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For 10 years Dr. Michael Barry has been a Consultant Clinical Pharmacologist and Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland and head of the Irish National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics which advises the Department of Health in relation to the pricing and reimbursement of pharmaceuticals in addition to conducting health technology assessments (HTAs). Dr. Barry has served on National Advisory groups and is a board member of the newly formed Health Information & Quality Authority (HIQA) whose remit includes HTA.
As a clinician he works at St. James’s Hospital, Dublin, performing both inpatient and outpatient duties. He runs weekly clinics in cardiovascular and internal medicine and lectures on clinical pharmacology and internal medicine to undergraduate medical students at Trinity College. As a Royal College of Physicians of Ireland specialist trainer, he is actively involved in post-graduate medical teaching. He has been chair of local research ethics committees.
Dr. Barry, a graduate of University College Cork, Ireland, qualified in medicine in 1984. He obtained a 1st honours BSc degree in Pharmacology in 1981 and completed a PhD in Pharmacology at Trinity College in 1990. He became a member and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland in 1988 and 1995 respectively. Prior to his current post, Dr. Barry was Consultant Pharmacologist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool, UK, from 1990-1998.
He has over 100 peer-reviewed publications on clinical pharmacology, general medicine, HTA and pharmacoeconomics. Recent publications relate to the cost effectiveness of universal hepatitis B and pneumococcal vaccination strategies in the Irish health care setting. As a member of ISPOR he co-chaired the 10th Annual European Congress held in Dublin in October 2007.
The 10th Annual European ISPOR Congress in Dublin 2007 hailed the health technology assessment (HTA) “revolution” and a future of great promise for our discipline. Any vision for ISPOR must continue to place scientific excellence at its core as quality science is essential for the continued success of this international society. Coming from a country that has recently embraced HTA, certain challenges are evident, and these shape my vision for ISPOR. I have little doubt that “capacity” is one of the major issues and a rate-limiting step. Therefore ISPOR should continue to identify, encourage and support the training and development of the next generation of researchers in pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research. The support of regional ISPOR groups would provide the organisational structure to deliver on this vision, particularly in the resource limited setting.
In Ireland working closely with decision-makers frequently translates our work into health policy bringing pharmacoeconomics ‘to life’ once again highlighting the importance of engaging decision-makers who still number too few in our organisation. As the largest net exporter of pharmaceuticals worldwide, we appreciate the balance between achieving value for money and supporting industry innovation; hence an important component of my ISPOR vision is continuing our development of a multidisciplinary society. This includes reaching out to fellow clinicians who may not always embrace our ideals.
Following the ISPOR European Congress in Dublin, I have witnessed the significant impact on all stakeholders across the country and such meetings are central to my vision for ISPOR. An essential component to deliver on any ISPOR vision is the excellent ISPOR team who I came to know very well whilst co-chairing the Dublin meeting. The prospect of working with such colleagues and fellow members in contributing to the future of ISPOR is a real honour for me.
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