Save the Date! RCSI Charter Day 2026 - IIOP Parallel Session

The Irish Institute of Pharmacy (IIOP) is delighted to collaborate with the HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) as part of RCSI Charter Week 2026. IIOP will co-host an interprofessional session with NCCP entitled ‘Beyond the Prescription – The Pharmacist’s Role in Cancer Care’. The session will take place on Thursday, 12 February, in-person in RCSI, from 14:15-16:15.

The IIOP/NCCP session will bring together pharmacists, general practitioners, and other multidisciplinary colleagues to highlight how cancer care is evolving, and how pharmacy practice is adapting to meet patient needs. 

Cancer remains one of the greatest healthcare challenges of our time, affecting thousands of individuals and families across Ireland each year. With improvements in early detection and advances in treatment, survival rates continue to rise. As a result, it has become increasingly important to focus on patient-centred, integrated and standardised cancer services. Pharmacists, as medicine experts and accessible healthcare professionals, are ideally positioned to deliver this type of cancer care, ensuring that every patient receives safe, effective, and coordinated care. 

The two-hour session will explore how pharmacists, alongside their multidisciplinary colleagues, play a crucial and expanding role across the full continuum of cancer care: from prevention and early detection through to survivorship.

The session will also spotlight educational initiatives, including the NCCP Competency Framework for Pharmacists Providing Cancer Care, the IIOP Cancer Care Hub, and the Cancer Care Champion Pharmacist Programme.  Such  initiatives are designed to support pharmacists in building confidence and competence when caring for patients with cancer, whether in hospital or community settings.

Registration for the session 
IIOP would like to extend an open invitation to all who are interested in the role of pharmacy in cancer care. Registration for the IIOP event is FREE! for those wishing to attend the IIOP session only.

Please click on this link to register for the session: https://rcsi.eventsair.com/charter-meeting-2026/facultyiiop

For anyone wishing to attend other events during RCSI Charter Week 2026, please visit the RCSI Charter Meeting webpage.

The session programme, speaker details and other RCSI Charter Meeting details will be shared on the IIOP website. Keep an eye on the IIOP website, IIOP social media platforms and your email for further details and updates.

What is RCSI Charter Meeting? 
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) Charter Meeting is an annual event, celebrating the granting of a Royal Charter and founding of the College in 1784. It is a multidisciplinary event, welcoming each of the faculties and speciality groups in RCSI. 
The Charter Meeting will take place, in person, from Tuesday, 10 February to Saturday, 14 February 2026 in RCSI. 

IIOP Session Programme

Chair and Presenter Biographies 

Title	Name	Current Position(s) / Role(s)	Organisation(s)	Biography	Profile Image
Dr	Catriona Bradley	Executive Director	Irish Institute of Pharmacy (IIOP)	Dr. Catriona Bradley is the Executive Director of the Irish Institute of Pharmacy (IIOP), based in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). Since 2014, she led the establishment of the IIOP and the successful implementation of a new Continuing Professional Development (CPD) system for pharmacists and pharmaceutical assistants in Ireland. She has held international leadership positions in pharmacy and business and has worked as a lecturer and researcher at Trinity College Dublin, where she completed her pharmacy degree and PhD. Continuing to contribute to undergraduate pharmacy education as an adjunct assistant professor, she is also passionate about supporting professional development of pharmacists, individually and collectively. More recently, she has qualified as a psychologist and coach. Her practice and research focuses on practitioner well-being and burnout prevention. She is a member of the international committee for Life Long Learning in Pharmacy and a regular conference key-note speaker.
Ms	Aishling McLoughlin	Chief I Pharmacist	National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP)	Aishling is the Chief I Pharmacist within the National Cancer Control Programme, working on the Cancer Drugs Management Programme with a focus on the governance and optimisation of cancer medicines. She previously worked as a healthcare consultant and has extensive clinical experience as an oncology and haematology pharmacist, including roles in the NHS at The Royal Marsden and as Principal Pharmacist for Haematology and Oncology at King’s College Hospital. She later served as Lead Clinical Project Manager for the SACT Care Closer to Home programme across South-East London. Aishling holds an Executive MBA from University College Cork. She is pleased to co-chair this event and support collaborative discussion across the cancer pharmacy community.
Dr	Una Kennedy	GP Advisor to National Cancer Control Programme	National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP)	Dr Una Kennedy is a graduate from Trinity College Dublin. She works as a General Practitioner in Phibsborough in Dublin and is also the GP Advisor to the National Cancer Control Programme.
Ms	Sinéad Smith	Chief II Pharmacist, Cancer Clinical Services	St. James's Hospital	Sinéad graduated from University of Dublin, Trinity College in 2007 and completed her pre-registration training in St. James’s Hospital (SJH) Dublin. She returned to SJH in January 2009, completed the Masters in Hospital Pharmacy with University of Dublin, Trinity College before taking up a senior pharmacist post in haematology and oncology and later completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Oncology Pharmacy Practice in Secondary Care with Liverpool John Moores University. Sinéad has been Chief II Pharmacist for Cancer Clinical Services since 2017 and has been involved in the introduction of an inpatient electronic patient record, implementation of NCIS and the introduction of the first national CAR-T programme in SJH. Sinéad is the current Chair of the NCCP Hospital Pharmacists Lead Group.
Mr	Grant Carroll	Chief I Pharmacist, National Cancer Information System (NCIS)	National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP)	Grant is currently working as Chief Pharmacist on the National Cancer Information System within the National Cancer Control Programme in Ireland. Trained as a pharmacist in New Zealand, he has considerable experience in both technical and clinical pharmacy specialising for several years in oncology and haematology. Grant is particularly interested in how health technology can unlock the potential within health systems for improving patient care.
Dr	Darren Walsh	Chief II Pharmacist	University Hospital Waterford	Dr. Walsh is an advanced specialist geriatric oncology pharmacist, with specialist interest in symptom management, palliative care, pancreatic cancer and medication optimisation in complex comorbidity. His research interests include unplanned hospitalisation due to adverse drug events, medication-related problems in older adults with cancer and pharmacological management of cancer-related symptoms and cancer treatment-related toxicity. He is a member of the National Cancer Control Programme Geriatric Oncology Steering Committee, the British Oncology Pharmacy Association Geriatric Oncology Specialist Advisory Group and the International Society of Geriatric Oncology Nursing, Allied Healthcare and Scientists group. His work in geriatric oncology ahs led to national and international recognition, being named the International Society of Geriatric Oncology Nursing and Allied Healthcare researcher of the year in 2023, and the HPN Irish Hospital Pharmacist of the Year in 2024.
Ms	Louise Mullen	National Lead for Cancer Survivorship	National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP)	Louise Mullen is the National Lead for Cancer Survivorship with the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) of Ireland and has responsibility for the Psycho-oncology and Patient Engagement programmes. This strategic role drives implementation of cancer survivorship supports and services nationally for cancer patients and their families. This includes service planning through input into the HSE national service plan with a particular focus on HSCPs. The vison and aim for the NCCPs work is articulated in the National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026. Louise collaborates nationally with many stakeholders including patients, healthcare professionals, academics and voluntary agencies to develop and improve the provision of equitable care in this area and is the past president of the Irish Psychosocial Oncology Network.

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