Committee Members
President - Dr. Gerry Agnew - MRCOG, MRCPI
Consultant Obstetrician, Gynaecologist and Urogynaecologist at the National Maternity Hospital, Holles St., St. Vincent's University Hospital and at the Pelvic Floor Centre at St. Michaels' Hospital, Dun Laoghaire.
A science graduate, Dr Agnew spent several years in the medical device industry in the United States and Europe before studying medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. On graduation, he embarked on general training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Dublin and Cork. He then travelled to Melbourne, Australia for sub specialist training in Urogynaecology, Laparoscopic Surgery and Pelvic Floor Surgery and received a certificate in recognised training in Urogynaecology from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Appointed as a consultant in 2012, Dr. Agnew is currently working in Dublin as a Consultant Obstetrician, Gynaecologist and Urogynaecologist at the National Maternity Hospital, Holles St., St. Vincent's University Hospital and at the Pelvic Floor Centre at St. Michaels' Hospital, Dun Laoghaire.
Treasurer - Dr. Susmita Sarma
Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with a Special Interest in Urogynaecology Galway University Hospital.
Dr Susmita Sarma graduated from RCSI in 1998. She underwent postgraduate training in the Coombe Women's Hospital, National Maternity Hospital and St James Hospital in Dublin as well as The South Infirmary and Cork University Maternity Hospitals in Cork and Galway University Hospital.
She developed an early interest in urogynaecology and completed a urogynaecology fellowship in St George Hospital in Sydney. She commenced work as a Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology with a special interest in urogynaecology in Galway University Hospital in 2012.
Secretary - Mr. James Forde
Past President - Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan - MB, FRCPI, MRCOG
Chair, Continence Foundation of Ireland. Consultant Obstetrician and Urogynaecologist in Cork University Maternity Hospital.
Suzanne graduated from UCD in 1992. She trained in Ireland and the UK and started her first Consultant post in Bournemouth where she developed the Urogynaecology service. She moved to Cork Unified Maternity Services in 2006 where she works as a Consultant Obstetrician and Urogynaecologist.
She runs the Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury service and is co-director of the EUGA recognised subspecialty programme. She is National Specialty Director of Basic Specialist Training with the RCPI. Her research interests include Robotic prolapse surgery and musculo-skeletal issues in pelvic floor dysfunction.
Dr. Orfhlaith O'Sullivan - MRCSI, MCh, MRCPI, MRCOG
Subspecialty Fellow in Urogynaeclogy, Cork Univsersity Maternity Hospital.
Upon graduation from UCD in 1999 Orfhlaith commenced her initial postgraduate training in Urology. During this training she was awarded her MRCSI and MCh by thesis for the body of work investigating the effect of Angiotensin II on human kidney cells. She began her training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2006. She was awarded the MRCPI and MRCOG. She is currently the EUGA accredited subspecialty fellow in Urogynaecology in the CUMH.
Dr. Declan Keane - MD, FRCPI, FRCOG
Consultant Gynaecologist at National Maternity Hospital and St. Vincent's Hospitals, Dublin.
Graduated from UCD in 1985. Received his MD in 1990 for his thesis on 'Connective tissue abnormalities in nulliparous women with stress incontinence'. Postgraduate jobs in Ireland, UK and USA before being appointed as consultant urogynaecologist at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford in 1995.
Returned to Ireland in 1998 to become Master of the National Maternity Hospital. Now operates out of NMH and Vincent's and is a former Chairman of the CFI and was Chair of the IUGA meeting held in Dublin in 2013.
Dr. Barry O'Reilly - MD, FRCOG, FRANZCOG
Consultant Obstetrician and Urogynaecologist, Cork University Maternity Hospital.
Barry O'Reilly graduated from RCSI in 1991 and later moved to London to commence specialist registrar training based in Guy's and St. Thomas' hospitals. He was awarded a research fellowship to work in the prestigious laboratory of Professor Stephen Mc Mahon where he studied ATP receptors in overactive bladder which lead to the award of MD in 2000.
On completion of specialty training he moved to Melbourne, Australia to undertake subspeciality training in Urogynaecology and and Pelvic Floor Reconstructive Surgery under Prof. Peter Dwyer and Dr Marcus Carey. He was appointed Consultant and Senior Lecturer at the Mercy Hospital for Women and University of Melbourne in 2003. He returned to take up a consultant post in Cork in 2004 and has set up the centre for Urogynaecology at CUMH.
