The Committee

How it Works

The affairs of the Irish Association of Advanced Nurse/Midwife Practitioners association shall be managed by a committee consisting of the following:

  • Chairperson
  • Deputy Chairperson
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer
  • Sub Committee Officers

A quorum for a committee meeting shall be five of which two must be an officer of the committee. The committee shall have the authority to:

  • Co-opt a member of the association to fill a vacancy, which will be subsequently endorsed at an AGM
  • Establish sub committees the members of which shall be appointed at the discretion of the committee
  • Invite persons who are not members of the Association to attend certain meetings to give expert advice

The Committee 2022

The IAANMP committee members are all volunteer members who contribute their expertise in order to advance the mission and vision of the association.

999999999.20231123112607237.999999999.20231123112607237Rljf3
Melissa Hammond
Chairperson
Caroline Fraser
Caroline Fraser
Vice Chair
IAANMP Member
Ms. Audrey Butler
Treasurer
pro pic copy
Dona Liza Cromar
Secretary

Subcommittee Officers

IAANMP Member
Deirdre Gleeson
IAANMP Member
Roisin Lennon
IAANMP Member
Mary Gillespie
IAANMP Member
Trish McKeowan
1
Susan McKenna
999999999.20231214151305386.999999999.20231214151305386mqlNP
Fiona Colbert
999999999.20231204134043970.999999999.20231204134043970zIgrQ
Kathleen Canavan
Vincent Melvin
Vincent Melvin
unnamed
Gemma Smyth

Honorary Members

Ms. Valerie Small
First ANP in Ireland
'Connor cropped
Ms. Cora O'Connor
Founding member and previous Chair of IAANMP
Years of service 2004-2014
IAANMP Member
Karen Brennan
Previous Chair of IAANMP
Years of service 2014-2018
IAANMP Member
Christine McDermott
Previous Chair of IAANMP
Years of service 2018-2022
IAANMP Member
Mr Aidan Foley
Previous Chair of IAANMP
Year of service 2022-2023
Scroll to Top
Melissa Hammond – Chairperson
Melissa qualified as a registered general nurse in 2004 with a bachelor degree in science at Queens University Belfast. She completed a higher diploma in Cardiovascular and Critical Care specialist nursing in Trinity College Dublin and in St James’ Hospital. She specialised in intensive care and cardiology nursing, and moved into a Clinical Nurse Specialist role in Heart Failure. She helped launch the HF Virtual Consultation Clinics between secondary and primary care. This is where she saw the potential impact of an ANP role in General Practice.  In 2018, she progressed on to complete a masters in science at University College Dublin for advanced practice and nurse prescribing. Melissa moved into General Practice in May 2022 where she is now working as a registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner and has a special interest in Chronic Disease Management, Health screening and Preventative Medicine.
Melissa is passionate about the impact of nursing, in particular the ANP role, and she has a vision to promote true understanding of the advanced practice role within healthcare and nationally. She is an active  member in the General Practice ANP Ireland group and is on the steering committee advocating for ANPs in General Practice.  She has vast experience and can offer an understanding of the advanced practice journey in both primary and secondary care, within public and private settings. Melissa is looking forward to the next year to help further enhance the voice of all advanced practitioners in Ireland as chair of the IAANMP.
Caroline Fraser, Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner (Emergency)

Caroline is a Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner (RANP) in the Emergency Department (ED) in the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore. She is responsible for assessing and treating both adults and children with injuries and minor illnesses. Caroline has worked in the Emergency Directorate both in England and Ireland for 26 years in a variety of roles including Clinical Nurse Manager 2 & 3 and Regional ED Clinical Facilitator. During this time, she completed a post graduate course in emergency nursing and a BSc in nursing. In 2017, she began her career in advanced practice and undertook a Masters in Advanced Practice in Trinity College, Dublin. Caroline is a registered nurse prescriber and is authorised to refer for radiological procedures. In addition to the clinical component, her role also incorporates the provision of leadership and education to staff in the ED. She is an ACLS instructor and a member of the Midlands ED ANP group, Emergency Medicine Programme ANP forum group and the IAANMP. Caroline has lectured in Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) on post-graduate courses and has assisted in developing both the Higher Diploma in Emergency Nursing and the Emergency Nursing Foundation programme in AIT. She has a special interest in pain management in the ED and has carried out research in this area. Caroline was recently involved in implementing a virtual fracture clinic into the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise which was the first hospital in Ireland to do so with no orthopaedic speciality. She has carried out a number of audits in this area which she has presented at national conferences.

Ms. Audrey Butler. Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner [Orthopaedics]

Audrey Butler (MHSc (Advanced Practice), RGN, BSN, RNP, HDip Ortho) has worked in the Dept of Trauma Orthopaedics in UHL for 15 years.Prior to this she worked as a Staff Nurse on the Orthopaedic Trauma Ward and was then appointed Clinical Nurse Specialist in 2007, a post she filled for nine years.

