Committee vacancies will be advertised annually in August / September and so any members wishing to get more actively involved should look out for details of these or contact the region to register their interest.
CURRENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Contact: northernireland@apcp.org.uk
Lynsey Cunningham
Regional Chair
Lynsey graduated from University of Ulster, Jordanstown in 2004. After completing a paediatric rotation as a senior 2 in 2008, she obtained a permanent post in community paediatrics in the South Eastern Trust in early 2009. She has remained within the trust working within both community clinics, acute wards, CDC and schools. Since June 2016, she has worked within the complex needs team.
Lynsey's professional interests lie in the use of elastic therapeutic tape for management of tone and respiratory condition management including dysfunctional breathing. Lynsey completed a post graduate course in Medicine Management in 2019/20 and is now a qualified Independent and Supplementary non-medical prescriber. She also has a keen interest in musculoskeletal management and has previously worked within a private physiotherapy clinic, assessing and treating a wide variety of acute and chronic paediatric injuries and conditions.
Lynsey joined the APCP NI regional committee in 2013 and was regional representative in 2016-2018. She became NI chair in 2017. She is delighted to sit alongside such a great bunch of enthusiastic colleagues on committee and looks forward to the continued advancement of APCP activity in Northern Ireland.
Karen McConnell
Regional Representative
Karen graduated from Ulster University in 2008. Following this, she worked clinically within the area of orthopaedics at a large teaching hospital in Northern Ireland. She then commenced her postgraduate studies in 2009 at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University Belfast. Her doctoral research evaluated management of the upper limb in children with cerebral palsy. Since completing her PhD, Karen has worked as a clinical specialist paediatric physiotherapist in the South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust, and as Research Fellow to the Northern Ireland Cerebral Palsy Register. She now works as a Lecturer in Physiotherapy at Ulster University. Her research interests include trends in the prevalence and characteristics of cerebral palsy over time, the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions for the cerebral palsy population, and patient and public involvement in research.
Karen joined the APCP Northern Ireland Region Committee in 2016 and is keen to facilitate CPD and promote translation of evidence into clinical practice.
Jaci Mcfetridge
Jaci graduated from the University of Ulster, Jordanstown in 1997. After working as a basic grade in Altnagelvin Hospital, she specialised in paediatrics and worked as a senior 2 in Fleming Fulton School. She then returned to Altnagelvin as a Senior 1 in paediatrics and has worked in paediatrics since that time, moving to NHSCT in 2007. This work included child development clinics and special schools, which covered children with physical disabilities and both children and adults with learning disabilities. In 2015 Jaci took up a specialist post working with neuromuscular conditions, which includes the developmental, neuromuscular and respiratory physiotherapy treatment for these patients.
Jaci has completed a number of different speciality courses, including Paediatric Bobath Training and hydrotherapy. Since 2015 Jaci has been able to attend neuromuscular training in England as part of the North Star Network. Jaci has spoken at a number of events including physiotherapy courses, MDUK talks and most recently an APCP webinar hosted by the APCP Northern Ireland Region.
Jaci is looking forward to sitting on the APCP Northern Ireland Regional committee and being involved in the development of paediatric physiotherapy in Northern Ireland in the coming years.
Teresa Rafferty
Teresa's interest in paediatric physiotherapy stems from when her younger brother was diagnosed with global developmental delay. She completed a degree in sports science at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown before continuing to study physiotherapy at Manchester Metropolitan University. Teresa's passion was for paediatrics and so after completing junior rotations she was pleased to be able to take up a paediatric post within the South Eastern Trust in 2015.
Michelle Stowell
Michelle has a passion for children to reach their full potential and this was instilled when her younger brother was born with Cri du Chat Syndrome affecting his physical and mental capacity.
Michelle completed her undergraduate physiotherapy degree in 2012 at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. She then worked as a community physiotherapist at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital which is the largest hospital in Africa. She completed rotations in Trauma and ICU, Orthopaedics, Outpatients and Paediatrics. She then moved into private practice assessing and treating children from 0-18 years of age with varying conditions and worked there for 3 years before starting her own private practice treating children.
She moved to Northern Ireland in 2018 where she worked initially as part of the clinical team for Leckey before moving to the Belfast Trust and her current post at Glenveagh Special School.
She has completed hydrotherapy, hippotherapy and her Advanced Bobath/NDT training. She recently completed her Masters in Physiotherapy at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa looking at the effect of shoes on balance in children.
Tina Fullerton
I always knew I wanted to work somewhere to help people and after my work experience in school I felt physiotherapists seemed to enjoy their jobs the most.
I graduated from University of Ulster, Jordanstown in 2006. I always felt a desire to work with children and did a placement in Altnagelvin during my university time which I loved.
My first job was in Musgrave Park Hospital in 2006 where I worked on a Paediatric orthopaedic ward and also spent a year in Fleming Fulton School.
I moved to the Ulster Hospital in 2010 and completed 3 senior rotations within the Paediatric, Obstetric and Gynae team. I found that I enjoyed working in the acute side and with a wide variety of people.
I then moved to The Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice in 2018 and have been here since then. I work in both adults and children’s but my heart belongs in children’s .
I feel privileged to be part of the team here. The children are the heart of all we do and my role involves hydrotherapy, exercises and respiratory but above all improving the quality of life of the children and families who attend.
I have joined the APCP NI regional committee and am hoping my enthusiasm and passion for paediatrics will add to the already very experienced team.
Deirdre O'Donoghue
Deirdre graduated from University College Dublin (UCD) in 2001 with a BSc in Physiotherapy (2nd class honours). Following this, Deirdre worked as a basic grade physiotherapist in a variety of settings including Beaumont Hospital Dublin and various adult rehabilitation centres in Australia. Deirdre volunteered as a physiotherapist with the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation in Nepal where she worked with children and developed a passion for Paediatrics. She began working in Community Paediatrics and Paediatric Disability for the HSE in Co. Meath in 2005. She then worked as a Senior Physiotherapist in the Central Remedial Clinic (CRC) in Dublin from 2008 to 2016. During this time Deirdre spent one year as a Senior Physiotherapist in the CRC Clinical Gait Analysis Laboratory and as well as working as a Senior Physiotherapist, she was involved in staff management, research and coordination of student placements. Deirdre worked in the HSE Kildare Early Intervention Service from 2017 to 2018 before relocating with her family to Northern Ireland. Deirdre established her own Private Practice 'Move Kids Physio' in January 2020. Deirdre currently works privately at Move Kids Physio and undertakes one day agency work with the Childrens Network Disability Team in the HSE in Co. Monaghan. Deirdre completed a MSc in Clinical Therapies (Paediatrics focus) in the University of Limerick with first class honours in 2013 and her research thesis on the validation of an activity monitor in children with Cerebral Palsy was published. Deirdre also provides expert witness assessments and reports (Paediatrics), has presented at conferences, and has been invited as a guest lecturer to Schools of Physiotherapy in the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, University of Limerick and Trinity College Dublin