Portrait of beloved Kildare professor unveiled by Trinity College Dublin

A new portrait of Professor Mary McCarron was unveiled by the Faculty of Health Sciences, Trinity College Dublin on Thursday, May 22.

Prof McCarron, longtime resident of Donadea in Co. Kildare, served two terms (2012-2019) as Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Trinity College, the first woman and first nurse to hold such a role at the University. The Faculty comprises of the Schools of Nursing & Midwifery, Medicine, Dental Science and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Prof Mary McCarron was also presented later that day with the inaugural Dean’s Award for Distinguished Service to Health Sciences in recognition of her exceptional and sustained contributions to Health Sciences during the course of her professional career.

Speaking at the awards ceremony Prof Linda Hogan, Professor of Ecumenics, paid tribute to the many important contributions Mary has made to Health Sciences and research into ageing and intellectual disability. She said, “This award recognises Mary's exceptional and sustained contributions to Health Sciences but I think it also marks her unparalleled academic and moral leadership in the field, the scientific policy and social impact for research, teaching and innovation, her longstanding dedication to the University and the Faculty, her extraordinary commitment to building relationships of trust and integrity in support of Health Sciences and also her exceptional service to the public good.

"Mary's achievements are many and centre primarily around her concern for the health and well-being of people with an intellectual disability. She pioneered research and education in this domain nationally and internationally, and her career has been committed to expanding capacity and leadership amongst academics, professionals and policymakers in understanding the needs but also the contributions of people with an intellectual disability.

"Most importantly her innovative approach has centred and amplified the voices of persons with an intellectual disability and their families.”

In addition to her service as Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Mary has held other significant roles at Trinity College where she is Professor of Ageing and Intellectual Disability, Director of the Trinity Centre for Ageing and Intellectual Disability (TCAID), Executive Director of the National Intellectual Disability Memory Service, and formerly was Director of Research and Head of the School of Nursing & Midwifery.

As founder and Principal Investigator of the Intellectual Disability Supplement to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (IDS-TILDA), the world’s first longitudinal study focused on ageing in individuals with intellectual disabilities, Mary has significantly advanced clinical knowledge, influenced health policy, and helped establish the field in Ireland.

Internationally recognised, she has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, secured more than €20 million in research funding, and supervised a large cohort of doctoral and clinical researchers.

Her research has shaped major strategies including Ireland’s 2014 National Dementia Strategy and the 2018 report Shaping the Future of Intellectual Disability Nursing. In 2022, she was appointed by the Minister for Health to the Commission on Care for Older People. Her work has received over 100 citations in policy documents worldwide.

As founder of the PPI Ignite Programme at Trinity, she has led efforts to embed public and patient involvement in health research. Her achievements have been recognised with numerous awards, including the HRB Impact Award (2019), the Trinity Innovation Award (2022), and the HRCI Research Impact Award (2024).

In the University she has been an exceptional and generous leader whose inspirational leadership continues to transform Health Sciences.

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