Meet the Team

Professor Fionnuala McAuliffe

Professor McAuliffe is an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and Maternal and Fetal Medicine Specialist at National Maternity Hospital Dublin, a tertiary level university perinatal unit with circa 8000 deliveries annually, having previously trained in Ireland, UK and Toronto. Her area of special interest, Maternal and Fetal Medicine, involves the care of pregnant women with maternal and fetal complications of pregnancy.

She established a number of training posts since appointment: RCOG maternal and fetal medicine subspecialisation programme and a maternal medicine fellowship. She is involved in medical school and O+G training both at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

She is founder and Director of the UCD Perinatal Research Centre, a multidisciplinary research centre aiming to improve outcomes for mother and baby through clinically relevant pregnancy research.

Professor McAuliffe's research interests include Obstetrics, Maternal and Fetal Medicine, nutrition and diabetes in pregnancy. She is the principal Investigator on many clinical randomised intervention trials in pregnancy to improve maternal and infant health such as ROLO study which is a large randomised trial examining the impact of a low glycaemic diet on maternal and fetal health, and is currently following these mothers and children to 10 years of age, PROPS study (RCT of probiotics in pregnancy with high BMI and gestational diabetes), PEARS study (RCT of lifestyle package with smart phone app) and the TEST study (RCT of aspirin in low risk pregnancy). She has received grant funding from Science Foundation Ireland to carry out programmes of research on the inter-relation between mother and baby microbiome, and in preterm birth (Microbe Mom and PrePop).

Research Supervision: She has supervised to completion as principal supervisor more than 20 MD/PhD students – all based at National Maternity Hospital Dublin and University College Dublin.

She has received significant grant funding both nationally and internationally (circa €50 million as coPI/PI) and has over 480 peer reviewed publications. She is a reviewer for over 40 international scientific journals, has developed a pregnancy nutrition app ‘Hollestic’ and has developed guidelines for pregnancy in Ireland, UK and internationally.

• Director, UCD Perinatal Research Centre
• Head, Women's and Children's Health, UCD School of Medicine
• Head, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, UCD School of Medicine
• Chair and Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, UCD School of Medicine
• Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Maternal and Fetal Medicine Specialist, National Maternity Hospital
• Conway Fellow, UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research
• Programme Director of Maternal & Fetal Medicine Sub-speciality training programme at National Maternity Hospital

Qualifications

Professional Training

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Dr Mary Higgins 

Qualifications

Committees

• National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre (NPEC) Maternal Morbidity Committee
• Irish Multidisciplinary Obstetrics Emegency Training
• Sepsis Decision Tool Multidisciplinary Committee
• Speciality Training Committee (Obstetrics & Gynaecology), Royal College of Physicians of Ireland

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Dr David Crosby

• Clinical Director, Merrion Fertility Clinic
• Consultant Obstetrician Gynaecologist, National Maternity Hospital
• Associate Clinical Professor, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University College Dublin

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Professor Colm O'Donnell

• Consultant Neonatologist, National Maternity Hospital
• Clinical Professor, UCD School of Medicine

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Dr Siobhan Corcoran

• Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Maternal and Fetal Medicine Specialist, National Maternity Hospital
• Clinical Lead for the Preterm Birth Service at The National Maternity Hospital

Qualifications

Professor Jennifer Walsh

MB BCh BAO PhD MRCOG FRCPI

• Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Subspecialist in Maternal-Fetal Medicine
• Senior Lecturer, Assistant Professor UCD

A graduate of UCD, Jennifer Walsh is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and Maternal and Fetal Medicine Subspecialist at the National Maternity Hospital. She completed Higher Specialist Training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the three Dublin Maternity Hospitals, Cork University Maternity Hospital and Galway University Hospital. She pursued a clinical research fellowship in Fetal Medicine at the National Maternity Hospital and during that time completed her doctoral thesis on fetal macrosomia at UCD. She was appointed to NMH in 2016 following completion of postgraduate subspecialty training at Columbia University NYC. She is the Director of Fetal Medicine at the NMH. Her practice focuses on high-risk obstetric care and prenatal ultrasound in particular. The recipient of several research awards, Dr. Walsh has published and presented internationally on fetal growth, weight in pregnancy and obstetric complications.

