Management Team
Professor Desmond Fitzgerald
(Founding Director)
Desmond Fitzgerald obtained his medical degree from UCD and subsequently trained in cardiology and clinical pharmacology at Vanderbilt University in the US. Following his return to Ireland, he was appointed to the post of Consultant Lecturer in Medicine and Therapeutics at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and UCD.
In 1994, he was appointed Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Consultant in Clinical Pharmacology at Beaumont Hospital. He established the Institute of Biopharmaceutical Sciences and Surgen, a pharmacogenetics company jointly owned by RCSI and the French genomics company, Genset. Java Clinical Research was founded in 1999 with Ms Ruth Nallen. In 2004, he moved to UCD as Vice-President for Research and Professor of Molecular Medicine. His research is in vascular biology, with a particular focus on platelets and thrombosis. He was Chairman of the Health Research Board of Ireland 2004-2007 and has held committee positions in the Irish Medicines Board.
He is a member of several professional bodies, including the American Heart Association and the European Society for Cardiology, where he chaired the Working Group on Platelets and Thrombosis. He has been on the Editorial Boards of several journals, including Circulation. He holds an Adjunct Chair in Medicine and Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania and was elected to the Association of American Physicians in 2006.
Ms Ruth Nallen
(Founding Director)
Prior to commencing a career in Clinical research in 1996 Ruth trained as a Registered General Nurse and Midwife and has over five years experience the Coronary Care setting. Experience as the Clinical Nurse Manager at the Royal College of Surgeons coupled with an MSC from Trinity College in Dublin in 2004 for her Thesis work entitled “The ethics of genetics in clinical trials” with gave Ruth a sound foundation in all aspects of clinical trial management. She co-founded Java Clinical research Ltd with Professor Desmond Fitzgerald in 1999. Ruth is a member of BARQA- the British Research Quality Association.
Ms Michele O’Connell
(Senior Manager)
Michele was awarded an MSC in clinical Pharmacology from University College Cork before commencing work as a CRA at Glaxo, a role she assumed for four years before promotion to a Clinical Trials Manager. After a decade with Glaxo she joined Java Clinical Research in 2002 as a Senior Manager. Apart from project management and business development roles in Java, Michele has particular responsibility in the company for regulatory compliance and the development of quality systems including writing, implementing and training staff on standard operating procedures. Michele is also an active member of BARQA- the British Research Quality Association.
Dr James McRedmond
(Senior Scientist)
James McRedmond is a Senior Scientist with Java Clinical Research. He holds a PhD in Clinical Pharmacology, carried out ten years postdoctoral research using gene expression analysis and proteomics to probe platelet function. During that period he also worked as a pharmacology lecturer in University College Dublin. Since moving into clinical research five years ago James has worked on diverse projects in various roles, including assay development for early phase trials, protocol development and writing, data review and analysis, medical writing and consulting.
