Appointment to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland:

Following nomination by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), the Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, has appointed Dr Aileen Lynch to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland with effect from 16 April 2025 until 15 April 2029.

As the Subject Leader in Biological Sciences within TCD’s School of Nursing and Midwifery and the current Director of Undergraduate Programmes, Aileen has experience in governance, strategic decision-making and problem-solving across all aspects of undergraduate nursing and midwifery education. In her role as Director, Aileen has developed in-depth knowledge of the NMBI’s objectives and standards. Through formal interactions with the NMBI, she successfully oversaw the undergraduate professional accreditation process in October 2022. Responsible for the welfare of the School’s undergraduate student body, Aileen is committed to promoting fairness, transparency and accountability. Her role requires making judgment calls/decisions on complex student cases, including matters of academic progression. Given that the clinical component of undergraduate nursing and midwifery programmes is delivered in partnership with hospitals/healthcare providers, Aileen collaborates closely with Directors of Nursing/Midwifery, Nurse Practice Development Coordinators, Clinical Placement Coordinators, and Preceptors, as well as the School’s staff, to ensure compliance with NMBI’s standards and to ensure programme quality is maintained. Through these stakeholder engagement activities, she has developed excellent interpersonal skills and a strong ability to build relationships across diverse groups. Aileen’s responsibilities also encompass the overall management of undergraduate programmes, including programme coordination, delivery, and organisation. She oversees all School examination activities, liaises with external examiners, chairs the Court of Examiners, and is a member of the Court of Appeals Committee, the Fitness to Study Committee and the Fitness to Practice Committee. Beyond Aileen’s teaching, research and administrative responsibilities, she is a member of College working groups (Interprofessional Education Steering Committee; Library Services Platform Workgroup; Academic Year Structure Workgroup; Admissions Policy/Regulations Workgroup). Since May 2023, Aileen has also served as the IUA representative on the Expert Review Body’s Implementation Action Group 1 Education and Professional Development tasked with advancing the future of nursing and midwifery in Ireland.