Assoc Prof Denise O’Brien

Dr Denise O’Brien is an Assistant Professor/Lecturer and the Associate Dean for undergraduate studies in the School of Nursing Midwifery and Health Systems in UCD. Prior to this was the Head of subject for Midwifery. Denise practiced as a Midwife tutor/ midwifery practitioner in the National Maternity Hospital and the Coombe Women’s and Infants University Hospital. Denise has taught in the discipline of midwifery since 2000 and has extensive experience in curriculum development and design at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. Denise was awarded her PhD in 2015 for a Participatory Action Research study collaborating with women and midwives exploring women’s understanding, experiences and support needs to exercise informed choices during pregnancy and childbirth in Ireland. Since completing and publishing her PhD Denise has continued to expand her research portfolio both with her colleagues in UCD and the National Maternity Hospital (NMH), the Ireland East Hospital Group and with international collaborators. Denise is on the editorial board of the European Journal of Midwives. Denise joined the National Neonatal Encephalopathy Action Group in November 2020. More recently Denise joined the National Midwifery Guideline Development Programme 2022 NWIHP.

Qualifications:

2015 PhD, UCD
2022 MSc Midwifery Education, UCD
2000 Bachelor of Nursing Studies, TCD
2015 Registered Midwife, Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital
1991 Registered Nurse Letterkenny General Hospital

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Dr Catherine Phillips

• Lecturer/Assistant Professor (Ad Astra Fellow), UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science

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Associate Prof Sharleen O’Reilly

• Associate Professor, UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science
• CORU registered dietician who works at the interface of research, teaching and practice in public health nutrition

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Prof Catherine Mooney

• Professor (opens in a new window)School of Computer Science, University College Dublin

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Catherine is a Professor in the School of Computer Science at University College Dublin and leads the Life Science Data Analytics Group, LiSDA (lisda.ucd.ie). Her research is focused on using machine learning, including deep learning, in the development of biomarkers and clinical decision support systems. Prior to joining UCD, Catherine was a Research Fellow in the Physiology and Medical Physics Department of The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, specialising in bioinformatics and computational biology. After completing her PhD in Computer Science at UCD she completed a four-year post-doc in clinical bioinformatics in the School of Medicine and Medical Science, at UCD.

Prof Eleni Mangina

• Professor in (opens in a new window)School of Computer Science, University College Dublin

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Eleni Mangina carried out her PhD work at the University of Strathclyde (UK), Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, working on Agent-based applications for intelligent data interpretation. Eleni Mangina holds an M.Sc. in Artificial Intelligence from the Department of Artificial Intelligence at University of Edinburgh in the UK and an MSc in Agricultural Science from Agricultural University of Athens in Greece. In 2002 she joined the School of Computer Science at University College Dublin. Her lab operates at the intersection between applied Artificial Intelligence and a portfolio development within interdisciplinary applications

Dr Louise Glover

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Following her PhD studies at UCD, Dr. Glover completed postdoctoral training in Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston and was an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado. She has served in the role of Principle Investigator and Co-investigator on several international projects funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Veterans Affairs. Dr. Glover joined Merrion Fertility Clinic as Clinical Research Co-ordinator in 2017, and she holds adjunct Assistant Professor/Clinical Lecturer positions at both TCD (Immunology) and UCD. Dr. Glover holds active memberships to the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. She was awarded the Grant For Fertility Innovation from Merck in 2018. Her primary research focus is reproductive immunology, in particular how immune pathways in the endometrium are altered in infertility.

