Occupational Therapists Registration Board - Biographies
Richard Hammond (Chairperson)
Richard Hammond is a partner, with his spouse Joyce A. Good Hammond, at Hammond Good Solicitors in Mallow, Cork. He worked for a number of years in the Business and Private Client Teams with Reddy Charlton Solicitors in Dublin. He is a graduate of University College Cork, and is a Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce together with being a member of the Society of Estate & Trust Practitioners. He is also a European Trademark & Design Attorney and an Accredited Mediator (Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution).
Working in general practice, Richard is a self-described “succession law enthusiast” who also specialises in insolvency and intellectual property with a strong interest in arbitration and mediation. He teaches and examines regularly in these areas at the Law School of the Law Society of Ireland for trainee solicitors and is a regular speaker at Continuing Professional Development conferences for solicitors. He is a member of the Council of the Law Society of Ireland and is involved in a number of its committees including the Probate, Administration & Trusts Committee, the Professional Indemnity Insurance Committee, the Education Committee and the Gazette Editorial Board.
As an external appointee to the Statutory Enquiry and Investigation Committee of the Irish Auditing & Accounting Supervisory Authority and a former Divisional Chairperson of the Complaints & Client Relations Committee of the Law Society of Ireland, Richard has significant regulatory experience.
Patrick Benson
Patrick Benson qualified as a Psychiatric Nurse in 1969 in Dublin; he undertook postgraduate training in General Nursing in London and qualified as a Clinical Tutor. He is also a trained ISO Quality Auditor. He served as Assistant Director of Nursing in Mayo and Sligo and was appointed Director of Nursing for Sligo / Leitrim / South Donegal Mental Health Service in 1985. He undertook Management Development Training with the Institute of Public Administration in Dublin on all aspects of Change Management, Industrial Relations, Negotiation and Investigation Procedures.
As Director of Nursing, he has been responsible for the transformation of the mental health services in the region and introduced a nurse-led model of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Addiction Counselling, Systemic Family Therapy, and Community Mental Health Nursing with direct access by General Practitioners. He has seen major change of services from a hospital-based model to a full team orientated community model of provision.
During his time as National President of Mental Health Nurse Manager, he provided leadership and was an agent of change in the provision of integrated community based services .He was also involved in the development of education programmes in third level and ensuring standards were achieved to allow full accreditation of such programmes. He also encouraged nurses and other disciplines to undertake postgraduate opportunities and was the first service in Ireland to have a psychiatric nurse registered as a nurse prescriber.
During his career, he has been a strong advocate for patients’ rights and as a complaints officer for the service his objective was ensuring difficulties experienced were addressed and positive outcomes achieved for all concerned.
June Boulger
June Boulger has been working in Health Services Executive since 1999. Her first appointment as Health Promotion Specialist for Workplace Health, Midland Health Board (MHB), led to the implementation of an organisational wide programme aimed at healthcare staff, which was entitled the Quality of Working Life Project -Midland Health Board, this work received numerous awards.
She was also appointed by the MHB as lead for the promotion of physical activity under the National Cardiovascular Strategy. In 2006, June was appointed as National Lead on Service User Involvement, HSE. June has led on the development of the National Healthcare Charter - You and Your Health Service, many patient empowerment initiatives and research into the patient’s experience of the health services. June holds a B.A. in Sociology and Economics, Postgraduate Diploma in Health Promotion and Masters in Health Promotion, National Certificate in Exercise and Fitness from the National University of Ireland, Galway. Special interests include staff well-being and its impact on patient outcomes, patient empowerment and patient partnership in healthcare. She also lectured part-time in Athlone Institute of Technology in Health Policy and delivers guest lectures in Health Promotion.
Dr. Catherine McCabe
Dr. Catherine McCabe is currently the School of Nursing & Midwifery’s Director of the Institute for Population Health (IPH) and was a previous Director of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning for 3 years. Dr. McCabe is a Registered General Nurse with over 20 years’ experience in nursing and healthcare practice, education and research.
