Governance

Principal Investigators:

Prof Colm Bergin (St James’ Hospital/ TCD) & Prof Patrick Mallon (St Vincent’s University Hospital/UCD).

Governance Board:

The National Irish Covid-19 Biobank (NICB) Governance Board provides independent oversight and governance of the NICB and to ensure that the NICB operates in an ethical and safe manner. The Governance Board has a direct reporting relationship to the Host Institutions (Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin) and onward to the funding agency the Health Research Board.

Board Members:

• Professor Brian MacCraith (Independent Chair) 

• Professor Helen Roche (Vice-President Research, Impact and Innovation, University College Dublin). 

• Professor Sinéad Ryan (Dean of Research, Trinity College Dublin) 

• Professor Eoin Gaffney (Independent Director) 

• Dr Rita Lawlor (Independent Director) 

• Professor William Powderly (Independent Director) 

• Ms Eibhlín Mulroe (PPI Representative; CEO of Cancer Trials Ireland) 

• Mr Muiris O’Connor (Assistant Secretary, Department of Health)

Biobank Executive Committee:

The Biobank Executive Committee are responsible for agreeing the strategic direction for the NICB. The Biobank Executive Committee reports into the Governance Board and provides direction and management for the Operations Team.

Biobank Executive Committee Members:

• Colm Bergin (St James’ Hospital/ Trinity College Dublin)

• Patrick Mallon (St Vincent’s University Hospital/ University College Dublin)

• Donal Brennan (National Maternity Hospital/ University College Dublin)

• Gianpiero Cavalleri (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland)

• Niall Conlon (St James’ Hospital/ Trinity College Dublin)

• Aoife Cotter (Mater Misericordiae University Hospital/ University College Dublin)

• Eoghan de Barra (Beaumont Hospital/ Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland)

• Eoin Feeney (St Vincent’s University Hospital/ University College Dublin)

• Mary Horgan (Cork University Hospital/ University College Cork)

• Aoife Lowery (University of Galway)

• Paul McNally (Children’s Health Ireland)

• Bairbre McNicholas (University of Galway/ University Hospital Galway)

• Derick Mitchell (IPPOSI)

• Cliona Ni Cheallaigh (St James’ Hospital/ Trinity College Dublin)

• Cliona O’Farrelly (Trinity College Dublin)

• Elizabeth Ryan (University of Limerick)

• Patrick Stapleton (University Hospital Limerick)

• Suzanne Bracken (Trinity College Dublin)

• Fiorina Rigonat (University College Dublin)

• Evelyn Fox (Trinity College Dublin, NICB DPO)

• 2nd PPI Representative (TBC)

Operations Team:

The Operations Team is a sub-group of the Biobank Executive Committee and is responsible for operational decision-making.

International Scientific Advisory Committee:

International experts, responsible for providing advice to the Biobank Executive Committee.

International Scientific Advisory Committee Members:

• Alan Landay, Rush University (Chair)

• Ewan Birney, EMBL-EBI

• Inaki Comas, Biomedicine Institute of Valencia

• Ciaran Flanagan, Biobank Ireland Trust

• Jacqueline James, Northern Ireland Biobank.

• Mihaela Mayrhofer, BBMRI-ERIC

• Siobhan Ni Bhriain, Health Service Executive

• Aarno Palotie, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Finland

• Claudia dos Santos, University of Toronto

• Breda Smyth, Health Service Executive

• Ana Teres, Health Service Executive

• Liam Woods, Health Service Executive

• Martin Yuille, Integrated Genomic Medical Research Centre, University of Manchester

Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Advisory Board

Responsible for providing PPI input into relevant NICB policies and procedures, scientific priorities and research questions as well as advise on the wider communications, education & engagement activities envisaged.

PPI Advisory Board Committee Members:

We are currently recruiting members for this board

Access Committee:

The Access Committee’s core responsibility is to review, in a timely manner, all access requests that have been verified by the Operations Team and report the outcome.