Qualifications

Professional Experience

Prof Niamh Nowlan

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Niamh Nowlan is Full Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at University College Dublin. Her research focuses on the role of mechanical forces in prenatal and postnatal development of the bones, joints and spine, and the importance of fetal movements for fetal and neonatal health. Prior to joining UCD in 2021, Prof Nowlan held the position of Reader of Developmental Biomechanics in the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London, UK, where she maintains an honorary appointment. Prof Nowlan has attracted approximately €4.5 million in research funding in the past ten years, including an ERC Starting Grant. Her research has attracted numerous national and international awards, including the 2018 S.M. Perren Award from the European Society of Biomechanics, the 2016 Bioengineering Society UK (Bioeng UK) Early Career Scientist Award and the Engineers Ireland Biomedical Research Medal in 2007. In 2018, Prof Nowlan proposed, organised and chaired the Royal Society Meeting on “Mechanics of Development”.

Dr James O’Mahony

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James O'Mahony is an Assistant Professor at the School of Economics at University College Dublin where he is employed as an Ad Astra Fellow. He also has a research affiliation with the Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam. He is an economist by training and his research primarily addresses the cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of cancer screening, model simulation methods and the use of cost-effectiveness thresholds by policy makers. James obtained his PhD from Trinity College Dublin and his thesis addressed methodological issues in CEAs of cancer screening. During his doctoral work he was a visiting student for two years at the Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam. James is a member of Ireland's National Screening Advisory Committee convened following the Scally Report in response to the CervicalCheck controversy.

Dr Carla Canniffe

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Dr Canniffe leads an obstetric cardiology service at National Maternity Hospital and St Vincent's University Hospital. She completed her specialist cardiology training in Ireland and went on to specialise in the field of congenital heart disease. She gained international experience in The Royal Prince Alfred, Sydney and spent 3 years working in the world’s largest adult congenital heart service - St Barts Cardiac Centre, London. There she developed her sub-speciality interests of aortopathy and cardiac maternity medicine. Her research specialty is Congenital Heart Disease, Cardiac Maternity. She has led on the development of Cardiac Maternity Registry Ireland.

Qualifications

Professional Training

Dr Sarah Louise Killeen, PhD, RD

Dr Sarah Louise Killeen is a CORU registered dietitian in Ireland, a clinical dietician at National Maternity Hospital Dublin and a post-doctoral researcher in maternal and child health at the University College Dublin (UCD) Perinatal Research Centre. She completed her PhD in translational medicine this year, with a focus on nutrition, cardiometabolic health and obesity in pregnancy. She is a winner of the 2021 Irish section of the Nutrition Society Postgraduate Competition for her PhD thesis. She has worked on multiple projects related to maternal health including randomised controlled trials, qualitative research and a core outcome set development study. She has published many papers and a book chapter on the area of pregnancy nutrition and is co-lead author on the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) clinical practice guidelines for the management of obesity.

Ms Grace Mealy, MSc – Clinical Research Coordinator Dr Sophie Callanan, PhD – Postdoctoral Researcher

Grace graduated from Dublin City University with a BSc in Genetics and Cell Biology and subsequently completed an MSc in Immunotherapeutics at Trinity College Dublin. She joined the UCD Perinatal Research Centre in 2021 as a researcher on the MicrobeMom2 RCT, where she studied the immunological changes that occur during pregnancy. Currently, Grace coordinates various aspects of the UCD Perinatal Research Centre’s clinical studies in the National Maternity Hospital, including patient recruitment and consent, data collection and management, and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and study protocols. She works closely with principal investigators, sponsors, and other members of the research team to maintain high standards of ethical conduct and data integrity throughout each of our studies.

Dr Sophie Callanan, PhD – Postdoctoral Researcher

Sophie started as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in 2024 and she has a BSc in Human Nutrition and a PhD in Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition from University College Dublin. Sophie has a keen interest in nutrition during pregnancy and childhood, with previous experience working on the longitudinal ROLO birth cohort study. Currently, Sophie is working on the PrePOP randomised control trial, investigating the effects of an oral probiotic on the maternal microbiome in pregnant women at risk of preterm birth.

Ms Lucy Murphy, BSc, ANutr – Research Assistant

Lucy graduated from TU Dublin in 2024 with a BSc in Public Health Nutrition and is a registered associate nutritionist (ANutr) with the AFN. Lucy previously completed a 10 month work experience placement in the UCD Perinatal Research Centre as part of her undergraduate programme. Lucy started as a research assistant soon after completing her placement and works on various projects across the centre including the FIGO Pregnancy Obesity and Nutrition Initiative, Prepop trial, Ironmother and FEMO.

