Our Team

Lesley O’Hara

Chief Executive Officer

Dr O’Hara is the Chief Executive Officer of the Saint John of God Research Foundation clg. St John of God provides mental health and intellectual disability services throughout Ireland, the UK, and Malawi. Lesley is responsible for the strategic development of research activities across these services, ensuring that a culture of research and innovation is promoted and supported through a robust governance structure, annual research funding scheme, and the delivery of research education and training. Lesley has a PhD in critical health psychology, with a focus on the lived experience of managing chronic illness. Her subsequent post-doctoral research has explored mental health including eating disorders, and the transition from child to adult mental health services across Europe.

Peter Gallagher

Head of Research Support Services

Peter Gallagher is the Head of Research Support Services for Saint John of God Research Foundation. He is very interested in promoting and supporting research projects in Saint John of God services. He has worked in DETECT and in other Saint John of God Community services Adult Mental Health services since 2012 and joined the Research Foundation in 2013. Peter closely supports researchers with Governance and Data Protection items, and liaises with the Data Protection Officers in applications to the Research Ethics Committee. He also has responsibility for monitoring and managing the online SJOG Smart Simple Research Management System. Peter delivers the Research Seminar Series, a 10 week series of 2 hour sessions which cover the basic steps of conducting research as well as exploring novel aspects and other research technology and developments. Peter holds an honours BA in Psychology and is undertaking CIPP/E qualifications.

Justin Smyth

Head of Library Services

Justin joined as Head of Library Services in October 2021 and is based in the SJOG Hospital Library and Lucena Library Rathgar each week. Justin started in Libraries in 2007 and has prior experience in both public and academic libraries, most recently as Librarian at CCT College Dublin. While working at CCT he qualified with a Masters in Library and Information Studies (MLIS) in 2018. Justin serves on two Library Association of Ireland groups: the Library Ireland Week working group, which works to promote the work of libraries in all spheres and which centres on an annual week of activities and events, and the recently formed Open Scholarship Group, formed to raise awareness of the importance of open access, open educational resources and open research in all disciplines.

The Library at Saint John of God supports researchers at all stages of their professional research endeavours. From clinical inquiries to longer-form projects such as systematic reviews and scoping reviews, the Library, under the aegis of the Research Foundation, works closely with researchers to evolve comprehensive search strategies and academic assistance, and in the wider service to provide access to up-to-date, carefully curated physical and online collections.

Louise Syms

Research Funding and Administrative Executive

In May 2021, Louise Syms joined the Research Foundation as Executive Assistant. Louise comes from an extensive 14 year career with Failte Ireland, National Tourism Development Authority in skills training, education, administration and sales. In 2019 she transferred her skills to the charity sector working for the Irish charity Mellon Educate.

Louise supports the Research Foundation team through administration assistance, is a member of the Research Advisory Committee and secretary for the Research Grants Committee taking minutes for both committees. Louise is involved in organising webinars, conferences, the Learning Exchange Series and hospitality events as well as the annual grant applications. This role is part time working four days a week.

Conor Gavin

PRC Co-Ordinator

Joining the team in July 2025, Conor is now the Co-Ordinator of the newly established Psychosis Research Centre (PRC) at Saint John of God. Conor has previously worked as a Recovery Education Facilitator for Mental Health Ireland and a Peer Support Worker as part of the MOST Study (Moderated Online Social Therapy). He holds a Bachelors in Biochemistry and a Master’s in Clinical Neuroscience from the University of Galway with projects focusing on psychiatric genomics, childhood trauma and social cognition in Psychosis and Schizophrenia – Conor hopes to bring this academic experience to this newly created role.

As Founder & Director of the Psychosis Arts Collective, Conor is motivated to also bring his experience of initiating projects and innovation to the setup of the PRC. Conor’s extensive lived experience work includes being a member of the PSYcHE Project at the University of Galway and advising on the development of National Clinical Guidelines for Assessing and Remediating cognitive challenges in First-Episode Psychosis.

Psychosis is a topic of great personal interest to Conor and he will continue to cultivate a strong research ethos in the Saint John of God Research Foundation while working closely with other services, in particular DETECT – Ireland’s first Early Intervention Service for Psychosis.”

Patrick Fitzgerald

Co-researcher and Co-designer

Patrick Fitzgerald is a co-researcher and co-designer for the Research Foundation based in SJOG Liffey Services, Tallaght. He helps make projects more creative, inclusive, and easy for everyone to participate in. Patrick uses his experience to ensure that people with disabilities can have their voices heard. His work shows how important it is to include everyone and value their ideas.

Paula Leocadio

Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Coordinator

Paula is the Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Coordinator for St John of God Research Foundation. PPI ensures that research purposefully reflects the voices, lived experiences, and priorities of those it aims to benefit through meaningful partnership. In this role, Paula is responsible for leading the development and integration of PPI across the organisation’s research activities.

Paula is currently a PhD candidate in Management and Marketing at University College Cork. Her interdisciplinary research draws on qualitative and participatory approaches, with a strong commitment to improving service delivery and clinical practice through inclusive practices, including PPI and creative methodologies. She has expertise in facilitating PPI advisory panels and working with children and young people in research.

Isabella Kakish

Research Assistant

Isabella is a Research Assistant for the St John of God Research Foundation. She works closely with several clinical team members, assisting them in conducting a wide breadth of projects across the research lifecycle. In addition, she supports the Research Foundation team in administrative assistance, organising events, and promoting the team’s work.

Isabella completed her MSc. in Global Mental Health from Trinity College Dublin in 2025. Previously, she completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She has extensive experience working in mental health research, particularly projects focused on vulnerable populations such as children and adolescents, ethnic minorities, and individuals in humanitarian emergencies.