Professor Hannah McGee has been appointed to the new role of Deputy Director of Research at the RCSI.

She will work closely with Professor Brian Harvey, Director of Research to promote RCSI's Research Strategy – translational research ‘from bench to bedside to population’. Professor McGee will take up the post in a part-time capacity and remain as head of the Department of Psychology at RCSI.

Professor Brian Harvey, Director of Research, has welcomed the new appointment as an acknowledgement of RCSI’s commitment to translational research.

Hannah joined RCSI in 1987 as a Health Psychology Research Fellow. In 1997 she became Professor of Psychology and in 2006 she became the first head of Population Health Sciences (PHS) at RCSI. PHS combines the academic and research activities of the Departments of Epidemiology & Public Health Medicine; General Practice; and Psychology.

Professor McGee is RCSI lead on the joint RCSI-TCD-UCC HRB PhD Scholars Programme in Health Services Research since its commencement in 2007. Intake this autumn will bring the number of PhDs registered on the Programme to 32.

In terms of her disciplinary and research interests, she has previously served as President of the Psychological Society of Ireland, the European Health Psychology Society and is currently Chair of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Section of the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation.

Within Ireland, Hannah has served as RCSI/RCPI representative on the board of the Health Research Board and was appointment by the Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney as chair of the Department’s National Cardiovascular Health Policy Group – the Policy to be launched Autumn 2009. 

Mr Michael Horgan, CEO of RCSI, commented: "Professor McGee brings a wealth of expertise to the role and is highly respected and successful in the Irish and European Health Research arenas. I believe she has a valuable contribution to make to the successful implementation and development of the RCSI Research Strategy."