Skip to main content

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

Menu Search


Trinity College Dublin By using this website you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with the Trinity cookie policy. For more information on cookies see our cookie policy.

      
Profile Photo

Dr. Laura Mc Cullagh

Clinical Senior Lecturer (Pharmacology & Therapeutics)

 mcculllm@tcd.ie

 


Biography

Dr Laura McCullagh is Chief I Pharmacist & Head of Research, National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE) and Clinical Senior Lecturer, Pharmacology & Therapeutics. She holds a PhD for her research in Health Technology Assessment (HTA). In the NCPE, she has led over 50 HTA evaluations; these have informed HSE drug reimbursement decision-making. Previous roles have included Associate Professor of HTA & Pharmacoeconomcis, Discipline of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Trinity College Dublin. She represents Ireland on the European Commission HTA Coordination Group (medicinal products). She publishes research in international, peer-reviewed journals. She is a member of Cochrane. She is on the Editorial Boards of PharmacoEconomics and Frontiers in Medicine. She provides peer-review for heath-economics and clinical journals, for the Medical Research Council, UK and the Veni Scheme, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. She is on the ISPOR Europe Research Programme Committee. She is on the Research Ethics Committee, Health Policy and Management-Centre for Global Health, Trinity College Dublin. Dr McCullagh is on the Board of Management and Court of Examiners, MSc Pharmaceutical Medicine, Discipline of Pharmacology & Therapeutics. She supervises post-doctoral, PhD, MD, MSc and undergraduate researchers. She is internal examiner to PhD and MSc candidates. She holds undergraduate and postgraduate teaching commitments. She leads the development and implementation of the HTA Module of the annual National Patient Education Programme (in collaboration with IPPOSI). She is a member of the National Cancer Epi Network. She was a member of the Pan-European Piperska Group (2013-2017). She was a member of the National Prostate Cancer Research Consortium (2014-2015). She was on the Expert Advisory Group for the HTA of a National Screening Programme for Atrial Fibrillation. She was a member of the National Cancer Control Programme Technology Review Committee (2015-2018).

Representations

Details Date
Ireland Representative (medicinal products), Health Technology Assessment Coordination Group (HTACG), European Commission. 2023
Lead HTA Assessor, Senior Management, Head of Research, NCPE 2008 - date
Lead, Development & Implementation of HTA Module, National Annual Patient Education Programme in Health Innovation, EUPATI for Irish Patient Communities (in association with IPPOSI) 2017 - date
Editorial Board, Frontiers in Medicine 2023 - date
Editorial Board, PharmacoEconomics 2020 - date
Joint Clinical Assessment Subgroup, Health Technology Assessment Coordination Group, European Commission. 2023 - date
ISPOR Europe Programme Committee Member 2021 - date
Peer-review for European and international top-in field journals (HTA and clinical). External peer-review for the Innovational Research Incentive Scheme - Veni, Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research. 2010 - date
Member, Irish Cancer Epidemiology Network (ICEN). 2018
Member, National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) Technology Review Group. 2015
Member, The Piperska Group, a pan-European collaborative aiming to address/advance pharmaceutical-related financial sustainability of healthcare systems 2013
Member, National Prostate Cancer Research Consortium 2014
Member, HIQA Expert Advisory Group, HTA Assessment of National Screening Programme for Atrial Fibrillation 2015

