Our Upcoming Speakers
Emily M. Godfrey, MD MPH is a professor and physician-researcher in the Departments of Family Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Washington. Dr. Godfrey holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin and completed her family medicine residency at the West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, Illinois. She is a graduate of the Complex Family Planning Fellowship, and holds a master’s of public health from the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York.
Dr. Godfrey is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Society of Family Planning. Her national professional experience includes: board member of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, current Vice Chair of the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) Program Committee, current member of the CDC U.S. MEC and SPR Guideline Development Group, co-founder and inaugural board chair of a nationally recognized patient-engaged research organization, Cystic Fibrosis Reproductive and Sexual Heath Collaborative.
Dr. Godfrey is a three-time recipient of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Ambassador Scholarship Award. She received the University of Illinois Faculty Mentoring Award and the Linda K. Gunzburger Faculty Award for Excellence in Scholarship from the University of Illinois Department of Family Medicine. In 2006, she was recognized for her extraordinary contribution to the health and well-being of women by Sara Feigenholtz of the Illinois House of Representatives.
Starting in September 2024, Dr. Godfrey is taking a 9-month sabbatical to enhance her skills in Lifestyle Medicine and will be living mostly in Europe. She is working with University of Washington Osher Center colleagues to initiate a culinary medicine course for U.S.-based health care providers at the University of Washington Rome Center.
More on our Recent Speakers
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Dr. Easkey Britton
Dr. Britton is a renowned Irish surfer, author, artist and marine social scientist from Rossnowlagh with a deep love and passion for tapping into the healing powers of the sea. She specialises in the interdependencies between the ocean and humans, contributing her expertise in ‘blue health’ on national and international research projects. She is the author of several books on our human relationship with water including ‘50 Things to do by the Sea’, her memoir ‘Saltwater in the Blood’ (2021), and most recently, ‘Ebb and Flow: Connect with the Patterns and Power of Water’ (2023), a feminist reimagining of the meaning of power through the lens of water.
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Una Martin
Una Martin is a registered advanced nurse practitioner in rheumatology at University Hospital Waterford. She has worked in the speciality of rheumatology for the past 30 years both in Ireland and the UK. She is a registered nurse prescriber and prescriber of ionising radiation. She holds a graduate diploma in rheumatology, a masters in clinical practice and a diploma in positive health. She is currently completing her lifestyle medicine accreditation with the british society of lifestyle medicine. She is education and bursary officer for Irish Rheumatology Nursing Forum for the last five years. She is chair of University Hospital Waterford Advanced Nurse & Midwifery forum.
She has special interest in lifestyle medicine, patient education, behaviour change, early rheumatoid arthritis and patient education on methotrexate. She has authored and co-authored a number of papers on methotrexate patient education. Having been awarded a clinical bursary from the RCSI school of nursing & midwifery she has spent the last 12 months working with a team to produce a booklet to support patients living with arthritis and managing lifestyle entitled “Living your best life – a simple guide to living with arthritis”.
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Motty Varghese
Motty Varghese is a Sleep and Respiratory Physiologist and worked at St James's Hospital, Dublin for 15 years. He now dedicates his time to Sleep Therapy Clinic as a Sleep Physiologist and Behavioural Sleep therapist where he offers therapy for Insomnia and Circadian rhythm disorders. Motty is licensed by the Board of Registered Polysomnography Technologists in the USA and he also holds a mini-fellowship in Behavioural Sleep Medicine from Perelman School of Medicine, Univ. Of Pennsylvania. He also attended training programs at the Circadian and Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford. His research interests are in Sleep diagnostics, and he has presented at the European Respiratory Society and Irish Thoracic Society meetings. Motty has contributed frequently to the Irish print, radio, and visual media.
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Professor Seán Kennelly
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Caroline Cummings
Chartered Physiotherapist
Registered member of Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists, CORU, Health & Care Professions Council UK and Health Professions Council South Africa
Caroline graduated from the University of Cape Town, South Africa in 2004 with a B.Sc. in Physiotherapy, and has spent the last 19 years working mainly in the areas of musculoskeletal, orthopaedics and rehabilitation. She has Post Graduate certificates in Clinical Exercise Prescription through Trinity College, and Orthopaedic Manual therapy through Curtin University, and is both a qualified Yoga and Pilates instructor. Caroline divides her time between clinic work and teaching yoga/pilates classes in her community, aimed at managing specific conditions. She has a passion for helping people maintain mobility, strength and balance as they grow older, and keeping everyone moving! Caroline is currently enrolled in the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine Core Accreditation programme.
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Martina Meegan
Martina is a Yoga Teacher based in Meath with a passion for Yoga in Healthcare. She has over 20 years’ experience in Ireland, England & Canada in Radiation Oncology, having originally studied and worked in St Luke’s Hospital in Dublin between 1983 to 1988. This background has provided her with a passion for helping people to live a full and healthy life, using interventions and practices that are well researched and scientifically sound.
Over the past 10 years, she has become an internationally accredited Yoga Teacher (500 hours with Yoga Therapy Ireland) with additional specialisation in Yoga for The Stages of Menopause, Yoga in Cancer Care, Adaptive Chair Yoga, Mam & Baby Yoga, Yoga in Trauma Care, Yin Yoga ,Yoga for Sports and Yoga Therapy.
In 2022, she become a certified Yoga4Health and Yoga4NHS Teacher with Yoga in Healthcare Alliance (YIHA) in the UK. She is currently delivering the second 10 week Yoga4Health programme in Kells and the first 6 week Yoga4Heathcare Staff programme in Trim Primary Care Centre.
In 2023, she was one of the principle organisers of Yoga Therapy Ireland’s 2 day conference ‘The Principles and Practices of Yoga in Healthcare’ hosting international experts in the field of research and yoga. She is passionate about offering evidence based yoga within the healthcare setting -to staff and clients.
Martina teaches public classes in Kells and also directly with MS Society Ireland. She really feel the benefits of her own yoga practice-maintaining flexibility, strength and most importantly, helping to deal with all of life’s emotional and physical challenges.