In profile: Ireland’s leading medical officials

Breda Smyth, who became the first female Chief Medical Officer in the State in 2022, and Stephen Mulvany, who has been acting CEO of the HSE since October 2022, are the two most prominent figures in Irish healthcare.

Breda Smyth

Breda Smyth became the first woman to serve as CMO in the history of the State when she was appointed to the role, originally on an interim basis in July 2022, before being appointed permanently in October 2022.

Smyth has extensive experience leading national programmes across public health, serving as senior responsible owner on the HSE Public Health Reform programme in 2019. She was the national lead on the Health and Positive Ageing Project, and developed and published the Healthy and Positive Ageing for All: Research Strategy 2015–2019 in collaboration with the Department of Health in 2019. She was also the national stroke prevention lead in the Stroke Clinical Programme from 2010 to 2014, leading the pilot opportunistic screening for atrial fibrillation.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Smyth, who hails from Straide, County Mayo, played a role as a member of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), the Rapid Testing Expert Advisory Group and as a founding member of the Covid-19 Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group

Smyth completed her primary degree in medicine (MB, BCh, BAO) in University College Galway (now the University of Galway). She then continued her training in the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI), undertook a master’s in Public Health in University College Dublin, a Medical Doctorate in NUI Galway (now the University of Galway) and a post-doctoral fellowship in the University of California, Los Angeles. Smyth was conferred as a member of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine of Ireland in 2005, and, in 2013, was made a fellow of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine in Ireland.

She previously was professor for public health medicine in NUI Galway and a consultant in public health in HSE West.

Following the retirement of her predecessor, Tony Holohan, Smyth was appointed as Chief Medical Officer of Ireland – on an interim basis from 15 June 2022 – by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD.

Outside of work, Smyth is also an accomplished musician and has toured and performed worldwide as a violinist with Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames which included performances at the Ryder Cup and the Red Cross for the Royal Family in Monaco.

She released her debut album Basil and Thyme in 2002 and was subsequently nominated as female traditional musician of the year by the Irish Music Magazine in 2003. She hosted the Irish Music Magazine Awards in the National Concert Hall, Dublin in October 2003.

Smyth has also undertaken extensive research including a medical doctorate, on Mortality Inequalities in Ireland from 2000 to 2006 between 2007 and 2009 for which she received the Zachary Johnson Bronze Medal. She was also awarded a post-doctoral fellowship in the University of California, Los Angeles from 1998 to 2001.

Stephen Mulvany

Stephen Mulvany assumed the role of Acting Chief Executive Officer of the HSE in October 2022. Prior to this, Mulvany had been Chief Financial Officer since 2014. In that role he was responsible for financial planning, operational planning, and service delivery of the organisation.

His strongest achievements are seen as having ensured that a “strong and integrated financial performance system” was in place, assisting former CEO, Paul Reid, in all strategic and operational matters relating to budgetary management, forecasting needs, and the securing of funding for health and social care services.

He has worked for over 30 years in the public sector. Alongside his role as Chief Finance Officer, he had served as National Director for Mental Health, regional director for operations in the Dublin North-East region, and working as a hospital networking manager in Ardee, County Louth.

Key focuses of Mulvany’s career in the public sector include stewardship, accountability, financial planning, management, as well as corporate and professional leadership.

Mulvany has held various roles throughout the HSE including Chief Financial Officer, National Director for Mental Health, National Director of Finance and Regional Director of Operations in Dublin North East as well as Hospital Network Manager. Before this he worked for several years in local government.

Mulvany is a certified accountant, having graduated from Griffith College Dublin with a postgraduate diploma in management and application of information technology in accounting, an MSc in management practice, as well as a certificate from the Institute of Directors.