About RCPsych in Northern Ireland

Find out more about how RCPsych in Northern Ireland is run.

Devolved Council

Dr Richard Wilson has been the Chair of RCPsych in Northern Ireland since July 2020.

The Devolved Council is the principal decision-making body of RCPsych in Northern Ireland. All major budget and policy matters are considered by Devolved Council which acts as a link between RCPsych in Northern Ireland and the central College in London.

The Devolved Council meets four times a year and is made up of the honorary officers and representatives of each of the faculties and specialist committees, together with the patient and carer representatives.

  • Chair – Dr Julie Anderson
  • Vice Chair – Dr Stephen Moore
  • Education and Training Committee Representative – Dr Dearbhail Lewis
  • Finance Officer – Dr Liz Dawson
  • Regional Advisor – Dr Gerry Lynch (interim)
  • Elected Members – Dr Conor Barton (co-opted), Dr Chris Sharkey, Dr Ross Irvine
  • Policy Lead – Dr Michael Doherty

Senior Leadership Team (SLT)

RCPsych NI has five honorary officers who also serve on its Senior Leadership Team along with the Regional Advisor and Policy Lead. The SLT is chaired by the RCPsych NI Manager and oversees the operational aspects of the College in Northern Ireland.

Chair: Dr Julie Anderson. Julie is a perinatal Consultant within the Northern Trust. She was formerly the NI Chair of the College’s Perinatal Faculty and was elected Chair of the Northern Ireland Devolved Nation in 2024 and is also a member of UK Council as a Vice President of the College.  

Vice-Chair: Dr Stephen Moore, FRCPsych. Stephen was appointed Vice-Chair of RCPsych NI in 2021. Stephen is a Consultant Psychiatrist working in South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust. He is interested in information systems to support good clinical practice, including clinical IT systems and also data in healthcare and medical education.

Finance Officer: Dr Liz Dawson, MRCspych, is a Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry within the Southern Trust. Previously she chaired the RCPsych NI SAS Committee and in 2019 was awarded UK SAS Doctor of the Year. She was appointed Finance Officer in 2020.

Education Officer: Dr Dearbhail Lewis, MRCPsych. Dearbhail is a Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist in the Belfast Trust. She is an Educational Supervisor for Foundation Year 1 doctors, as well as both Core and Senior Trainee Psychiatrists.

College staff

RCPsych NI is supported by Emma Allen, Trudy Parry and Thomas McKeever.

Faculties, Special Interest Groups, and committees

Faculty Chairs

  • Child and adolescent psychiatry – Dr Holly Greer
  • Forensic psychiatry – VACANT
  • General adult psychiatry – Dr Blanca Bjourson
  • Intellectual disability psychiatry – Dr Heather Hanna
  • Old age psychiatry – Dr Liz Dawson
  • Addictions psychiatry – Dr Donna Mullan
  • Medical psychotherapy – Dr David Bell

Special Interest Group Chairs

  • Academic psychiatry – Dr Ciaran Mulholland
  • Eating disorders psychiatry – Dr David Coyle
  • Liaison psychiatry – Dr Jo Minay
  • Perinatal psychiatry – Dr Helen Connolly

Committee Chairs and Representatives

  • Speciality and Associate (SAS) Committee Chair – Dr Helen McFerran
  • Psychiatric Trainees Committee Representatives – Dr Ben McClure, Dr Catherine Kerr, VACANT
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