Our Team
At the IGHN, we work hard to support our members and get the message out across the whole of our extensive network, but this doesn’t happen by itself!
Our team is comprised of two important components – the Secretariat, who conduct the majority of IGHN operations, and our dynamic Student Outreach Group Members, who conduct events and outreach in academic campuses around Ireland, north and south.
The IGHN Secretariat
Nadine Ferris France
IGHN Executive Director
Nadine Ferris France is the Executive Director for the Irish Global Health Network and ESTHER Ireland. She is a communicator, writer, trainer and civil society activist with over 20 years’ experience in gender, HIV and global health. She has worked extensively with global, regional and national civil society networks on HIV and TB for many years as the co-founder and Executive Director of Health & Development Networks (HDN).
In addition to her experience within the NGO-field, she has also worked extensively with the World Health Organization and also lectures with various academic institutions. She is currently a member of the Programme Advisory Panel for the Robert Carr Civil Society Network Fund and the European AIDS Treatment Group. At this stage in her own professional development, she is particularly passionate about issues such as self-stigma affecting people living with HIV and survivors of gender-based violence. Nadine holds an MSc in Global Health from Trinity College Dublin. Her full profile is available at: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/nadinefrance1
Get in touch with Nadine via email at [email protected]
Dawn Parkinson
Finance & Administration Officer
Dawn joined IGHN in November 2024, having worked in the Irish Not For Profit sector since her arrival from Zimbabwe in 2001. A certified bookkeeper, she also holds a diploma in accounting and has considerable experience in financial and human resource management; as well as monitoring compliance of internal governance and administration strategies.
Get in touch with Dawn at [email protected]
Grace Keane O'Connor
Network and Communications Programme Lead
Grace is a communications and events professional with a background in human rights, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement. She has worked across the NGO, political, and cultural sectors, gaining experience in strategic communications, digital media, and event coordination at both national and international levels.
Her work has focused on supporting public engagement, advocacy campaigns, and community outreach initiatives. Grace holds a BA in Human Rights from the University of Galway and is passionate about using communications and events to promote dialogue and advance the cause of pressing social and global issues.
Joan Bolger
Training and learning Coordinator
Joan has a background in Journalism, particularly in international news, having worked in foreign press agencies and various roles within newspapers. For the past 15 years, she has worked in the NGO sector, managing web and offline campaigns, crafting press materials, and pitching to press. More recently she has expanded her focus to contribute to the area of global health e-training.
Get in touch with Joan via email at [email protected]
Caragh Munn
IGHN Partnerships Programme Coordinator
Caragh Munn is the IGHN Partnerships Programme Coordinator (formerly ESTHER Ireland). She has 10 years’ experience in a variety of roles in Community and Global Health.
Her experience in managing and coordinating international partnerships and programs includes roles within the NGO sector, and working in Ethiopia supporting the National Network of People Living with HIV to deliver programmes to meet the needs of their members.
She also has experience in bridging the gap between healthcare providers in Ireland and marginalised populations, having worked in Traveller Primary Healthcare Programmes and most recently in Social Prescribing.
Caragh holds both a Master in Public Health and a Master in International Humanitarian Action.
Get in touch with Caragh via email at [email protected]
Ivana Hussu
Communications and Events Programme Associate
Ivana has a MSc in Global Health from Uppsala University, Sweden. She also has a clinical background and holds a BA in Nursing from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Over the years Ivana has volunteered in social and environmental initiatives in her hometown, Trieste. During her university years Ivana completed a clinical training in The Gambia and after finishing her BA in nursing, she worked in the paediatric ICU at the University Medical Center in Ljubljana, which she left to pursue a Global Health degree. In the past two years Ivana has worked in various Swedish and international NGOs and organisations focusing on the concept of “one health”, sustainable actions and advocacy.
Ivana has a deep interest in mental health issues, digital health solutions, environmental health and equal rights in accessing high-quality healthcare. Additionally, she is passionate about discovering new realities by connecting with others through travel and photography.
Get in touch with Ivana via email at [email protected]
Arwa Hany Sharaby
Professional Intern - Partnerships Programme and Training
Arwa is a General Practitioner at Cairo University Students’ Hospitals with five years of experience blending clinical practice with public health advocacy at international and regional levels. She has held influential roles, including Liaison Officer to the WHO within the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA), where she led delegations to the 154th Executive Board Meeting and the 77th World Health Assembly, developing youth-driven advocacy strategies and has worked on coordinating capacity building initiatives on Global health education. As former Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, she fostered partnerships with WHO-EMRO and UN agencies to amplify youth voices. She also served as a Steering Committee member in the WHO Youth Council. During her internship at WHO-EMRO’s Violence, Injuries, and Disabilities Unit, she contributed to campaigns and advocacy materials addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV). As Chair of Partnerships at Women in Global Health Egypt Chapter, she helped establish governance frameworks and build collaboration across the network.
Arwa is passionate about gender and health systems, aiming to bridge clinical care with advocacy to drive equitable and sustainable healthcare solutions.
Get in touch with Arwa via email at [email protected]
