Professor Catherine Comiskey

Professor Catherine Comiskey holds a MA and a B.A.(Mod) degree in Mathematics and Philosophy from Trinity College, Dublin University, Ireland and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in biomathematics with statistics and epidemiology from Dublin City University, Ireland. Professor Comiskey has almost 30 years research and lecturing experience in statistics and mathematics applied to healthcare and her personal research interests are in substance use, child wellbeing and innovation. In 2024 Catherine was invited by the United Nations to join an expert group to inform the annual World Drug Report. From 2017 to 2024 Professor Comiskey was elected by EU members as Vice Chair and subsequently Chair of the Scientific Committee of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, a committee with a legal remit from the EU. From 2017 to present she was invited by Minister Byrne to be the sole academic expert on the National Drug Strategy Implementation Committee. From 2014 to 2017 she was invited by Minister Varadkar to serve on the Oversight Forum on Drugs. From 2014 to 2017 she was invited by Minister White to Chair the National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Alcohol. In 2007 to 2010 she was appointed by Minister of Education and Science to serve on the board of The Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology, (IRCSET). Catherine has served as EU Academic Director of CHARM-EU (2020-2023), Head of School (2019-2020 and 2014-2017), Director of Research (2008-2011 and 2011-2014), Inaugural Director and Founder of the Trinity Centre for Practice and Healthcare Innovation (TCPHI)(2014-2017), Inaugural and Founding Chair of the Children's Research Network of Ireland and Northern Ireland CRNINI (2010-2014) and Professor in Healthcare Statistics at the School of Nursing and Midwifery (2008-present). Catherine has had responsibility for developing, writing and implementing the School of Nursing and Midwifery Strategic Plan, the School's Financial Plan the Staffing Plan, the School's Research Plan, the TCPHI Strategic Plan, the CRNINI Strategic and Financial Plan, and is currently leading on quantitative methodologies and directing and promoting innovation and research in nursing, midwifery and healthcare education, practice and policy. Professor Comiskey has over 200 peer reviewed publication in her research topics, she has successfully graduated to completion 24 PhDs, DScs and MDs. She is currently supervising an additional 10 PhDs. Catherine mentors emerging academics and school children and has been a judge at the Young Scientists Exhibition from 2012 to 2018.

  Addiction   Addiction and substance abuse   Biostatistical methods   Cervical cancer   Child centred research questions, study design, data analysis   Clinical research, trials   Drug Abuse   Epidemiology   Health outcomes   Infectious diseases   Mathematical modelling   Population Studies   Substance Abuse   Surveys & Survey Research

My role as a leader in addiction research has been recognised internationally and nationally by all of the relevant leading addiction bodies. I use my training in epidemiology and bio-mathematics to address research questions in addiction epidemiology across the lifespan, from prevalence estimation of children living with parental drug use to ageing and substance use, to modelling treatment outcomes. A summary of my external indicators of esteem and impact can be seen in my appointments as an academic expert to the United Nations, The EU Drugs Agency, the Irish National Oversight Committee for the implementation of the national drug strategy and to the Board of the Ana Liffey Drug Project. A summary of my research inputs is also provided below. September 2024, invited by the United Nations to join as an expert contributor to the writing of the World Drug Report. Appointed June 2024 until June 2028 to the Inaugural Scientific Committee of the new European Union Drugs Agency EUDA In October 2022 invited to address the EU's Working Party on Drugs in Brussels on Drug Research Priorities for the European Union. In 2020 - 2022 inclusive, elected by my EU peers as Chairperson on the Scientific Committee of the European Union's European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. She has been invited to be nominated for this role again from 2023-2024 inclusive. In 2020 appointed by the United Nations as their external consultant for the International Narcotics Control Board. In 2020 invited to address United Nations in Vienna on my consultancy on ageing and substance use globally. In 2019 appointed by the European Union's European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) as an external consultant to advise on children of parents who use drugs. From 2019-present served on the International Review Board of Xchange, the international registry of drug prevention programmes. From 2017-2020 inclusive elected by my scientific peers to serve as the Vice Chair of the EU's EMCDDA Scientific Committee From 2014 to Present selected to serve on the Scientific Committee of the EMCDDA from an international competition From 2017 to Present nominated by Minister Catherine Byrne as the academic expert on the Implementation Committee of the National Drug Strategy. I continue to be the current Ministers appointed Academic Expert to the National Implementation Committee. From 2015-2017 nominated by then Minister of Health, Leo Varadkar to serve on the National Drug Strategy Team From 2012 to 2016 nominated by Ministers Alex White and Aodan O'Riordan to serve as the Chair of the National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Alcohol From 2017 to Present I have served voluntarily on the Board of the Ana Liffey Drug Project Charity. From 2006-2008 I was appointed by Minister of Education, Mary Hannafin to serve on the Board of the Irish Research Council. From 2023 to 2024 I obtained €515,000 in national and international research grants. From 2020 to 2024 I obtained approximately €1,066,566 in competitive research funding as Principal Investigator In total I have personally obtained over €7m in competitive funding as PI or or as Leading Quantitative Investigator. In addition, I currently have approximately €985,000 in grant funding submitted and awaiting outcome from the Special EU Programme Body (€895,000) and the Clondalkin Prevention Hub(€90,000).