Meet the New Dean of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine
On Tuesday, 2 December 2025, Professor Cecily Kelleher, Dean of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine, officially handed over the Chain of Office to the new Dean, Dr Kevin Kelleher.
Dr Kelleher is a retired Public Health Physician with over 40 years’ experience in Ireland and the United Kingdom. He was Director of Public Health in Wolverhampton, UK and the Mid Western Health Board in Ireland from 1989-2005. He was then an Assistant National Director (DPH) in the HSE up until his retirement, covering a variety of roles including Health Protection, Child Health, Immunisation and, in the latter years, held responsibility for Public Health.
Kevin was involved at the highest levels in both the 2009 Swine Flu Pandemic and the 2020-2202 Covid Pandemic. He has been a Board member of the HRB, RPII and LIT. His main areas of interest are Child Health, Immunisation Health Service Policy and Public Health Ethics.
Welcoming Dr Kelleher, whom she describes as an outstanding colleague, Professor Cecily Kelleher says: “Kevin is an internationally recognised Public Health Physician who has held many significant leadership roles, including as longstanding Assistant National Director for Health and Wellbeing with responsibility for Public Health and Child Health during the crucial COVID-19 period.
“He has demonstrated sustained commitment to higher specialist training in Public Health Medicine and to all aspects of the Faculty’s Membership examination. He has been a board member and Honorary Treasurer of the Faculty’s board for the past four years and served on the RCPI Strategy group.
“Kevin has been a huge support during my time as Dean and I wish him very well during his tenure.”
Professor Cecily Kelleher served four successful years as Dean of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine, taking over from Dr Emer Shelley in 2021. During her tenure, Professor Kelleher has provided strategic leadership in governance, education, and advocacy.
During this period, there have been major reforms in the healthcare delivery system with the implementation of Slaintecare, with consultants in public health medicine to the fore. Professor Kelleher served on the Public Health Reform Expert Advisory Group, chaired by Professor Hugh Brady, and, more recently, as Chair of the National Rare Disease Strategy Group for the Department of Health, published in August 2025.
Under her stewardship, the faculty has continued to strengthen its training programmes and maintained standards of excellence through a culture of continuous development. A distinguished academic and researcher and outgoing Principal of the College of Health and Agricultural Sciences at UCD, Professor Kelleher has championed evidence-based practice, providing public health physicians at all stages of their careers an opportunity to share their work at the faculty’s scientific meetings with published proceedings in the Irish Medical Journal.
Reinforcing the values of shared learning, she has led the faculty in collaborating and partnering both nationally and internationally to amplify the faculty’s voice in health policy, public health training and education and health equity.
Her voice continues to reinforce the importance of public health medicine in shaping Ireland’s healthcare system. We wish Cecily every success in her next steps.