Staff Profiles

Prof. Gerard Flaherty hails from 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 8 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, PhD) were based on his original research in travel medicine. He was elected to the prestigious role of President-elect of the International Society of Travel Medicine in May 2021, the first Irish person to receive this distinction, and only the second from the British Isles. He will serve on the Executive Board as President-elect (2021-23), President (2023-25), and Immediate Past President (2025-27).

He is a Fellow, examiner, former 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 and the Donald MacLeod medal in Sports Medicine, which was presented to him by The Princess Royal. 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 Co-Chair for the 2021 CISTM17 virtual conference, held in May 2021. He was elected to the Executive Board of the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) in 2014 and has held several leadership positions, including membership of the Examinations Committee, the Older Traveller Interest Group Council, 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 high altitude medicine, risk assessment in the pre-travel consultation, travel health behavior, travellers with pre-existing medical conditions, mental health issues and travel, older travellers, and education in travel health. He has nearly 20 years of clinical experience in travel medicine. He has completed tropical medicine courses and expeditions in Kenya, Tanzania, Nepal, Russia, Cuba, Peru, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, Ghana, Morocco, and South Africa.   

Gerard¿s current academic position as Professor of Medical Education and 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 the special study module programme. He is also a Past Chair of the Curriculum Review Committee and has sat on numerous committees at school and university levels, including the university examination appeals committee. 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 8 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 reviewer for multiple travel medicine and medical education journals.  

Gerard has worked with 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 instrumental in establishing 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 and supervision of participants enrolled on the Croí MyAction preventive cardiology programme. 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 learning Mandarin Chinese.    

Google Scholar profile available at: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=6BOXH2wAAAAJ&hl=en