He is a founding member and Chairman of Continence Foundation of Ireland and is on the public relations and graft committees of the International Urogynaecology Association. He is a reviewer for BJOG, TOG, EJOG, International Journal of Urogynaecology and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and was recently invited onto the editorial board of The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist journal of the RCOG.
Mr Emmet Andrews - MD, FRCSI, FRCS(Eng), FRCSI(Gen)
Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon, Senior lecturer in Surgery UCC.
Originally from Dublin and educated in Belvedere College, Emmet graduated from University College Dublin in 1994. He represented UCD in rugby and boxing winning three British & Irish University boxing titles as well as a Dublin Hospitals Cup Medal for St Vincent's Hospital. After internship he completed the Basic Surgical Training Scheme in Belfast, acquiring the FRCS(Eng) & FRCSI.
Emmet returned to Ireland for further surgical training followed by full time research in Cork University Hospital where he completed an MD in UCC. Following Higher Surgical Training with rotations in Galway, Cork and Dublin, Emmet undertook a Fellowship in Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery in Melbourne Australia. He returned to replace Professor Liam Kirwan in 2010 as Consultant General & Colorectal Surgeon in CUH and Senior Lecturer in Surgery in UCC.
His special interests are laparoscopic colorectal surgery (including familial and screen detected cancers), pelvic floor disorders (faecal incontinence, prolapse, constipation), and laparoscopic general surgery including inguinal and incisional hernia repair. Emmet also provides a service in elective general paediatric surgery in Cork University Hospital.
Dr. Robin Ashe - MAO, FRCOG, DCh
Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with a Special Interest in Urogynaecology. Ulster Gynae Urology Society Representative on CFI.
Dr. Paul Byrne - MD, FRCPI, FRCOG
Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist to the Rotunda, Beaumont and Bon Secours Hospital in Dublin. Senior Lecturer with RCSI.
Dr. Byrne qualified from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 1979. His early training in obstetrics and gynaecology was in the Coombe Women's Hospital and The National Maternity Hospital. He then spent 10 years in the UK working in several teaching hospitals in the West Midlands and was appointed as a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist to the Rotunda and Beaumont Hospitals in 1992. He has been a consultant at the Bon Secours Hospital in Dublin since 1993.
Dr. Byrne has a special interest in colposcopy and pre-invasive disease of the cervix and has published extensively on this subject. In 1998 he was awarded a Doctorate in medicine from the National University of Ireland for research on cervical cancer. When he returned to Dublin in 1992, he established a colposcopy clinic in Beaumont Hospital and the Bon Secours Hospital. He is now Director of Colposcopy at the Rotunda Hospital.
One of Dr. Byrne's areas of special expertise is the surgical treatment of urinary stress incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. Dr. Byrne is a member of the International Continence Society, The International Urogynaecological Society and is founder member of the recently established Continence Foundation of Ireland. Dr. Byrne is also a Senior Lecturer with RCSI and has a significant role in teaching students from RCSI. He is married and has two children.
Dr. Aoife O'Neill
Consultant Gynaecologist , Coombe Womens and Infants University Hospital, Dublin.
Lesley-Anne Ross
Chartered Physiotherapist specialising in Pelvic Floor Dysfunction.
Lesley-Anne graduated from Trinity College, Dublin in 1992 with B.Sc.( Physio) and in 1998 M.Sc. (Physio). She has worked as a Senior Physiotherapist in the National Maternity Hospital since 2001 and is currently part of the multidisciplinary team at the Pelvic Floor Centre, St. Michael's Hospital, Dun Laoghaire.
Lesley-Anne also has an interest in the role of acupuncture in Women's health (Grad. Cert in Healthcare (Acup ),UCD, 2009) and she has taught Pilates classes for 14 years, with a particular emphasis on pelvic rehabilitation. She is a committee member and link to the 'Chartered Physiotherapists in Women's Health and Continence' clinical interest group of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists.
Maeve Whelan
Chartered Physiotherapist Pelvic Health & Continence, Milltown Physiotherapy Clinic, Dublin.
Maeve Whelan is in full time private practice in urogynaecology, colorectal dysfunction and chronic pelvic pain in Milltown, Dublin. Maeve has a Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology from Trinity College Dublin in 1991 and a Masters degree by research from Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 2013.
Her special interest is manual therapy in treatment of pelvic floor disorders. She teaches physiotherapists in Pelvic Health nationally and internationally, presents at conferences and has published her work.