National Health Protection Senior Management Team

Director National Health Protection

HSE Public Health: Health Protection

Dr O'Moore, Director of National Health Protection qualified from UCD in 1991. He trained in Public Health in Oxford and at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He worked primarily in the UK since 1995, but has also worked internationally, including with the WHO and with ECDC in various roles relating to specialist practice in health protection. In the UK, Dr O'Moore worked with the Health Protection Agency (as Director of the Thames Valley Health Protection Unit), Public Health England (as National Lead for Health & Justice), and the UK Health Security Agency (as Deputy Director for Vulnerable People and Inclusion Health). During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) for the public health response for Public Health England (PHE) and then UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in Adult Social Care and Secure Settings. He previously worked in PHE as National Incident Director for the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014/15.

Dr O'Moore has a long-standing interest in health inequalities and health equity. He has also worked as Director of the UK Collaborating Centre with the WHO Health in Prisons Programme. He was a founding member of the Worldwide Prison Health Research & Engagement Network (WEPHREN). Dr O'Moore has led a range of national health protection and health improvement programmes nationally, including work on blood- borne viruses, JB and migrant health. He led the development of surveillance and epidemiological resources nationally and internationally to inform health needs and health impact assessments. Dr O'Moore was a senior advisor to national and international governments, produced many research papers, presented at international conferences and is an editor and senior contributor to a forthcoming publication by Oxford University Press on Prison Medicine.

Consultant in Public Health Medicine-Health Protection

Dr Keith lan Quintyne is a Consultant in Public Health Medicine şi Health Protection with HSE Public Health: National Health Protection Office, but was previously working as Consultant in Public Health Medicine in the Public Health, HSE Dublin and North-East since 2022 and is currently the Air-Quality Lead in the National Health Protection Office Environment & Health Special Interest Group (SIG) and a member of the Air Quality Information Working Group. In his current role, he has responsibility for the Research and Guidance Development Unit (RGDU) and leading on the incorporation of current evidence based practices into health protection outputs for Ireland.

He is a medical graduate of the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill), and started training in Medical Oncology, and then undertook higher speciality training in Public Health Medicine with the Faculty of Public Heath Medicine of Ireland. He completed his MD at the University of Limerick then his MPH at the University of Manchester. In addition, he holds Postgraduate Certificate of Medical Education from the University of Dundee, Diploma in Leadership and Quality in Healthcare from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and Advanced Diploma in Medical Law from the Kings' Inns. He holds professional Fellowships with the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Faculty of Public Health Medicine of Ireland, and Faculty of Public Health (UK).
In his previous roles, he has supported guideline development within Public Health (i.e. infectious diseases, environment & health, and non-communicable diseases) and wider health sector (i.e. National Cancer Control Programme). He is Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Public Health, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He also has several peer-reviewed publications in the areas of infectious diseases and environmental health.

Consultant in Public Health Medicine and National Clinical Lead of the Health Threats Preparedness Programme

Dr Boland graduated from UCD and following six years in hospital medicine and then higher specialist training with the Faculty of Public Health Medicine, incorporating a Doctorate in Medicine, she worked as Lecturer in School of Public Health UCD, and Programme Director for MSc in Child Health for several years. She then worked in the HSE Eastern Region Department of Public Health, leading on areas such as emergency planning, and the Port Health multidisciplinary network, managing multidisciplinary teams during the COVID-19 response in multiple settings.

Dr Boland's current role within HSE Health Protection at national level since 2021 encompasses 'all-hazard' emergency planning and cross border health security. Her portfolio includes work on high consequence infectious disease, avian jofluenza and polio preparedness. The Threats Preparedness Programme works with HSE interdisciplinary colleagues responding to the recent EC serious cross border threats to health legislation, in strengthening emergency preparedness. Dr Boland is a member of the EU DG HERA (Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority) Advisory Forum and is the ECDC National Focal Point for Preparedness and Response. Recent collaborations include EU Healthy Gateways (point of entry/cross-border preparedness and response) and EU SHARP (Strengthening International Health Regulations).

Consultant in Public Health Medicine- National Immunisations

Dr Jessop graduated from Cambridge University and worked in paediatrics before training in Public Health Medicine in London. She worked as a consultant in public health in Buckinghamshire for 5 years before moving in 2014 to work as a consultant in Health Protection in Northern Ireland and was the lead for childhood immunisation programmes.
Since 2019 she has led the National Immunisation Office in Ireland, which is the HSE coordinating unit for the implementation and improvement of all the national immunisation programme. She a member of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) in Ireland and is a passionate advocate for immunisations across the life course.

Director of Nursing-Health Protection

Dr Thomas qualified as a graduate registered general nurse and midwife, Toney gained diverse healthcare experience working in multinational and multi-cultural settings. An appetite for prevention of infection (IP), brought him to Freemantle Hospital, Perth, W Australia, where he secured formal IP academic qualification.
Dr Thomas joined Beaumont Hospital IP team, Dublin, (Tertiary National multi-speciality university teaching hospital), where he was the Assistant Director of IP and Control from 2007 until joining NHPI. He pursued Leadership and Management studies and completed MBA in Health Services Management. In his academic role, he was the programme coordinator f Post Graduate Diploma IP at the Faculty of Nursing, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 2005 to 2011.

Consultant in Public Health Medicine-Environment and Health

Ina graduated in Medicine in University College Galway, trained in Family Medicine (General Practice) in Perth, Australia, followed by Higher Specialist Training in Public Health Medicine in Faculty of Public Health Medicine/Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and in the WHO, Geneva.
She has been working as a Consultant in Public Health Medicine - Health Protection /Medical Officer of Health in HSE Area B until moving on 1/7/2023 to the National Health Protection Service of Ireland (NHPSI).

Consultant in Public Health Medicine-Infectious Disease

Dr Paul McKeown is a Consultant in Health Protection with the National Health Protection Service of Ireland. Having trained in general medicine and general practice in the UK, he has worked in the HPSC for more than 20 years on the epidemiology, surveillance, control, and prevention of infectious disease. He is consultant lead on gastrozoonotic and vectorborne disease, and non-respiratory emerging infections.