Gerard Flaherty

Prof. Gerard Flaherty hails from a rural townland near Galway in the west of Ireland. He graduated from the National University of Ireland, Galway, in 2000 with a first class honours degree and gold medals in each of the eight final year subjects. As an undergraduate, Gerard gained an intercalated BSc degree in Anatomy and received numerous international academic distinctions, including the Duke Elder Prizer in Ophthalmology from the Royal College of Ophthalmology (UK), and the Annual Undergraduate Prize of the Faculty of Radiology (UK). He gained Membership of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland in 2002 and Fellowship in 2011. He holds a Diploma in Travel Medicine from the RCPSG (Glasgow). He has completed 3 Masters degrees, including a Masters in International and Travel Health (Sheffield) and Masters in Medical Education (Dundee). His two doctoral theses (MD and PhD) were based on his original research in travel medicine.

He is a Fellow and former examiner, board member and education convener of the Faculty of Travel Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. He was also the recipient of the Cameron Lockie Prize for Travel Medicine in the UK. He is Past President, Research Officer and current Honorary Scientific Adviser to the Travel Medicine Society of Ireland. He was Chair of the Northern European Conference on Travel Medicine (NECTM) 2012 scientific committee, which the Travel Medicine Society of Ireland hosted in Dublin, and Vice-Chair of the NECTM 2014 scientific committee in Norway. He also served on the international scientific committee for the 2015 NECTM, 2016 RCISTM and 2017 NECTM conferences in London, South Africa and Stockholm, respectively. He was Scientific Programme Committee Co-Chair for the 2021 CISTM17 virtual conference. He served as a Counsellor on the Executive Board of ISTM from 2014 to 2019 and has held several leadership positions, including membership of the Examinations Committee and Chair of the Publications Oversight Committee (2019-21). He is also a member of the Asia Pacific Travel Health Society. He holds an Adjunct Professorship in Travel Medicine and International Health with the International Medical University in Malaysia. Gerard’s research interests in travel medicine include risk assessment in the pre-travel consultation, travel health behaviour, travellers with pre-existing medical conditions, high altitude medicine, mental health issues and travel, older travellers, and education in travel health. He has nearly 20 years of clinical experience in travel medicine.

Gerard’s current academic position as Professor of Medical Education, Immediate Past Undergraduate Medical Programme Director at NUI Galway and Head of International Students for the School of Medicine gave him responsibility for design, delivery and assessment of the undergraduate medical curriculum, including recruitment and support of international students. He received a President’s Award from NUI Galway for Teaching Excellence in 2008. He has been awarded Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Educators (UK). He served on the executive committee of AMEE between 2017 and 2020. He has been awarded Associate Fellowship of AMEE. He has over 200 publications and research presentations to date, including a textbook, and eight textbook chapters. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Travel Medicine for which he is Section Editor (non-communicable diseases). He is a regular reviewer for multiple travel medicine and medical education journals.

Gerard has worked with the non-profit organisation Croí, the West of Ireland Cardiac Foundation, for many years as a volunteer expedition physician on fundraising high altitude treks to the Himalayas and Africa. He was co-founder of the National Institute for Prevention and Cardiovascular Health, on whose Advisory Council he serves as Director of Academic Affairs and Fellowship. In addition to acting as founder and Programme Director (2013-2020) for the Masters in Preventive Cardiology programme at NUI Galway, Gerard was responsible for the medical management of patients enrolled on preventive cardiology programmes. In his leisure time Gerard travels passionately, golfs erratically, walks in forests, cares for bonsai trees, climbs mountains, and bird-watches. He has been awarded Certificates in Ornithology and in Bird Behaviour. He is fluent in English and Gaelic, and speaks French and German hesitantly. He is currently enjoying the challenge of learning Mandarin Chinese.