Rate My Professor Paula O’Leary

Professor Paula O’Leary serves as Dean and Head of the School of Medicine at University College Cork, where she holds the title of Professor of Medicine (Lead Clinical Education) and acts as Consultant Immunologist at Cork University Hospital. She earned her MB, BCh, BAO (Hons) in Medicine from UCC in 1987, followed by internship and general professional training at Cork University Hospital (1987-1991). Her clinical immunology training took place at St. James Hospital Dublin, Churchill Hospital Oxford UK, and the West Midlands Regional Immunology Training Scheme (1991-1997), leading to specialist registration with the Irish Medical Council in Clinical and Laboratory Immunology. Additional qualifications include MD, FRCPI, FRCPath(Immunol), and FFPathRCPI. Her academic career progressed from Clinical Research Fellow and Honorary Lecturer at the University of Birmingham (1997-2000), to various lecturing and senior lecturer positions at UCC and Cork University Hospital (2000-2016), culminating in her professorship since 2016 and deanship since 2018.

Professor O’Leary’s research interests include primary immunodeficiency, immunoglobulin therapies, immunocompromise secondary to medications, and allergy diagnosis and treatment. She is also actively involved in medical education, focusing on the organisation and delivery of undergraduate and pre-registration medical curricula, clinical education in medicine and clinical immunology, and innovative teaching methodologies. Notable publications comprise “The use of monoclonal therapy in the treatment of near-fatal asthma complicated by steroid sensitivity: A case report” (2024), “Experience of enhanced near-peer support for new medical graduates of an Irish university: A phenomenological study” (2023), “Gastrointestinal manifestations of immunological disorders” (2022), “Transition to clinical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of young doctors’ experiences in Brazil and Ireland” (2021), and “Experience-based learning: Supporting the transition from student to doctor” (2020). She has chaired key committees such as the Steering Group for Clinical Medical School (2017-present), Irish Medical Schools Council (2021-2023), and Intern Governance Working Group (2023-present), contributing to quality education aligned with UN SDG 4.