Audrey has enhanced her academic and professional development through a vast amount of further education. Her continued professional development was also enhanced through attendances at many orthopaedic nursing courses and conferences. This also gave her opportunity to present audit and research projects undertaken as part of her role.

Audrey completed her Masters in Advanced Specialist Practice in NUIG in 2014 and is a Registered Nurse Prescriber of Medications and Ionising Radiation.

She was appointed Candidate Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Orthopaedics in March 2016 and received accreditation from NMBI in Feb 2017 as a Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner Orthopaedics, the 1st RANP post nationally within this speciality. Audrey Is an Adjunct Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery NUIG and is passionate about improving the patient experience of out-patient fracture care at UHL in collaboration with her Consultant colleagues.

Dona Liza Cromar – Secretary

Dona is a Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Emergency Care who works in both the Injury Unit at Roscommon University Hospital (RUH) and the Emergency Department (ED) at Galway University Hospital (GUH). She is responsible for diagnosing and effectively treating a wide range of injuries in both adults and children over the age of five. In addition, she is competent in dealing with specific ear, nose and ophthalmic presentations.

Dona undertook her Bachelor of Nursing Degree at Trinity College Dublin. She has worked in the ED at the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore (MRHT) and GUH as an emergency nurse. She obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Emergency Nursing at the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) and went on to secure a permanent position as Clinical Nurse Manager at the MRHT’s ED. She was the nurse lead in the development of a new service and oversaw quality improvement initiatives. She has worked extensively in data collection, audit and policy development. Furthermore, she has completed a Certificate in Prescribing of Medicinal Products and a Certificate in Referring Patients for Ionising Radiation at University College Dublin. She graduated with an Honours Master’s Degree in Advanced Nursing Practice, allowing her to enter the register as an RANP.

She is a member of the Unscheduled Care Safety Group and the nurse representative on the Drugs and Therapeutics Committee in RUH. Her qualitative research was presented at both a national and international conference. She is involved in the expansion of the current services at RUH, as well as the development of referral pathways and policies. In her role, Dona provides guidance and education to the staff in the Injury Unit.

Ms.Deirdre Gleeson. Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner [Emergency]
Deirdre has been working as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner between the ED and the local injury Units within the Emergency Care Network in University Limerick Hospitals Group (ULHG) since September 2014. Previously she worked as a CNM I for almost 11 years in the Emergency Department in Nenagh General Hospital where she gained extensive knowledge and her passion for emergency nursing. During this period she embarked on an educational journey from Post Graduate Diploma to Msc in Advanced Nursing Practice, completing courses in medicinal prescribing and x-ray prescribing along the way. In line with national hospital configuration and service need, Deirdre and a team of 5 other RANPs rotate between the ED and the 3 Injury Units (IU) within the Emergency Care Network of the UL Hospitals Group providing safe, efficient and autonomous care to adult patients and paediatric patients over the age of 5 with a range of injuries and conditions as per a collaboratively agreed scope of practice. Deirdre is involved in a number ANP committees and groups both nationally and locally. Since 2014 she has been a committee member of the Irish Association of Advanced Nurse and Midwife Practitioners.
Roisin Lennon
I trained as a nurse back in the days of PTS in the Adelaide Hospital, Dublin. During my 6-week maternity placement in the Coombe I decided to be a midwife and secured a student midwife place in Perth Royal Infirmary in Scotland. On becoming a midwife I worked as a rota midwife in Ninewells Hospital in Dundee for 4 years and obtained my post grad BSc (Hons) in Nursing also. I then moved back to PRI and worked there for a further 8 years as a team midwife. In 2003 I moved to Sligo where I started work on the maternity ward and then was a senior midwife on the labour ward for many years becoming the first registered nurse/midwife prescriber in the unit. A six-month stint covering the CMM3 post for maternity leave made me realise that I wanted to focus on hands on clinical midwifery. I obtained a Master of Health Science in Advanced Practice in 2016 and registered as a RAMP in Midwifery care in 2017. My service aims to normalise pregnancy and birth for a caseload of women with underlying medical conditions and other complexities that mean they do not meet the criteria for normal midwife led care. In the 5 years since introducing the service, the caseload numbers have grown. The service is rated favourably by the women and the birth outcomes are comparable with findings from women attending for continuity of midwifery care for normal risk women. I am also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and provides a self-referral feeding support clinic in SUH. I feel privileged to be a midwife and to be a part of so many women’s pregnancy journey and am proud to be able to provide a choice of care pathway for the service users of SUH maternity services.
Ms. Mary Gillespie. Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner Rheumatology.
Mary Gillespie MHSc (Advanced Practice and Nurse Prescribing NUIG), HDip (Rheumatology UCD), RGN, ENB 124 (Coronary Care) Mary has worked in the Rheumatology Department of the University Hospital Limerick Group working across all sites and based at Nenagh Hospital Co. Tipperary for the last 10 years. Prior to this she worked as a Staff Nurse in the Coronary Care Unit at Harefield Hospital Buckinghamshire before returning to Ireland working in Coronary Care at Wexford, Sligo and Nenagh Hospitals. With the reconfiguration of the Limerick hospital group Mary was redeployed to the outpatient setting where Mary’s interest in rheumatology began this led to achieving a Hdip in Rheumatology becoming a CNS and developing a nurse led rheumatology service at Nenagh hospital in 2013 a post held until she was appointed Candidate Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Rheumatology in 2017 and received accreditation from NMBI in 2019 as a Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner Rheumatology Mary is an Adjunct Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at University of Limerick.. She has been a member of the IRNF since 2013 currently sitting on the committee of the IRNF and a member of the IAANMP and IRHPS. Mary has previously been the candidate ANP nurse representative on the Steering Group for the Graduate to Advanced Nurse practice demonstrator project initiative which led the drive for the critical mass of ANP’s supported by the Department of Health. Currently Mary is the nurse representative on the National clinical Programme for Rheumatology looking at developing practical solutions to addressing problematic areas such as delays in outpatient appointments. Mary has also participated on a scheduled care transformation programme by the Department of health. Mary is passionate about improving the patient experience of out-patient Rheumatology in collaboration with her Nursing and Consultant colleagues.
Ms.Trisha Mc Keown. Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner [Emergency]