Her curriculum development work and teaching/learning strategies demonstrates a strong interest in using education approaches to encourage students to apply theory to practice and develop a positive and enduring interest in learning and continued professional development.
Her research projects have had a highly significant and direct impact on the improved management of pain for attendees in the Emergency Department and for patients with cancer related pain in medical and surgical wards. Her current research focuses on the use of technology to maintain independent living by facilitating, supporting and sustaining behavioural change and self-management for people with chronic illness. She has a particular interest in how technology can be used in health care contexts to improve care, patient experiences in hospital, and quality of life.
Dr. McCabe has worked on various interdisciplinary collaborative technology projects with Intel, TRIL and St James’ Hospital. She is currently engaged in developing and participating in research proposals that examine the use of ICT to promote independence, self-management in chronic illness, promote health, prevent/reduce admissions to hospital, and provide social/cultural experiences in residential care settings.
She has a well-established track record in attracting research funds as PI (Enterprise Ireland; Intel projects; HSe/Arts Council and also has a well-developed and recognisable international profile including international research collaborations in relation to healthcare technology for transforming and supporting individualised care, population health and dementia care.
Ann Sheehan
Ann Sheehan has been a Senior Business Manager, Customer Solutions Marketing & Sales Consultant since 2002. Prior to that, she worked for 12 years as a Senior Marketing/Sales Executive with Shannon Aerospace / Lufthansa. She has also worked with An Bord Altranais where she served as a member of the board for seven years in addition to being on a number of its committees. Ann is currently a member of that body’s Preliminary Proceedings Committee. She has also been a Council member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland since 2015. Ann is currently studying part-time for a degree in psychology. She is also a member of the Optical Registration Board. Ann also volunteers as a SAGE Advocacy Representative offering support and a service for older people. In addition to this in 2017, Ann was made a Director of Cuan Counselling located in Dingle Co. Kerry.
Gerard Walshe
Since qualifying as an Occupational Therapist, Gerard Walsh has worked in various posts at different levels in Intellectual Disability, Older Persons and Acute Hospital Services. Gerard has worked with the North Western Health Board (now HSE) since 1981. Gerard is currently employed as an Occupational Therapist Manager in the Acute Hospital Services provided at Sligo University Hospital.
From 1994 to 2004, Gerard was listed as a Clinical Tutor and later Clinical Teacher on the University of Dublin Trinity College, University Calendar in recognition of his contribution to Occupational Therapy Student Education and Placement Co-ordination. Gerard currently represents the interests of Occupational Therapist Managers on the Discipline of Occupational Therapy Curriculum Committee/Programme Board for the National University of Galway.
As a member of the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland (AOTI), Gerard is an active participant in the activities of the National Occupational Therapist Manager Advisory Group (NOTMAG) where he works on a subgroup with responsibility for improving the Occupational Therapist’s experience of the HSE’s HBS National Recruitment Process.
Jagdish Prasad Yadav
Jagdish Prasad Yadav was born and brought up in Delhi (India). He holds a Masters in Occupational Therapy from College of Allied Health Sciences, Jamia Hamdard, Hamdard University. He completed his Bachelor Degree in Occupational Therapy in 1997 from National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research, Cuttact, Orissa (India). Before commencing Occupational Therapy, he completed a Diploma in Pharmacy with Honors from College of Pharmacy, Jamia Hamdard, Delhi (INDIA).
Jagdish has been working for the Health Services Executive (HSE) since 2004. His first appointment in Ireland was as a Senior Occupational Therapist in Autism Services, in Waterford Community Services. Later, he moved to Primary Care Services Waterford Community Services.
In his free time, he helps students to learn efficiently via his website. His interests include knowing more about neuro-physiology and the metabolism of the brain and how it is impaired in dementia. He is keen to find a lifestyle that will help to prevent dementia.
