.JPG)
Dr. John Gilmore
Dr John Gilmore grew up in Ballygar, Co. Galway at the heart of a close-knit community where his family own a pub and a farm. Early exposure to conversations about discrimination and equality in his household shaped his strong sense of social justice as the family's pub, one of thirteen in the area, was the only one that served Travellers. This foundation led John to establish shOUT! the first LGBT youth project outside of Dublin.
Inspired by his sister, a nurse and midwife, and driven by his passion for people and community, John pursued a professional career in nursing. He earned a BSc Hons in Nursing from the National University of Ireland in 2009. During his studies, he remained active in youth and community work and became one of the first student nurses to serve as Equality Officer in the Students’ Union. He also served as the youngest President of Youth Work Ireland.
John’s clinical experience spans diverse areas, including sexual health, intellectual disability, social work, rehabilitation, medical-surgical emergency, and intensive care. He worked for several years at Whipps Cross Hospital in London in the Intensive Care Unit. Academically, John holds a Graduate Diploma in Critical Care and a Professional Certificate in University Teaching and Learning from University College Dublin; an MSocSc from Maynooth University; and a(opens in a new window) PhD from Canterbury Christ Church University. He also completed a Professional Certificate in Online Teaching with the Open University.
see below
Today, Dr John Gilmore is Subject Head for Adult General Nursing and Assistant Professor in Nursing at UCD. He joined in Spring 2020 after several years as a Senior Lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University. He is a member of UCD IRIS - UCD Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education and Innovation in Health Systems.
Current Research Challenges
Dr John Gilmore’s research centres on social justice, equity and access to healthcare, with a primary focus on sexual and gender minorities. His qualitative research explores the meaning, depth, and lived experience of those who access, or do not access healthcare, highlighting how LGBTQI+ individuals may have distinct experiences due to stigma or exclusion.
As an educator, Dr Gilmore works to inform healthcare practitioners about the needs of sexual and gender minorities and the broader social determinants of health. He is actively involved in reviewing and developing undergraduate curricula to enhance focus on these areas. He has created a teaching model called Usualising and Specificing, which avoids the concept of “normalisation,” asserting that “nobody’s normal or everybody’s normal.” The framework supports inclusive healthcare education by both integrating LGBTQ+ issues across curricula (usualising) and addressing specific needs and experiences of LGBTQ+ people in focused ways (specificising).
In 2022, Dr Gilmore received the (opens in a new window)Fulbright HRB Health Impact Scholar Award, supporting travel to the USA to explore social and political barriers to LGBTQ+ healthcare. While there he held visiting positions at UC San Francisco and Columbia University.
He is currently leading efforts to integrate sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data into electronic health records, aiming to improve health outcomes through better data visibility. He researched how Health Systems (Education, Health Service Delivery, Population Health, Health Promotion) facilitate sexual and gender minorities in Ireland to achieve positive health outcomes.
His (opens in a new window)current research includes work on rising STI rates in Ireland and improving psychosexual care for spinal injury patients. He advocates for critical thinking around sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and biology in healthcare education and delivery
The Researcher
Dr. Gilmore is actively involved in community engagement and sexual health research. During the m-pox (monkeypox) outbreak, he led a (opens in a new window)community needs analysis, focusing on public perceptions of the health system’s response and the role of community organisations and Public Patient Involvement in addressing sexually transmissible infections.
He collaborates with numerous community organisations including the MPOWER Programme and HIV Ireland to examine health needs and behaviours among gay and bisexual men in Ireland, advocating for a more inclusive health service that communicates effectively with sexual and gender minority communities.
John collaborates extensively across the UK, Europe and the USA publishing in inter-professional and multi-professional teams on issues of inclusion health, sexual and gender minority health and sexual health.
Dr. Gilmore is co-chair of the university (opens in a new window)LGBTQI+ Staff Network at UCD. He is also the Fulbright Ambassador at UCD and serves as Chairperson of Léargas, Ireland’s national agency for European exchange funding in youth, sport, and vocational education. Passionate about inclusion, justice, and civic engagement, John views community involvement as central to his work. He enjoys travel as a means to build cultural awareness and to exchange global perspectives, grounding his research in real-world impact. In 2025 he won the Ireland USA Alumni Association Emerging Leader Award.
Future Research Aspirations
Dr Gilmore aims to have a broader, system-wide impact, ensuring that his work influences both practice and policy in ways that improve health outcomes for marginalised communities. He believes that by addressing the specific needs of one group, we create a ripple effect that can lead to better health outcomes for all, contributing to more effective and equitable universal healthcare.
Looking ahead, Dr Gilmore wants to build on his current research, which focuses on understanding health needs, education, support, and professional differentiation. He now hopes to shift some of his attention toward the systemic structures that shape healthcare delivery. His future vision includes developing real-time, data-driven insights - creating a live repository of health needs that can guide more responsive and inclusive healthcare services.
As a clinical practitioner and a member of the LGTBQ+ community Dr. Gilmore can advocate for increased awareness of the needs and challenges of his research cohorts. As a member of UCD IRIS John is keen to ensure that nursing researchers are not just focused on health interventions but also health systems for equity and access.
Dr Gilmore recently completed a study on providing crisis mental health support to homeless populations funded by Research Ireland and was recently awarded a UCD AHSS grant to develop better psychosexual care for spinal injury patients in collaboration with the Mater Spinal Injury Unit, National Rehabilitation Hospital and HSE community service.
Related Links
(opens in a new window)UCD Profile