Trisha has been a RANP since 2013. She began as a staff nurse in 1993 at Whipps Cross University Hospital, London and has worked in the Emergency setting since. She has been working in the ULHG for the past 17 years.She is also a Registered Children’s Nurse, Nurse Prescriber of both Ionising Radiation and medications. She completed her MSc Advanced practice in NUIG in 2011.

Trisha is an active member of the HSE West Forum, EMP ANP & LIU forums. As part of the EMP LIU Forum she took the lead in the design of the new National IU document.

Trisha is an IAANMP member since 2012 , and held the position of Association secretary since 2015.

She is passionate about educating staff to grow their knowledge to better care for our patients and families. She is an advocate for the progression of advanced practice.

Susan McKenna:

Susan joined Beacon Hospital in 2015 as CNS in diabetes. She has extensive clinical experience in SCBU, Practice Nursing and Diabetes Nursing. She is a registered General Nurse, Childrens Nurse, Midwife, Nurse Prescriber ad Advanced Nurse Practitioner. She completed a Post Graduate Diploma in diabetes and progressed to running a number of clinic including diabetes clinics within general practice. In 2013, she undertook the professional diploma in Nurse Prescribing, which led to further expansion of her role. While working in general practice, she also completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Health Sciences (Primary Care) which included mental health, women’s health, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and infectious disease in primary care and advanced wound care management. She then completed an MSc in Advanced Nurse Practice and a Post Graduate Diploma in Endocrinology in South Wales University.

She joined the Beacon Hospital in 2015 and became the first nurse prescriber and the first ANP in Beacon Hospital. She oversees the diabetes department and has added a number of services, including pump therapy and DAFNE to the diabetes service. She is fortunate to work with incredible Consultants and Nursing Colleagues.

In the last number of years she has collaborated with the Oncology and Endocrinology Departments in Beacon Hospital to produce research abstracts which have been presented at national and international conferences

She is a founding member and Chair of the ANP forum in Beacon Hospital and a founder member of Nursing Grand Rounds in Beacon Hospital

She looks forward to helping as a committee member.

