Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Tony Holohan will not take up a professorship in Trinity, he said in a press release this afternoon.
In a press statement, Provost Linda Doyle called Holohan’s decision “a huge loss for Ireland’s education sector, and for all the students who would have learned so much from Dr Holohan’s experience”.
The Department of Health announced last week that Holohan would be appointed by Trinity as Professor of Public Health Leadership and Strategy while remaining in his government role.
Holohan said he had “decided not to proceed with my secondment as Professor of Public Health Leadership and Strategy, Trinity College Dublin”, adding that he would “retire as CMO with effect from 1 July to allow the Department of Health sufficient time to advance the process of appointing my successor”.
“I do not wish to see the controversy of the last few days continuing. In particular, I wish to avoid any further unnecessary distraction that this has caused to our senior politicians and civil servants.”
The appointment was criticised after it emerged that Holohan would not be leaving his position in the Department of Health and that his professorship would not be temporary.
Secondments are typically time-bound within the civil service. On top of his €187,000 CMO salary, Holohan was to be paid €30,000 more than any other College professors.
Holohan added: “My strong belief is that this was a significant opportunity to work with the university sector to develop much needed public health capacity and leadership for the future”, he said.
“In this regard, I would like to thank Trinity College and the Provost for their foresight and support in establishing this role.”
The mooted position was not attached to any one school or faculty.
Holohan became a significant public figure in Ireland during the pandemic. He chaired the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) which was set up to advise the government on coronavirus guidelines.
He recommended at the end of last month that NPHET be wound down in favour of a new structure to advise the Minister for Health on public health matters.
Holohan qualified as a doctor in 1991 with a degree from University College Dublin and was appointed Chief Medical Officer in 2008.
