The former chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan has been appointed to an adjunct professor position in University College Dublin (UCD).
Dr Holohan, who was the face of Ireland’s public health response to the Covid-19 pandemic, is to take up an unpaid role as adjunct full professor in the UCD college of health and agricultural sciences.
Dr Holohan retired as chief medical officer at the start of July after 14 years in the position.
Prof Cecily Kelleher, head of the UCD college of health and agricultural sciences, welcomed the appointment of Dr Holohan.
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“The appointment of someone of such high calibre and experience in guiding national policy and response to the Covid-19 pandemic will contribute enormously to our future research, education and planning. And I greatly look forward to working with him,” Prof Kelleher said.
In a post on Twitter, Dr Holohan said he was “delighted” to be appointed to the role, which he said would be on a “pro bono basis”. He added that he had “great plans to bring value to the role and to find other interesting things to do”.
Dr Holohan studied medicine in UCD and graduated in 1991, before later specialising in public health. He was appointed to the position of deputy chief medical officer in the Department of Health in 2001, and chief medical officer in 2008. He came to public prominence during Covid-19 where he led daily press briefings during the height of the pandemic.
After announcing his intention to leave the role earlier this year, a position in Trinity College Dublin was to be created for him as professor of public health strategy and leadership.
The proposed appointment caused significant political controversy after it emerged his €187,000-a-year salary would be paid by the Department of Health on an open-ended secondment arrangement, with Dr Holohan later deciding against proceeding with the academic position in Trinity.
