The Department of Health plans to fill the position of Chief Health Ethics Officer this year. The position was formerly titled as Chief Bioethics Officer (CBO).
A Department spokesperson told the Medical Independent (MI) that health ethics “is a complex interdisciplinary field” requiring ethical, clinical, and practical competencies.
The position of Chief Health Ethics Officer will be progressed in early 2026, “with a view to filling the role.” In the interim, the Department continues to access relevant expertise as necessary, they added.
In February 2025, MI reported there were no plans to recruit a new CBO. The post has remained unfilled since September 2022, when the former CBO Dr Siobhán O’Sullivan left the role. The CBO was responsible for monitoring the bioethics environment to identify emerging issues and to provide evidence-based policy and legislative advice in the field.
Separately, the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) life and health science committee recently released two event reports on bioethics in Ireland.
The first report arose from the forum on the future of Irish bioethics, which took place in October 2024. This event brought together experts and stakeholders to critically examine bioethical frameworks in Ireland.
Mr Oliver Feeney, Chair of the RIA working group for the forum, said the report highlighted “the need for a greater national focus on supporting inclusive, ongoing discussions of bioethical issues in Ireland”.
“The event explored the potential benefit of a systemic approach to bioethics, encapsulating national coordination, capacity building, public involvement, and policy advisory roles.
“As of September 2025, it is 10 years since the last official meeting of the national advisory committee on bioethics (NACB). It is vital that Ireland is equipped with the means to confront and address the many increasingly complex bioethical challenges that lie ahead for our society.”
The Department has previously informed this newspaper that the NACB is no longer a functional committee.
The second RIA report is the result of a symposium on fundamental biomedical research, which took place in February 2025.
This event highlighted the success of fundamental biomedical research across the island and emphasised the continuing need for increased funding for fundamental research to build and sustain national capacity and improve the career paths and prospects for biomedical researchers.
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