Guest Speaker

Derick Mitchell, PhD. is the Chief Executive of the Irish Platform for Patient Organisations, Science and Industry (IPPOSI - www.ipposi.ie). IPPOSI is a unique, patient-led partnership organisation that works with patients, government, industry, science and academia to put patients at the heart of health policy and innovation.

Derick has a background in research, strategy and advocacy from over 12 years’ experience spanning a number of leadership roles in research and multi-stakeholder engagement in Ireland and at the EU-level. Derick believes in the power of a united voice when it comes to patient advocacy and the central role of patients and their representative organisations in healthcare and research.

Derick is a board member of PFMD - a global collaborative and non-competitive coalition to improve global health by co-designing the future of healthcare for patients WITH patients. Derick is a former board member of the European Patients Academy (EUPATI) Foundation, a global initiative which is training patients to become involved in the medicines R&D process, and has spread the IPPOSI public-private partnership model to over 20 countries. Derick is also currently chairperson of the European patient representative round-table of ISPOR; a Patient Advisor to the OECD Patient-Reported Indicator Survey (PaRiS) initiative as well as a founding member of the European Patients’ Forum-led DataSavesLives.eu initiative.

Derick holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biotechnology from NUI Galway and a PhD in Molecular Medicine from University College Dublin. Outside of IPPOSI, Derick spends his free time attempting to influence his two young daughters.