Memberships

Membership of Professional Institutions, Associations, Societies

Details Date From Date To
Member of The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland. 1998
Member of The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. 1992 1998
Niamh Carey, Joy Leahy, Lea Trela-Larsen, Laura Mc Cullagh, Michael Barry, Cost-utility and value of information analysis of tisagenlecleucel for relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the Irish healthcare setting, Journal of Market Access & Health Policy, 11, (1), 2023, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Claire Gorry, Laura McCullagh, Helen O'Donnell, Sarah Barrett, Susanne Schmitz, Michael Barry, Kay Curtin, Eamon Beausang, Rupert Barry, Imelda Coyne, Neoadjuvant treatment for stage III and IV cutaneous melanoma, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023, (1), 2023, p1 - 102, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Croke A, Cardwell K, Clyne B, Moriarty F, McCullagh L, Smith SM., The effectiveness and cost of integrating pharmacists within general practice to optimize prescribing and health outcomes in primary care patients with polypharmacy: a systematic review., BMC Prim Care, 24, (1), 2023, p41 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Rosealeen Barrett, Michael Barry, Laura McCullagh, Health technology management: the experience of a managed access approach to the reimbursement of dupilumab in Ireland, Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971 -), 2023, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
O'Callaghan J, Tilson L, Fogarty E, McCullagh L , Clinical expert opinion to inform Health Technology Assessments., Irish Medical Journal, 116, (8), 2023, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Cassidy O, Harte M, Trela-Larsen L, Walsh C, White A, McCullagh L, Leahy J., A comparison of relative-efficacy estimate(s) derived from both Matching-Adjusted Indirect Comparisons and Standard Anchored Indirect Treatment Comparisons., Value in health : the journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, 2023, pS1098-3015(23)03061-9 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Carey N, Harte M, Mc Cullagh L., A text-mining tool generated title-abstract screening workload savings: performance evaluation versus single-human screening., Journal of clinical epidemiology, 149, 2022, p53-59 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Carey N, Leahy, J, Trela-Larsen L, McCullagh L., & Barry, M, Tisagenlecleucel for relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the Irish healthcare setting: Cost-effectiveness and value of information analysis. , International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care,, 38, (1 e56), 2022, p1 - 11, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Croke A, Moriarty F, Boland F, McCullagh L, Cardwell K, Smith SM, Clyne B., Integrating clinical pharmacists within general practice: protocol for a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial., BMJ Open, 11, (3), 2021, pe041541 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Castro P.D., Reynolds C.M., Kennelly S., Geraghty A.A., Finnigan K., McCullagh L., Gibney E.R., Perrotta C., Corish C.A., An investigation of community-dwelling older adults' opinions about their nutritional needs and risk of malnutrition; a scoping review, Clinical Nutrition, 2021, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
  

Page 1 of 9

  

Awards and Honours

Award Date
'Murdoch McKenzie' Prize for Highest Academic Grades in Pharmacy Undergrad Degree (1989-1991 inclusive), University of Sunderland, UK. 1991
'Mawson Proctor' Award for Highest Academic Grades in Pharmaceutical Chemistry & Pharmacognosy (Pharmacy), University of Sunderland, UK. 1990
'Boots' The Chemist Prize, for Highest Academic Grades in First Year of Pharmacy Undergrad Degree, University of Sunderland, UK. 1989

Research Interests

Description Of Research Interests

Dr McCullagh is Chief I Pharmacist, Head of Research, NCPE and Clinical Senior Lecturer, Trinity College Dublin. She has been the lead on over 50 HTA evaluations of drugs for which reimbursement by the HSE is sought. Each report details comparative-effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and the expected budget impacts of the drug under consideration. The reports inform the HSE reimbursement decision-making process. Dr McCullagh has published research undertaken in HTA, including: comparative clinical-effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of drugs, evidence synthesis (for comparative-efficacy), value-of-information analysis, multiple-criteria-decision analysis, survival analysis (of immature clinical-trial data), cost of health-care and analysis of drug utilisation and prescribing & expenditure trends. Dr McCullagh is a co-applicant on a number of research grants. She is a member of the HEALED consortium funded under the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund, Department of Enterprise and Innovation, Ireland. Here she is leading the HTA of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancers. She was a co-applicant on a Health Research Board (HRB) Applied-Partnership Award which examined how drug utilisation and outcomes analyses can inform HTA and reimbursement. A HRB RCQPS Award investigated how a GP practice-based Pharmacist Medicines Optimisation Programme supports prescribing in primary care. A HRB RCQOS Award investigated how a multi-disciplinary prescribing strategy supports prescribing of oral nutritional supplements by GPs. Previously, she was a HRB Interdisciplinary Capacity Enhancement research fellow at Trinity College Dublin. This research programme investigated novel approaches to cancer prevention, treatment and cost in conjunction with the National Cancer Registry of Ireland and the NCPE. Dr McCullagh publishes research in top-in-filed, European and International peer-reviewed journals and conferences. She is a member of the Editorial Boards of PharmacoEconomics and Frontiers in Medicine. She provides peer-review for heath-economics and clinical journals, for the Medical Research Council, UK and the Veni Scheme, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. She is on the ISPOR Europe Research Programme Committee. She is on the Research Ethics Committee, Health Policy and Management-Centre for Global Health, Trinity College Dublin. Dr McCullagh supervises Post-doctoral, PhD, MD, MSc and undergraduate research. She is a member of the Health Policy and Management-Centre for Global Health REC, Trinity College Dublin.