation for the new children’s hospital and the two Paediatric OPD and Urgent Care Centres.
In 2019 Suzanne took up her role as Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of Nursing in the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and more recently was invited to take up the role of Director of Quality Assurance and Organisational Design to support the successful delivery of a number of critical projects for the hospital.
Suzanne holds a BSc in Nursing (Hons) (DCU); an MSc in Creative Leadership and Organisational Development (Hons) (RCSI), a Diploma in Quality and Leadership (RCPI).
Suzanne’s main areas of interest are research and leadership, in particular the development of strong leadership within the profession of Nursing and Midwifery.
Being a board member of the Dublin Neurological Institute affords Suzanne the opportunity to contribute to the success of this progressive and innovative model of healthcare design and delivery.
Gordon Dunne
Gordon commenced in the Hermitage Medical Clinic in January 2020 as CEO and Executive Director having completed an MSc in Leadership in late 2019.
Gordon joined the Mater University Hospital in February 2015 as Chief Operating Officer and shortly after commenced as CEO in August 2015 following four years as Chief Executive of Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital, a role he retained whilst CEO in Mater. During his time in Mater the hospital won several national health care awards, developed several new services and commenced on an ambitious campus wide energy efficiency and refurbishment project. Under his stewardship Mater Hospital was designated the Major Trauma Centre for the Eastern Region.
Gordon has strong directorial experience having served on the Boards of Highfield Healthcare, Mater Hospital, Cappagh Hospital, Eccles Street Car Park, Hospital Procurement Services Group and Chaired the Boards of St Paul’s Hospital, Dublin Neurological Institute and Suntrai in addition to current directorships within the Blackrock Healthcare Group
His national profile has involved participating in and chairing committees for radiation safety, minimal handling, risk management, risk taxonomy and recently representing the Private Hospital Association at the National Public Health Emergency Teams acute hospital committee.
Gordon has been on our board since 2015 and chair of the board since 2019.
Mary Healy
Mary is a nurse-midwife with a MSc in Community Health from Trinity College Dublin. She has worked for over thirty years in the not-for-profit sector, in Ireland and overseas. Previous roles include managing a large health programme in Somalia and running a private foundation in Ireland. Mary has also worked for a number of years providing consultancy services to a range of Irish charities and served on the board of Ethiopiaid Ireland. She currently works as a Development Specialist in the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Mary joined DNI’s board to share her wide range of health and not-for-profit experience for the benefit of current and future patients of the Dublin Neurological Institute.
Declan Lyons
A qualified Accountant who has worked in senior finance roles in both the private sector for 22 years and public service for over 23 years. I commenced my career in an Accountancy Practice and moved to a family run business of seven enterprises. I then moved to an American Multinational Manufacturing business where I spent 19 years as their Finance Controller. I moved to the Health Service in 2000 and I am currently the CEO of the Ireland East Hospital Group, the largest of the Hospital Groups within the HSE, serving a population in excess of 1.2m.
I joined the public service in the year 2000 as Director of Finance for the South Western Area Health Board, followed by the Regional Finance Director for Dublin Mid-Leinster which had a budget allocation of €3.5bn. When health regions were reconfigured, I moved to Corporate HSE Finance as Assistant National Finance Director for Planning and Performance. I joined the IEHG in January 2015 as Chief Finance Office followed by the position of Chief Executive Officer in June 2020.
Sean McKeon
Seán is a Chartered Accountant and MBA graduate of the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. He is Company Secretary and Head of Risk and Compliance at Dalata Hotel Group plc and previously worked with Roches Stores, Dunnes Stores, Keelings, Diageo and Aer Rianta International.
Seán is also a member of the Dublin and East Regional Executive Committee of Ibec and a member of the Audit Committee of the City of Dublin Education and Training Board (ETB). He is committed to sharing his experience in support of the Dublin Neurological Institute’s mission to promote education, research and innovation in clinical neuroscience.
John O’Brien
John has extensive experience in health and hospital management both Nationally and Internationally covering some 45 years. He is a past Chief Executive of St. James’s Hospital, the largest Academic Hospital in Ireland. He has also held the position of National Director of the National Hospitals Office at the Health Service Executive in Ireland, where he was responsible for the entire public sector acute system.
John has led and executed a large range of special interest initiatives in the health sector covering areas such as information systems, strategy planning, commissioning of major health enterprises, corporate governance and executive systems design and largescale organisation reconfiguration and change. He holds graduate qualifications in Economics, Political Science and Health Management and a 1st Class Honours Master’s degree in Public Administration. He has also held Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor positions in Health Policy and Management at the University of Dublin, Trinity College.
John currently provides Strategic advisory and mentorship supports in the areas of Health and Health Academia. He also holds Director and Board membership roles in a number of enterprises operating in the Health Sector.
Margaret Sweeney
Margaret Sweeney is the Chief Executive Officer and Board Director of Irish Residential Properties REIT Plc (IRES), with assets under management of ca. €1.5bn. Margaret is also a non-executive director of Dalata Hotel Group Plc. She is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and a Chartered Director of the Institute of Directors. She is Adjunct Professor at Dublin City University (DCU) Business School.
Margaret has been a board member of DNI for 9 years and is Chair of its Audit Committee. Margaret brings significant knowledge on governance and strategy , is assisting the DNI as a successful charity to develop its mission and in supporting the director and team in the DNI and the many people with neurological conditions to benefit from DNI’s research, support and expertise.
Professor Richard Walsh
Professor Richard Walsh has been a board member of the DNI for 3 years. He is a consultant neurologist working in the Mater Hospital and Tallaght University Hospital and a Clinical Associate Professor in Trinity College Dublin. Having trained in Dublin, including a year in the Dublin Neurological Institute, Richard spent two years in Toronto completing fellowships in movement disorders and deep brain stimulation.
As part of his training in Ireland, Richard also spent two years as a clinical research fellow in St. Vincent’s Hospital where he studied dystonia, its inheritance and its treatment with botulinum toxin. He now runs a movement disorders service in Tallaght Hospital where he also do-directs the National Ataxia Clinic and runs a botulinum toxin clinic for the treatment of dystonia. Richard is the clinical lead of the National Deep Brain Stimulation Service (DBS) at the Mater Hospital which he co-directs with Ms. Catherin Moran, Consultant Neurosurgeon in Beaumont Hospital. Richard’s research interests include inherited ataxia, wearable technology in deep brain stimulation and motor fluctuations in advanced Parkinson’s disease.
Dr Conor Fearon
Bio coming soon.
Richard Reilly
Bio coming soon.
