The Team

Chesmal had the vision for the PREA project and worked diligently to secure funding for it. Tragically, less than a month after the kick-off meeting, Chesmal died in a road traffic accident in London. Chesmal was born and grew up in Sri Lanka, where he became interested in the health of migrants and those impacted by armed conflict. He obtained a medical degree and PhD. His involvement in research during disasters heightened his awareness of the importance of research ethics. His commitment to the well-being and dignity of research participants led him to consider ways to improve and support research ethics in projects conducted in humanitarian crises. The PREA team is motivated by Chesmal’s humanitarian vision and we dedicate PREA to the memory of our good friend and colleague.

My research interests are in two main areas: healthcare ethics, and systematic reviewing. In recent years, my ethics research has focused on ethical issues in disasters, examining both healthcare ethics in disaster responses and research ethics in disasters. I was Chair of the EU-funded COST Action (2012-2016) on Disaster Bioethics and a list of my publications can be seen by clicking on the link below. My interests in systematic reviewing have led to my appointment as Convenor of Cochrane Ireland.

Angus’s research is mainly focused on ethical issues in public and global health. He was joint founder and remains joint Editor-in-Chief of the journal Public Health Ethics. He is particularly interested in how methodological and ethical issues are interwoven when conducting research. He has been a member of ethics committees in the UK and Australia and is a member of the research ethics board of Médecins Sans Frontières. He was one of the editors of the new book Public Health Ethics: Cases Spanning the Globe. The collection contains background material and cases from public health policy and practice with contributions from twenty-three different countries. It has been downloaded 48,000 times and you can download it for free from here.

Much of my research focuses on health in humanitarian crises and forced migration. This has focused particularly on mental health and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and the role of health systems in addressing chronic conditions in such settings.

Dr. Lignou is a post doctoral Research Fellow in Humanitarian Research Ethics and the Programme Coordinator for PREA. She has a background in Philosophy, Bioethics and Public Health Ethics. Her academic experience includes projects at UCL and KCL, a fellowship at LSHTM and a internship at the National Bioethics Commission of Greece. Dr. Lignou is an Associate Editor of Research Ethics and a member of the Research Ethics Panel in the Faculty of Medical Science. Research interests include the ethics of collaborative global health research, vulnerability, and decision-making for incapacitated patients.

Joe is currently involved in several projects within the area of evidence-based decision making in healthcare within the School of Nursing & Human Sciences, Dublin City University. His previous research projects involved the evaluation of successful psychotherapy models, service development of initiatives in mental health recovery and the application of neurofeedback treatment within the fields of mental health disorders. Joe obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in CIT, Advanced Social Practice in DBS and in Psychotherapy and Counselling with Griffith College Dublin. He is also a graduate of ITT Dublin and most recently The DCU Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship.

Mr Jooste is a freelance web developer working with health researchers and non-profit organisations. He has worked on projects for Bloomberg Philanthropies, University College London, the International Budget Partnership, OpenUp, and the National Treasury of South Africa. His educational background is in global mental health, psychology and social anthropology. His main areas of expertise are web development, user interface (UI) design, and the use of technology in health research and delivery.