The Authority

The Authority of the HPRA is appointed by the Minister for Health in accordance with the powers conferred by subsection 2 of section 7 of the Irish Medicines Board Act, 1995.


Member Profiles


Mr Michael Donnelly - Chair

Michael Donnelly Chairman Authority of the HPRA Michael, who was appointed to the Authority of the HPRA as Chair by the Minister for Health in April 2021, has spent his career in healthcare.

He has over 35 years of experience in Ireland and the US at senior executive, non-executive director, and executive director levels in private companies, listed companies and public sector organisations. He was Professor of Research Pediatrics at University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and directed research in Neonatology at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center. Michael was the Neonatology Lead in design and construction of the new Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and its Basic Science Research facility.

Michael has published extensively and been granted US and international patents. His research was funded by US National Institutes of Health and the Advanced Research Projects Agency. He has been on medical device standards development panels and reviewer of US National Science Foundation research applications. As Head of Research and Development for listed companies he directed external research programmes. He has directed US FDA regulated trials on the development of diagnostics, devices, and medicines.

Michael is a Barrister and member of the Law Library with a focus on commercial matters.


Dr Joe Collins - MVB PhD CSci CBiol FRSB MRCVS CertEP CertVR

Joe was appointed to the Authority of the HPRA in September 2020.Dr Joe Collins, member of the Board of the HPRA

Joe graduated from the School of Veterinary Medicine, UCD in 1987. He has since worked in Ireland and the UK in private veterinary practice, in the pharmaceutical industry and in the university sector. Joe is currently Chief Veterinary Advisor (Europe) at The Donkey Sanctuary, a UK headquartered global NGO, a member of the Charity Board at the Irish Horse Welfare Trust (IHWT) and teaches on animal remedies and scientific animal protection (SAP) training courses in Ireland.

Joe has previously been President of Veterinary Ireland and FEEVA (the Federation of European Equine Veterinary Associations), and served on the National Committee for the Protection of Animals used for Scientific Purposes and the Veterinary Council of Ireland. Joe holds a PhD in equine welfare and is a Chartered Scientist, Chartered Biologist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Biologists. His main interests are in animal welfare and protection, veterinary medicines and professional standards.


Mr David Holohan - BCOMM, MBA, CDir, M.lnst.D, CIFD, CMgr FCMI, Chartered FCSI

Mr D Holohan

David has worked in the asset and fund management industry across a range of roles, including Head of Research, Chief Investment Officer, and fund manager.

He was initially appointed to the Authority of the HPRA by the Minister for Health in January 2016 and is serving a second term.

A Harvard Business School alumnus, David graduated from the General Management Program (GMP) and was awarded the Harvard Business School Advanced Corporate Director Certificate. David is also a graduate of both Imperial College London, holding an MBA with Merit, and from University College Dublin, attaining a Bachelor of Commerce Degree.

David is a Chartered Director (UK), a Member of the Institute of Directors (Ireland) and a Certified Investment Fund Director (Ireland).

He is also a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (UK) and a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (UK).

David is Chairman of the Governing Body of the Institute of Art, Design & Technology, Dun Laoghaire (IADT) and Chairman of the Board of the Dublin Dental University Hospital (DDUH). He previously served as non-executive Chairman of the charity, One in Four Ireland and as a Non-Executive Director of Ireland's National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) and the Dublin City Childcare Committee (DCCC).


Mr Brian Jones

Mr B Jones

Brian Jones is an accomplished healthcare leader, serving as a Non-Executive Director on the HPRA Authority board since 2016, and is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee. With a distinguished career in public health, Brian's deep expertise is rooted in decades of service within the NHS, where he held the position of Chief Executive of an NHS provider. He now leads a prominent charity in London, applying his vast knowledge of healthcare management to drive positive social impact.

In addition to his role at the HPRA, Brian is a board member of NHS Tayside, a £1.2 billion organisation with over 14,000 staff. At NHS Tayside, he chairs several key committees, including the Public Health Committee, providing strategic oversight to improve health outcomes across the region. He also serves on the board of Quays Housing, where he contributes to shaping the future of community health through housing initiatives.

Internationally recognised for his leadership in healthcare, Brian is an Honorary Lecturer at universities in Paris and London, sharing his insights on health economics, public health, and system leadership. His broad experience and commitment to excellence make him a respected voice in the field, trusted to guide organisations through complex healthcare challenges with a focus on innovation, governance, and sustainability.


Dr Fiona Kiernan - MB BCh BAO, B Med Sc, FCAI, MSc (Health Econ), PhD (Econ)

Photo of Dr Fiona Kiernan HPRA Authority Member

Fiona, who was appointed to the Authority of the HPRA in September, is both a clinician and economist. She is the Head of Life & Health Underwriting and Claims for Continental Europe with Swiss Re. Along with her medical degree from University College Dublin, she also holds a Masters in Health Economics, Policy & Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a PhD in Economics from University College Dublin.

