PRRT BOARD

Dr Julie Aiken (Board Member)

Dr Julie Aiken is Regional Manager with Samaritans in Northern Ireland since 2014. During this time she has developed the presence of the organisation in NI, led on establishing relationships with key marginalised groups and had responsibility for the delivery of Samaritans best practice media guidelines for reporting suicide. She has worked in the community and voluntary sector for nearly 15 years including at the Red Cross where she undertook research on humanitarian crises. In 2013, she was part of the team that delivered the World Police and Fire Games in NI and Giro d’Italia Big Start in 2014. Dr Aiken has a primary degree in Psychology (BSc Hons). She also has a PhD set within a human rights framework. She has spent the last 10 years working in the field of mental health and wellbeing.

Ms Paula Kealey (Board Member)

Ms Kealey is an Associate Consultant with the Health and Social Care Leadership Centre, a Mentor for a Government Department Capacity Building Programme in Voluntary and Community Sector and is the Clinical Project Lead for Cancer Rehabilitation in the South-eastern Health and Social Care Trust. She is also a Guest Lecturer in Cancer Rehabilitation and Palliative Care at Ulster University and developed and delivered content for the first online Allied Health Professional, International Masters module in Long Term Conditions.

She is a registered Occupational Therapist with over 17 years’ clinical experience in rehabilitation at senior, specialist and management levels within the legacy Foyle Trust and North and West Belfast Trust and established the first Community Specialist Occupational Therapy Service in Cancer and Palliative Care in Northern Ireland.  Her experience also includes 14 years senior and strategic roles within a leading UK Charity where primary focus was Northern Ireland centric. Here she led a wide range of local and regional service developments, improvements and transformational change programmes to improve the lives of people living with cancer and those close to them. She has influenced and negotiated on campaigns, policy and strategic priorities at government level and across partnerships and contributed to the development of national and local strategy, policy, guidelines and pathways.  Ms Kealey has a BSc Honours Degree in Occupational Therapy, an MSc in Medical Science with published research and is a qualified and experienced Coach and Mentor.

Mrs Bernie McCrory MBE (Board Member)

Mrs McCrory was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Co-operation and Working Together (CAWT) in February 2006 and she has retired from that role in August 2021. During that time she had responsibility for leading and developing cross border health and social care provision between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland on behalf of the CAWT Partnership.  She has worked in the Health and Social Care Service for more than 40 years, mainly in Acute Services as a Hospital Manager/Business Manager with Sperrin Lakeland Trust and as Directorate Manager for Surgery and Critical Care at the Altnagelvin group of hospitals.  Mrs McCrory also lectured in Law and Business on a part-time basis with Queens University of Belfast for 10 years. She has two primary degrees in Public Administration/Law (BA Hons) and Social Sciences/Education (BA Open). She also has a MBA and a Master of Laws (LLM) and a postgraduate certificate in University Teaching (PGCUT).