Mentors & Leads
We innovate at the forefront of healthcare in a real world clinical setting
Head of Innovation
Dr. Natalie Cole
Dr. Cole has over 20 years of national and international experience in Health Research & Innovation. She initially pursued a career in academic research and was Assistant Professor of Neurogenetics at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago.
On returning to Ireland Dr. Cole supported the development of the spin-out company Neuropath at Trinity College Dublin.
Dr. Cole has extensive change and project management experience and was Change and Benefits lead for the Office of the CEO of the HSE and delivered large complex healthcare projects. Dr. Cole has a passion for the translation of innovative projects for the benefit of patients and service users.
Clinical Innovation Specialist
Éadaoin Flynn
Éadaoin Flynn is the Clinical Innovation Specialist within the Innovation Team at Tallaght University Hospital. Éadaoin brings extensive clinical expertise from her role as a Clinical Specialist Speech and Language Therapist at Tallaght University Hospital. She has led a number of innovation projects within the hospital.
Her background is in Speech and Language Therapy. She holds a BSc. and MSc. in Clinical Speech and Language Studies from Trinity College Dublin and is currently completing a PhD in the area of dysphagia and Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonian syndromes.
Éadaoin also serves part time as an Assistant Professor at Trinity College Dublin, where she contributes to the academic development of healthcare professionals. Her combined clinical and academic experience positions her uniquely to support the advancement of innovative healthcare solutions within our institution.
Designer in Residence
Alexander Fives
Alexander Fives is the latest addition to the Tallaght Innovate Health team. He is the hospital’s first ever Designer in Residence uses his expertise to work alongside healthcare staff to identify problems and develop solutions.
Alexander graduated from TU Dublin and has won a number of awards including Irish Healthcare Student Project of the Year. Following an internship with the HSE’s Spark Innovation Program, Alexander is thrilled to be based full-time at Tallaght University Hospital.
Innovation Case Officer
Eoin Kieran
Eoin recently joined the Innovation Team at TUH to support staff developing new equipment and devices that improve patient care. He advises on intellectual property, technology transfer, commercialisation, and industry engagement, helping hospital inventors move their ideas toward real-world impact. His work includes guiding invention disclosure, investment, feasibility studies, and regulatory strategy.
With a B.Sc. in Neuroscience from UCD and a master’s in Biomedical and Molecular Sciences with Business from Dundee, Eoin began his career in Technology Transfer at Northumbria University. He has already helped secure Enterprise Ireland funding for a novel surgical device developed in an Irish hospital.
Eoin also works as a Knowledge Transfer Case Officer at Trinity College Dublin. He recently became a candidate Registered Technology Transfer Professional (cRTTP), a globally recognised accreditation reflecting his growing leadership in innovation and commercialisation.
Laboratory Quality Innovation Manager
Dr. Ann Leonard
Dr. Ann Leonard leads the Laboratory Medicine Innovation Hub (LMIH) at Tallaght University Hospital, the first of its kind in Europe. Ann is a chief medical scientist and a research fellow/clinical senior lecturer at Trinity College Dublin.
Ann is also the co-founder of the National Peri-Ananlytic and Laboratory Medicine Society (PALMSoc) and Tallaght University Hospital Academy of Phlebotomy (TAP).
Dr. Leonard has a keen interest and expertise in the peri-analytic phases (pre and post) of the laboratory total testing process and has a proven track record in supporting and delivering innovation in this area.
Professor of Medicine
Professor Seamas Donnelly
Professor Donnelly is an international leader in Translational Medicine and his research epitomizes classical bench to bedside on an international stage. He was recently awarded an Honorary Professorship by the University of Edinburgh for international leadership in Translational Medicine.
Professor Donnelly has partnered with academia and industry in assessing wearable and non-wearable sensors as valid measurements of an individuals quality of life. Recent industry partners have included Novartis, Resmed and Fujitsu.
Prof Donnelly is lead-PI on the Dublin-Midlands Health Innovation Hub Ireland and is responsible for both the assessment of early-development technologies in the healthcare sector and the delivery of a boutique of postgraduate educational offerings in the healthcare innovation space.
Clinical Engineering Innovation Liasion
Neil Tilley
Neil is a Clinical Engineer in Tallaght University Hospital and also works as Clinical Engineering liaison for Health Innovation Hub Ireland. Neil works with a team of 5 clinical engineers who are responsible for medical device technology in Renal Services, Outpatients, Emergency Department, Medical Equipment Library, Age Related Healthcare and the general ward areas.
He has a BSc in Physics, Medical Physics and Bioengineering and an MSc in Energy Management, both from Technological University Dublin.
Consultant Physician and Clinical Associate Professor of Medical Gerontology
Professor Sean Kennelly
Professor Kennelly is a consultant physician in geriatric and stroke medicine in Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) and Clinical Associate Professor of Medical Gerontology in Trinity College. He is Director of the Institute for Memory and Cognition, and the Cognitive Clinical Trials Unit in Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin.
He is clinical director of the National Intellectual Disability Memory Service in TUH. He is co-lead investigator on Dementia Trials Ireland, a national clinical trials network, and is chair of Dementia Research Network Ireland (DRNI).
A fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London & Ireland, Professor Kennelly has extensively published in his main research areas of Ageing, brain health and dementia.
He has served as chief and principal investigator on several international clinical trials in early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. He is principle investigator and lead-clinical advisor on several industry collaborations investigating novel applications of digital gait and speech biomarkers in detection of cognitive decline.
He has experience and interest in supporting the development and application of digital solutions to support people with changing care needs “live well” within their own homes.