Our Team

I grew up near Glasnevin, so was delighted to practice back in my own community. My involvement with Glasnevin Family Practice began in 1993, when I came to work with its founder, Dr Catherine Hayes. 

Since becoming a GP, education, holistic care and prevention became core priorities for my work. When I took over as principal of Glasnevin Family Practice in 2001, I used this ethos as the foundation underlying the way we manage our work now. As this Practice has grown, I have worked hard to make sure we always prioritise our patients’ needs and always consider the complex picture that can be hidden underneath a seemingly simple diagnosis.

An inspiration for me has been Francis W Peabody who said "The secret of the care of the patient is in caring for the patient" and "The treatment of a disease may be entirely impersonal, the care of the patient must be completely personal". 

Glasnevin Family Practice has a dedicated group of doctors who also embrace this ethos. They bring experience and energy to their work and are passionate about providing high quality care to this community.

Qualifications

Graduated University College Dublin, 1987

GP Training with Trinity College Dublin 1988-1991

Diploma in Child Health 1989

Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology 1990

Family Planning Certification 1990

Entered the General Medical Scheme (GMS) in 1996

Professional memberships and board positions

 Membership of Irish College of General Practitioners 1991

Membership of Royal College of General Practitioners, UK, 1991

Irish Society of Occupational Health

Medical Director of GP Services at DCU Campus  Medical Centre, 1995-2011

EURACT, European Academy of Teachers in General Practice, from 2010

Member of the Board of the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, from 2011

Medical Director, GP Services at Highfield Health Care from 2012

Liaison Committee for Ireland East Hospital Group from 2013

My early career was as a doctor working in hospitals in the UK and Australia. The problem with being a doctor in that setting was that I only saw patients with urgent problems. Training to become a GP meant I could get to know patients better and have more influence on their long term health. Being a GP means I need to use a whole spectrum of skills which is very rewarding.

Becoming a partner of Glasnevin Family Practice was an important step. All the staff here have a real focus on the quality of care we give. 

We play an important role in the local community, making sure our patient’s voices get heard when broad health service decisions are made. My community work also means I spend three mornings a week with older people living at the Highfield Healthcare. As well as this specialism in older people’s health, my special interests include men’s health and occupational health.

     Qualifications

• Graduated University College Cork, 1992
• Postgraduate General Practice Vocational Training, Bradford UK, 1998
• Membership of Irish College of General Practitioners, 2000
• Partner in Glasnevin Family Practice, 2008
• Member of Mater Misericordiae Hospital Drugs and Therapeutics Committee
• Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 1997
• Diploma in Clinical Psychiatry, 1999
• Diploma in Occupational Health UK, 2007
• Diploma in Child Health, 2000

Working in a family practice like Glasnevin brings such variety, you are looking after people from birth right through their lives. It’s very satisfying to be able to build a such a solid relationship with your patients. We are very involved in the local community here and for example visit the residents of Santa Sabina nursing home each week.

I have a professional specialism in women’s health, family planning and medicine for the elderly.

As a partner at Glasnevin, this has allowed me to contribute more fully to maintaining growth and development of services to our patients now and into the future. As a GP Trainer I find this one of the most immediate ways to shape our future health service. Good training helps improve the standard of care patients experience. 

Qualifications

• Graduated Trinity College Dublin 2003
• TCD/HSE Specialist Training Programme 2008
• Awarded Membership of Irish College of General Practitioners 2008
• Partner in Glasnevin Family Practice 2013
• Entered the General Medical Services 2013
• GP Trainer with the Royal College of Surgeons(NEHB) Post Graduate GP Training Scheme 2015
• Advanced Certification and Tutor in Contraception 2016
• Advanced Certification and Tutor in Long-Acting Reversible Contraception 2012
• Diploma in Medicine for the Elderly, Royal College of Physicians Ireland, 2005
• Diploma in Women’s Health, Irish College of General Practitioners, 2008
• Family planning certification 2004

I came to Glasnevin Family Practice after nine years as a GP. There is a strong team ethos here, with everyone taking responsibility for the people who come to us. From the welcome point, to the consultation rooms, all the systems have been put in place to ensure a seamless standard of care for our patients. 

My husband works in overseas development and we have both travelled extensively. Travelling in this way opens your mind and your heart. You realise you don’t need to have a lot to get by and it also makes you understand how lucky we are in Ireland. Working with diverse cultures shows the underlying similarities between people. On a practical level it has provided good training in non-verbal communication. This very useful when making assessments of my patients, sometimes they say everything is fine when you can see their body language shows a different story.

Originally I wanted to be a surgeon, but really preferred the interaction I had with out-patients rather than the actual surgery side of the work. Having that professional background helps in my GP work because I can talk patients through any procedures they need and I am able to do some procedures like sutures that might otherwise have needed a hospital trip. I also have special interests in sexual health and women`s health.

     Qualifications

• Graduated University College Dublin, 1997
• Associate Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 2000
• Postgraduate General Practice Training, RCSI, 2003
• Diploma in Medicine for the Elderly
• Diploma in Paediatrics
• Member of Irish College of General Practitioners, 2003

Dr Dónal Wallace has been working at Glasnevin Family Practice since June 2020.

He graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2013 with an Honours Degree and was accepted onto the TCD GP training scheme in July 2014, completing his specialist training in July 2018. 

During his GP training, Dónal worked in the Mater Hospital, St. James’s Hospital, St. Patrick’s University Hospital, The Coombe, and Tallaght University Hospital, gaining experience in general medicine, emergency medicine, psychiatry, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and medicine for the older person. He completed his GP registrar years in GP practices in Clontarf and Ballymun.

Dónal has been awarded diplomas in Clinical Psychiatry (DCP), Medicine for the Elderly (DME), Obstetrics and Gynaecology (DRCOG) and Musculoskeletal Examination & Injury Management (ICGP Dip MSK).

Dónal has a very keen interest in medical education: he was appointed Assistant Professor in General Practice at Trinity College Dublin in May 2021.

Qualifications:

• Graduated Trinity College Dublin – 2013
• RCPI Diploma in Medicine of the Elderly – 2015
• RCOG DRCOG – 2016
• RCPI Diploma in Clinical Psychiatry – 2016
• ICGP Diploma in Musculoskeletal Examination & Injury Management – 2018
• Certificate in Therapeutic Use of Mindfulness – 2018
• Membership of the Irish College of General Practitioners – 2018
• ICGP Certificate in Contraception – 2018
• Advanced Certificate in LARC for Sub Dermal Implants – 2019