Fiona Colbert Donaghey RGN,RNP:
Fiona Colbert Donaghey RGN,RNP, Emergency Cardiology RANP, BSc, MSc Nursing, RNP, FFNMRCSI, Honorary Teaching Associate RCSI, Radiological Nurse Referrer Site Coordinator, Beaumont Hospital. Nurse representative on National Advisory Committee for Nurse and Midwife Referrers of Radiological Procedures and Chair person of Advanced Practice Section INMO. Experienced Provider/ACLS/BLS instructor. I am also part of the ANP/CNS grand rounds team in Beaumont Hospital. I have Special interest in Women’s Cardiovascular Health and currently undertaking a MSc in Preventive Cardiology. I studied in Thames Valley university Slough and then Returning to Ireland were I worked In the Mater hospital before joining Beaumont Hospital. I have worked In Beaumont for many years in Ccu as Staff nurse, CNM 1&2 then a brief time as An ADON out of hours before embarking On my ANP journey. I registered in 2017 and work as part of team. My role involves providing a consult service to patients in the Emergency department with a wide range of cardiac conditions. We also developed a virtual ANP led clinic since 2016.
Kathleen Canavan Moran MSc RANP RNP Cardiothoracic:
Kathleen is a Chicago Illinois U.S.A. native, born to Irish Immigrants. She moved to Dublin Ireland in April 1999 to open a new Cardiothoracic Surgical Unit in St. James’s Hospital Dublin, and to pioneer the role of the Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Keith Shaw Cardiothoracic Unit in St. James’s Hospital Dublin in 2000. She practiced in St. James’s Hospital until June 2004 when she was headhunted to open the first Cardiothoracic Surgical unit in the West of Ireland. She took up her post at The Galway Clinic in June 2004 and is still actively practicing there today…now known as Blackrock Health The Galway Clinic. Kathleen bases her practice on providing seamless holistic care to her patients by being actively involved clinically in every aspect of her patient’s care, with a hands-on approach, from the patient’s referral through to their post operative follow up care. Kathleen is an active member and participant in the patient’s surgical care and the surgical team. She has first assisted cardiothoracic surgical operations for over 24 years. She is an expert in vein and radial artery harvesting and in first assisting the Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeons. She is an expert in first assisting robotic surgical operations and was the first robotic surgical assistant in Ireland. To date, she has performed over 1500 surgical robotic cases as the surgical first assistant. Kathleen prepared the documentation for submission to NMBI for post approval for Advanced Nurse Practitioners in Cardiothoracic Surgery for the University Hospital Galway and The Galway Clinic and achieved accreditation for both in 2012. She has a special interest in wound care and management. Her patients are the centre of her daily practice and is a true patient advocate. Having working in both public and private institutions in Ireland, Kathleen is keen to foster and bridge any gaps between both healthcare providing bodies, in order to facilitate better holistic focused care to the people availing of healthcare services in Ireland.

Vincent Melvin

Community Mental Health Nurse (CNSp/RANP),

An experienced Community Mental Health Nurse (CNSp/RANP) who has specialised in Psychiatry of Later Life (POLL). Prior to 2018, served the population of the North West of Ireland in acute psychiatry, adult community mental health, rehab & recovery, and liaison mental health nursing settings.

21 years’ post registration experience relating to the provision of mental health nursing care to adults/older adults. Special interests include delirium and dementia, and integrated care.

I have completed modular components, such as Advanced Research Skills, Nurse Prescribing, Clinical Practicum at Master’s Degree level, while adding to the current body of knowledge in relation to neurocognitive disorders and Psychiatry of Later Life.

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=sufBLXUAAAAJ . 

Currently sits on the Mental Health Advanced Nurse Practitioners of Ireland and IAANMP committees.

 

Gemma Smyth cANP in Intellectual Disability:
Gemma currently works as a candidate Advanced Nurse Practitioner (cANP) in Intellectual Disability Nursing – Health and Wellbeing, for HSE Cavan/Monaghan Disability Services. Graduating from Queen’s University, Belfast in 2001 as a Registered Nurse in Intellectual Disability Nursing, Gemma’s career has been shaped by a commitment to the vocation of Intellectual Disability Nursing. Her journey includes roles as a staff nurse and Nursing Sister, as well as Day Service Manager in the private sector. Prior to undertaking her current innovate role, Gemma worked as a Health Facilitation Nurse, collaborating with Primary Care Practices, General Practitioners and other community based multidisciplinary team members in the Western Trust area in the North of Ireland. The focus of her work was improving identification of individuals with an intellectual disability and facilitating smoother access to healthcare services in the community for them and their representatives.  The role also provided education and guidance to staff in primary care on enhanced methods of communication and making reasonable adjustments for people accessing services in addition to supporting General Practitioners with annual health screening and co-production of health improvement plans. Gemma is passionate about advocating for individuals with an Intellectual Disability, ensuring access to equitable healthcare, and empowering people to lead healthy lives. She is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing – Advanced Practice at Trinity College Dublin.
Mr. David Delaney
David is the newly elected Secretary. He currently works in the Emergency Department of University Hospital Limerick. David graduated from the University of Tasmania in Australia and started his career in cardiac care. From there he worked in the Intensive care units of the Royal Hobart Hospital, Tasmania, the Royal Prince Alfred, Sydney, St. James Hospital, Dublin and University Hospital Limerick. He is currently a Clinical Skills Facilitator in the Emergency Department of University Hospital Limerick. He has previously studied a postgraduate diploma in Intensive Care Nursing with NUI Galway and is currently in his dissertation year of this Masters in Advanced Nursing Care also with NUI Galway. David will be a registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner once his MSc is complete. David also holds a position on the student subgroup of the International Council of Nurses NP/APN network.