She practised medicine for sixteen years, including seven years as a consultant in anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine. As an economist she designed a pioneering funding model for intensive care patients using micro costing methodology. In 2023 she was appointed to the State Board of the National Treatment Purchase Fund where she is Chair of the Patient Care Committee, and she was previously a member of the State Board of the Health Insurance Authority from 2016 to 2021.


Dr Paula Kilbane - CBE FRCP FFPHM 

Dr Paula Kilbane HPRA Authority Board Member

Dr Paula Kilbane trained in London in public health medicine and subsequently held consultant posts there prior to returning to Northern Ireland in 1986. Following a post of Director of Public Health, she became a CEO in two of the Health Boards in Northern Ireland from 1993 to 2009.

Following relocation to Dublin in 2012, she served on a number of Boards in the public, not-for-profit, and private sectors. She is currently a member of the Board of HIQA (second term) where she has chaired the Regulatory Committee, and CES - The Centre for Effective Services.

She has served on a number of all-island bodies and in other sectors, including European funding and higher education.

Her professional interests include regulation, risk assessment, quality and patient safety, health information systems and health technology and strategic redesign of services.

A graduate of QUB, she is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians UK and a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health (UK and Ireland).

She was awarded the CBE in 2003 for services to health in Northern Ireland.


Professor Sharon O'Kane - PhDProfessor Sharon O'Kane - Authority Member

Sharon was appointed to the Authority of the HPRA in July 2021.

Sharon is an experienced Non-executive and Executive Board member with deep technology, innovation and governance expertise in the private, public and university sectors. She is a scientific and technical business leader within the international Medical Device and Pharmaceutical sectors, with experience spanning start-up company foundation through publicly listed global corporations.

Sharon is an R&D scientist who has been a Company Director for over 23 years, with experience of both private and public biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Sharon is currently a Non-Executive Director of the global medical device company LivaNova plc (LIVN: Nasdaq), where she is Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee.

Sharon is a Visiting Professor at the University of Ulster, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, and Entrepreneur in Residence at University College Dublin (UCD). Previously Sharon was the Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Manchester, a Non Executive Director of the Manchester Inward Development Agency, and a founding member of the Manchester Business Leadership Council. Sharon is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors USA, Institute of Directors (IoD) Ireland, IoD UK, and Women on Boards.

Sharon has a Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors and has had Corporate Governance training at Harvard Business School. She earned a BSc (1st Class Honours) in Biomedical Sciences, a Diploma in Industrial Studies and a PhD in BiomedicalSciences from the University of Ulster. Sharon has received a number of academic and patent publications, prizes and awards.

Dr Diarmuid Quinlan - MB, BCh, BAO, BSc (Hons), MICGP, MRCGP, Masters in Medical Law &Dr Quinlan Ethics (merit), DCH, DFFP, Dip Practical Dermatology (distinction).

Dr. Diarmuid Quinlan (BSc (Hons), MICGP, FRCGP, LLM, DFFP, DCH, DPD) is the Medical Director of the Irish College of GPs and a GP in Glanmire, Cork. He is a Board member of HPRA and chair of the HPRA Advisory Committee of Human Medicines. He was previously HSE-ICGP clinical lead for Diabetes.

He is a graduate of UCC and completed specialist training in General Practice in Kent, England before working in Australia. He is an undergraduate tutor at UCC and an online postgraduate dermatology tutor at Cardiff University, Wales. He obtained a master’s in Medical Law & Ethics from Edinburgh University. He recently commenced an MD in the Department of General Practice, at UCC.


Professor Richard Reilly

Professor Reilly is Professor of Neural Engineering at Trinity College, Prof R ReillyThe University of Dublin. This post is a joint position between the School of Medicine and School of Engineering. He is a Principal Investigator of the Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering (TCBE) and also a Principal Investigator at the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN). His research interests are in clinical neural engineering based on signal processing of electrophysiological, neuroimaging and bioacoustic data for the development of quantitative methods to understand neural function and the underlying pathophysiology of sensory and cognitive processing.

He is a member of the Royal Irish Academy and Fellow of the European Alliance for Medical and Biological Engineering & Science and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland. He was awarded the Haughton Medal from the Royal Academy of Medicine of Ireland in 2013. In 2004 he was awarded a US Fulbright Award for research collaboration into multisensory integration with the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, New York.  Professor Reilly received his BE degree in Electronic Engineering, a MEngSc and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from University College Dublin.