Professor Alan Irvine is one of 28 new Members of the Royal Irish Academy elected in 2019 for their exceptional contribution to the sciences, humanities, and social sciences as well as to public service. This prestigious membership is subject to rigorous international peer-review by the Advisory Committee on the Assessment of Candidates for Membership (ACACM), whose role is to select those who best meet the criteria for election, benchmarked to international standards. Alan’s election to the RIA is an acknowledgement of his significant contribution to the field. His research interests, reflected in over 230 peer reviewed publications, are in epithelial genetics, disease mechanisms in, and therapy of, atopic dermatitis. His work on the genetics of atopic dermatitis with long term collaborative partner Irwin McLean has helped refocus attention on the role of the skin barrier in the pathogenesis of this disease and of allergic disease in general.
Speaking about this achievement, Alan said “I’m delighted and humbled to receive this recognition for work that has been done in conjunction with so many colleagues and in partnership with our patients and their families, supported by NCRC funding and their expert professional assistance. The credit belongs to so many people including my research students, research nurses and research coordinators. Whatever success I have achieved has been in the context of having a great team around me.“
Professor Alan Irvine, MB BCh BAO (QUB 1991), MD (QUB 1998), FRCPI (Royal College of Physicians of Ireland 2004), FRCP (Royal College of Physicians of London 2008), DSc (QUB 2016), Consultant Dermatologist/Professor of Dermatology TCD, Children’s Health Ireland, St James’s Hospital.