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The Pathways to Personalised Healthcare podcast, an initiative by Roche, brings together voices of experts, clinicians, patient representatives and researchers to explore and determine ways to implement Personalised Healthcare within the Irish Healthcare System.

We’re getting the thoughts and opinions of some of the biggest names in healthcare in Ireland on what Personalised Healthcare means to them and the future of healthcare in Ireland.

Personalised healthcare tailors decisions to individual patients based on their predicted response or risk of disease. Powered by innovative technology and a holistic approach to data, personalised healthcare can transform patients’ lives by delivering care tailored to the individual and leads to improved patient outcomes.

To kick start Season 3, Jonathan is joined by Professor of Cancer Biology at UCD, Liam Gallagher and Professor of Digital Health at Queen's University Belfast, Mark Lawler. Liam and Mark are co-leads of AICRI, the All-Island Cancer Research Institute, building an overarching framework for cancer research on the island of Ireland. This episode explores how AICRI is working to gain a better understanding of cancer, develop more personalised treatment options, ease suffering and save lives.


In this episode, Jonathan chats to Dr Jerome Coffey, Chair of the Board of the National Cancer Registry, and Prof. Ray McDermott, Consultant Medical Oncologist at St Vincent’s Hospital Dublin. Jerome explains the importance of organised cancer care and Ray shines a light on the advancements of cancer trials in Ireland. Advanced diagnostics, data and clinical trials are all outlined as essential to improving cancer care in Ireland – but how do we get there? 


Jonathan speaks to Avril Daly, CEO of Retina International and President of EURORDIS Rare Diseases Europe, and Finbarr Roche, CEO of Fighting Blindness. You’ll hear them talk about Irish and European healthcare policies and how they are assisting and empowering patients living with various eye disorders. Both highlight the importance of ensuring the right infrastructures are in place in order to be able to deliver personalised care from the moment of diagnosis all the way through the life cycle of that condition. Can ophthalmology follow the learnings from oncology?

In this episode, Professor Jane Farrar of Fighting Blindness and Trinity College, Dublin's School of Genetics and Microbiology, and Professor David Keegan, a consultant at The Mater Hospital, Dublin, and a specialist in Ophthalmology speak to Jonathan about the fascinating world of patient registries and the Target5000 registry in Ireland, and the role it plays in making personalised healthcare a reality for patients. Jonathan learns that we have 3 billion letters of code in 40 trillion cells and its mistakes in those letters of code that cause lots of genetic conditions. Could data and registries help us move the dial forward in ophthalmology?

In today’s episode, Jonathan talks to David McGarry, Access Partner: Value-Based Healthcare Roche Product Ireland, and Professor Frank Sullivan, Clinical Director of Radiation Oncology at the Galway Clinic and Chief Medical Officer of WHYZE Health. In this episode David and Frank discuss what Value-Based Healthcare actually means? How will it benefit the patients, and the clinician? Tune in to find out.

In the final episode of Season 3, Jonathan explores the current diagnostic landscape in Ireland with Leonard Marshall, head of healthcare development at Roche Diagnostics, and Dr. Fiona Kiernan, a former clinician turned economist with CareConnect. We hear about the diagnosis journey of patients, what it’s like for them to seek healthcare from diagnosis through treatment and beyond. Is an electronic health record, data collection and sharing the key to improving the patient pathway to personalised healthcare? 

In the first episode of the Pathways To Personalised Healthcare we hear from former Health Minister Mary Harney, who understandably has incredible insights into the politics around healthcare. In this episode, you’ll hear Mary speak about how data exchange between EU states can be a driver for positive change, how the lessons learned from Covid 19 can be a catalyst for reform, and how winning the battle between politics and evidence can lead to better health outcomes and better value for taxpayers’ money when it comes to personalised healthcare.

In our second episode we’re talking to Dr. Nina Byrnes, who shares her insights on Telemedicine and Telehealth. You’ll hear Nina discuss the impact remote consultations and remote monitoring are having on patient care, and how the move towards more personalised healthcare can lead to innovation in treatments for disease, including improvements in hospital outpatient care, and reducing harmful side effects.

In the third episode we speak with Dr. Derick Mitchell, the Chief Executive of the Irish Platform for Patient Organisations, Science and Industry (IPPOSI) and we discuss how common rare diseases actually are, how beneficial a patient-centred approach to healthcare really is, and we also talk about the IPPOSI Citizens' Jury on access to health information. In the episode, Derick explains the importance of valuing our health data and utilising it fully for the betterment of healthcare.

In our fourth episode we continue our journey into Personalised Healthcare as we catch up with Dr. Jennifer Westrup, the Director of Oncology and a consultant medical oncologist at Beacon Hospital as we discuss the impact Digitisation is having on patient outcomes and management systems in the health service. Jennifer explains the importance of moving to National Unique Identifiers, the efficiencies that can bring, and she outlines why this is so important for the progress of personalised healthcare, including improving access to clinical trials and treating genetic syndromes.

In the fifth episode Professor Stephen Finn Associate Professor, Consultant Pathologist and Principal Investigator at Trinity College Dublin and at St. James’s Hospital discusses how genomic targeted therapy is helping to fight cancer and we discuss why it’s so instrumental in the move towards personalised healthcare.

In the final episode of Season 1 of ‘Pathways to Personalised Healthcare’ we speak to Dr. Bryan Hennessy, an expert on Clinical Trials. We look at the various stages involved in clinical trials and the potential personal benefits for participants as individuals, and for society generally. In the episode, you’ll hear Dr. Hennessy discuss the changing attitudes towards clinical trials in Ireland evidenced in recent studies.

In the first episode of Pathways To Personalised Healthcare season 2 we hear from Tony O'Brien, former Director of the HSE. Tony shares his take on the big picture issues at play in the Irish Healthcare system. We discuss the current mismatch between capacity of the health service versus the needs of the population, and the significant benefits of rolling out a Unique Health Identifier.

In our eight episode of Pathways to Personalised Healthcare we’re joined by Liam Doran, former General Secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. Listen as Liam explains how eHealth infrastructure and personalised healthcare should be at the heart of the necessary changes for implementing Sláintecare. In this episode Liam discusses a possible future without private health insurance, revisiting GP and consultant contracts, and where the political pressure for change is coming from - or not as the case may be.

In the ninth episode we speak to Health Research Charities Ireland CEO, Dr Avril Kennan. You’ll hear Avril talk about the role of the charities sector in attracting clinical trials to Ireland, the benefits these can bring to patient outcomes and the overall benefits to the economy too. We look at the contribution rare disease registries can make and Dr. Kennan also explores the value of data collection and data sharing.

In episode ten, our final episode of season two we meet Deirdre Poretti who is part of the Healthcare Innovation team at Roche Ireland. In her current role, Deirdre works with local, global and across-country teams to design, shape, and implement healthcare solutions that make personalized healthcare a reality for patients in Ireland. In the episode, Deirdre will discuss the barriers to achieving personalized healthcare in Ireland, as well as talk about how to build better trust in science and medicine.

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