General Practice

At undergraduate level the department is involved in teaching throughout Years 1-4 of the medical degree programme.

In Years 1 and 2 we are involved in delivering an Introduction to Clinical Skills and Early Patient Contact across all modules. This provides students with the opportunity to meet patients early in their training and aims to develop clinical skills including communication, examination and prescribing, and to contextualise the theoretical learning of knowledge, skills and attitudes.

During Year 3 students may undertake a Student Selected Component (SSC), which involves a six-week research placement. The SSC placement aims to provide students with an understanding of the fundamentals of study design and data analysis in primary care research.

During Senior Cycle 1, students undertake a six-week general practice rotation. During rotation, students attend lectures and teaching within the department and spend time in placement in general practice. During the attachment, students will hone their clinical skills by taking histories, performing physical examinations, making differential diagnoses and formulating management plans. Teaching is on a one-to-one basis with one student per surgery for each attachment.

At postgraduate level the Department of General Practice is responsible for the delivery of the MSc in Healthcare Ethics and Law as well as contributing through teaching and supervision to the Master's of Surgery, MPharm, and SPHeRE PhD Programmes.

The Department of General Practice offers a vibrant research environment for multidisciplinary collaboration. Over 14 years we were home to the HRB Centre for Primary Care Research, and continue to host two major collaborative doctoral award programmes: Right Care – Enhancing Safe and Appropriate Care to Older Patients in Ireland, and Managing Complex Multimorbidity in Primary Care.

Research work continues the department’s overall aim to enhance patient safety in terms of prescribing, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to the care of patients, utilising information and communication technology (ICT). Themes include:

• Medicine management in primary care
• Clinical prediction rules in primary care
• Effective care delivery (including multimorbidity research)
• Primary care cancer research.

We collaborate with a broad range of experts, patients and institutions to deliver projects with direct patient benefit. Our research methodologies span from qualitative projects to big data studies, prospective research, health service development projects, and synthesising available published evidence.

Professor/Chair of Department

• Tom Fahey

Associate Professor of Healthcare Ethics

• David Smith

Associate Professor in General Practice

• Patrick Redmond

Clinical Lecturers

• Karen Kyne
• Sumi Dunne
• Caroline McCarthy
• Emer O’Brien
• Mairtin O'Maolain
• Ellen Stuart
• Anthony Hoban
• Shane Dunlea
• David Byrne

Year 1 and 2 GP Tutors

• Laura Barker
• Lia Egan
• Amelia Sookdeo
• Áine Green
• Dean Murray
• Erika Keane
• Ciara Lambe
• Dean Murray
• Majella Hillery
• Carlotta Boselli
• Jane Uygur
• Jessica Barnes
• Bridget Kiely

Academic Administration

• Susan Dunne (Department Secretary)
• Laura Hayes (Operations Assistant)

Postdoctoral Researchers/Research Fellows/MDs/PhDs

• Ahmeda Ali
• David Byrne
• Aisling Croke
• Benjamin Jacob
• Bridget Kiely
• James Larkin
• Caroline McCarthy
• Grainne McNally
• Emer O'Brien