Committee

Chair: Carmel Ann Galligan

Carmel Ann Galligan Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Acute Post-Transplant and Extracorporeal Photopheresis in St. James Hospital Dublin.

Carmel Ann, graduated from Trinity College Dublin in with a BSc in General Nursing. She continued her studies with a Higher Diploma in Cancer Care and Haematology. Having originally started in St. James Hospital for her clinical placement during her degree, she started as Staff Nurse in Denis Burkitt Ward. Promoted to Clinical Nurse Specialist, Carmel Ann completed a MSc in Clinical Practice in UCD and a MSc in Advanced Practice in UCD before becoming the first Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) in Acute Post-Transplant and Extracorporeal Photopheresis in St. James Hospital Dublin.

Vice Chair  Lisa Lyons

Lisa is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) in Haematology, providing specialist care to patients living with both malignant and non-malignant blood disorders within a busy district general hospital setting.

Lisa’s ANP role includes haematology review clinics, chemotherapy prescribing clinics, new patient clinics for patients referred with a high haematocrit, bone marrow biopsy clinics and frailty assessments for patients over the age of 65 who are being considered for chemotherapy. Lisa has a particular professional interest in frailty and its impact on those living with a haematological condition. In addition, she maintains a strong commitment to service improvement, continually seeking opportunities to improve the patient experience, safety, and the overall quality of haematology care.

Louise Gribben

Haematology Advanced Nurse Practioner, Southern Health and Social Care Trust

Qualified since 1993. Career long studies included SPQ Cancer care, QUB, Haematology and BMT course QUB, independent NMP QUB. In 2020 completed MSc in Advanced Nursing Practice in Ulster University, which included 2 journal publication relating to work life balance and burn out among our cancer nursing workforces.

The majority of nursing career was within the speciality of Haematology, covering both malignant and non-malignant haematology conditions. Held a wide variety of positions within Haem/Onc, including chemotherapy staff nurse, cancer unit manager, Haematology CNS and NMP x 11 years and since 2020 have been working as a Haematology ANP delivering autonomous chemotherapy/red flag/and new urgent review clinics. Career has involved many leadership roles and positions of influence, including chair of the NICaN Haematology CRG and HAI nursing groups. In addition providing teaching sessions for QUB on the Haematology and BM transplant and Specialist practice courses.

Fidelma Hackett

Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Haematology in Cancer Services Directorate University Hospital Limerick

Fidelma is the Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Haematology in Cancer Services Directorate University Hospital Limerick since April 2021. Fidelma has worked in Haematology-Oncology nursing for many years including in the Bone marrow transplant unit in St James Hospital, abroad in the Middle- East and Australia and as a Haematology Clinical Nurse Specialist in University Hospital Limerick.

Her clinical caseload as the ANP in Haematology includes management of patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL), Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN), an Oral anti-cancer Medication clinic and a Lymphoma survivorship clinic.

Caroline McCaughey

Caroline has a joint appointment between haematology services in Belfast City Hospital and the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Queen’s University, Belfast as a Practice Educator and Senior Lecturer. She is programme lead at the University for the Certificate in Health Studies Haematology and Haematopoietic Transplantation Short Course, and the Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapies (SACT) modules for adult and paediatric students

Shona Spillane

Shóna graduated from University College Dublin with a BSc in General Nursing. She continued her studies with a Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Oncology Nursing at UCD in 2019. She also completed Nurse Prescribing at RCSI 2025. Having begun her cancer career as an oncology staff nurse in Blackrock Clinic before taking on haematology and oncology in Bon Secours Cork, she progressed to Clinical Nurse Manager in oncology/haematology both inpatient and outpatient wards and subsequently becoming an oncology haematology liaison nurse. She is now a Haematology Clinical Nurse Specialist at Mercy University Hospital with a particular interest in MPNs and Lymphoma. As a dyslexic nurse Shóna is passionate about nurse education using practical, visual and colourful tools to help others in progressing their knowledge and autonomy in future patient care.

Karena Maher

I qualified as a Registered General Nurse (RGN) 1995.

Since 1996, I have worked in the haematology Setting both in Ireland and the UK , firstly as a staff nurse, then a Bone Marrow Transplant ward sister & then in 2004 as a Clinical Nurse Specialist. I registered as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in 2024.

In 2007 I achieved a MSc in Advanced Practice (Cancer Care) through the University of Surrey & currently work within the haematology service in University Hospital Waterford. I have completed an advanced assessment certificate (UCD), am a Registered Nurse Prescriber (RNP), (RCSI) and have undertaken nurse prescribing of ionising radiation certificate (UCD).

I have a special interest in patients living with chronic haematological conditions.

Kerrie Sweeney

Kerrie graduated from Queens University Belfast in 2005. She has worked as a Haematology Clinical Nurse Specialist in Antrim Area Hospital since 2020. She has prior experience working as an Acute Oncology and Teenage and Young Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist. She is a non-medical prescriber and obtained a MSC In Advanced Professional Practice Cancer Nursing: Supportive and Palliative Care in 2023. She has a special interest in Myeloma, and co-chairs the ‘Living well with Myeloma’ support group for patients and loved ones in Ballymena.

Susie Smyth

My name is Susie Smyth. I qualified in 1989 and worked in the Belfast City Hospital Renal Unit in my first 15 years as a Registered Nurse. I worked in all areas of the Unit, such as Acute Haemodialysis/Chronic Haemodialysis and the Transplant Suite.

I am currently Clinical Educator for the Macmillan Unit and Cancer Services in the Ulster Hospital. Here, I hope to educate, motivate and inspire the staff (both students and qualified staff) to deliver compassionate, highly competent, person-centred care for patients with a cancer diagnosis. Accompanying this role, I am also an Advanced Communications Facilitator helping staff manage those sensitive conversations that can occur on a daily basis. I am both fortunate and privileged to work within such a fantastic team and consider myself extremely lucky in this regard, long may it continue!