Dr Fiona O’Toole – MD Student 

Dr Fiona O'Toole is the current Maternal and Fetal Medicine Subspeciality Fellow at the National Maternity Hospital. She graduated from UCD in 2009 with an honour's degree in Medicine. She has worked in Obstetrics & Gynaecology in both Ireland and Australia and has completed 4 out of the 5-year SpR training programme. She is currently registered with UCD as an MD student focusing on the management of iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy and is part of the Perinatal Research Centre team. 

Dr Gillian Corbett - PhD Student

Gillian is a PhD Candidate at the UCD Perinatal Research Centre. Her PhD thesis is centred upon the vaginal microbiome and its relationship with preterm birth.

She is a Specialist Registrar in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and is the current Maternal Medicine Fellow at the National Maternity Hospital. She graduated with honours from Medicine at UCD in 2015, interned at the Mater Hospital and has trained through the National Maternity Hospital, the Coombe Hospital, St James's, Mayo and Portlaoise Hospitals. She has also worked in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in King Edward Memorial Hospital in Perth, Australia.

She has passed membership examinations for the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) in 2018 and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) in 2022, winning the gold medal in the Obstetric and Gynaecology MRCPI Examinations.

She has completed a Master's in Clinical Translational Research with UCD. She has published a number of first author research papers. For her PhD, she is investigating the horizontal transfer of oral lactobacillus crispatus to the vaginal microbiome and subsequent impact on local vaginal microbial composition, systemic inflammation and preterm birth related outcomes. This is through the PrePOP Study, a randomised placebo-controlled trial at the UCD Perinatal Research Centre and the National Maternity Hospital under the supervision of Professor Fionnuala McAuliffe.

 

Dr Valerie Julius – Maternal and Fetal Medicine Subspeciality Fellow & MD Student

Dr Valerie Nicolay is the current Maternal and Fetal Medicine Subspeciality Fellow at the National Maternity Hospital. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2018 with an honour's degree in Medicine. She is currently training in Obstetrics & Gynaecology with the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) and has completed 3 out of the 5-year SpR training programme. She has passed membership examinations for the RCPI in 2021 and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) in 2024. She is currently registered with UCD as an MD student focusing on the Microbiome in preterm birth and is part of the Perinatal Research Centre team. 

 

Dr Sara Mohan - ASPIRE Global Health Fellow and UCD Clinical Tutor

Sara is an ASPIRE global health fellow and UCD clinical tutor in obstetrics and gynaecology. She will be working on a multi-site study implementing the FIGO pregnancy passport, to educate patients on their long term risks and risk factor modification following pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy or gestational diabetes.

She completed her Higher Specialist Training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2025. She graduated with honours from Medicine in UCD in 2016. She passed her MRCPI examinations in 2019 and MRCOG examinations in 2022. 
She is a Blackbelt in Lean Six Sigma, having completed the Graduate Certificate Process Improvement in Health Systems in UCD in 2024. She is currently enrolled in the Masters in Leadership, Innovation & Management for Healthcare in University College Dublin.

She works with the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (IOG), Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, on their college partnership with East Central and Southern Africa College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is a member of the Surghub, UN Global Surgery Learning Hub, Project Scoping Committee.

• Various Schools in University College Dublin
• St Vincent’s University Hospital Dublin
• Trinity College Dublin
• Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland
• University College Cork
• National University of Ireland Galway
• APC Microbiome Institute Cork
• Queen’s University Belfast
• University of Edinburgh, UK
• Imperial College London, UK
• British Columbia, Canada
• University of Adelaide, Australia
• Murdock Children’s Research Institute, Australia
• Teagasc, Cork
• University of Melbourne
• Precision Biotics
• Pnang Medical College

Administrative manager, UCD Perinatal Research Centre

Email: (opens in a new window)Stephanie.begley@ucd.ie