Academic Primary Care Centre (APCC) Public Lecture Series 2024-25

Melissa Corbally
Associate Professor
School of Nursing & Midwifery
Trinity College Dublin

Melissa is passionate about fostering excellence in general nursing practice and provides leadership in all aspects of her work. She has a broad spectrum of research expertise and is currently focussing on prostate cancer care, intimate partner violence, gender, masculinities, nursing assessment, and the use of clinical judgement in the provision of care. She has a particular interest in narrative methodologies and life story research.

Melissa's doctoral thesis entitled 'making sense of the unbelievable: a biographic narrative study of men's stories of female abuse' completed in 2011 highlighted the vulnerability of men who experience double victimisation in an area which is largely gendered as a female entity. Since then, she has supervised several doctoral students in this area and led research projects in the area of intimate partner violence experienced by heterosexual, gay and bisexual men. She has published numerous papers, supervised several PhD students to completion, examined several theses and has presented over 90 conference papers in her areas of interest.

Lesley Barrett
Outreach Support Worker 
Saoirse Domestic Violence Services - https://sdvs.ie/

Lesley is a passionate advocate for survivors of domestic violence and abuse, with a long-standing commitment to supporting victims and raising awareness. A first-class honours graduate in Applied Social Care, Lesley works in the Outreach, Prevention, and Training Department at Saoirse Domestic Violence Services (SDVS). Lesley is the training and development lead for her department in SDVS. As a QQI-qualified trainer, she delivers impactful talks and CPD accredited training to professional bodies, including An Garda Síochána and GSOC, as well as community organisations and front line professionals.

Lesley serves as a representative for SDVS and domestic violence survivors on the National Victims Forum and is actively engaged in local governance as a member of the Joint Policing Committee and the Public Participation Network Secretariat in the South Dublin County area. Her expertise and dedication make her a leading voice in the field of domestic violence prevention and survivor support.

Jennifer Phillips
Coordinator - Women's Collective Ireland (Tallaght) | Advocate | Activist |
https://womenscollective.ie/

Jennifer is a strong advocate, community leader and educator with over a decade of experience in advancing women's health, and equality. As part of her work as Coordinator for Women’s Collective Ireland (WCI) in Tallaght, Jennifer spearheads initiatives that promote awareness, recovery, and empowerment for women impacted by domestic abuse. Drawing on her extensive background, including her role as former CEO of a women’s health charity, Jennifer has developed and led nationwide campaigns on women’s health, as well as community based gender-based violence campaigns.

Jennifer brings both a personal and professional passion to her work, as a survivor of domestic abuse herself, initiating a Domestic Abuse Recovery programme, Reclaim Your Life, at WCI Tallaght, where they also provide a DV Counselling Service and run awareness raising events. WCI takes a feminist and community-centered approach to supporting women’s well-being, empowerment, and leadership through support, education and community.

Jennifer’s experience extends to her service on several advisory boards and working groups, including the HSE’s Service User Advisory Board for Maternity Services and the European SMILE Project for Women in Leadership. Outside of her formal roles, Jennifer is also a dedicated activist with the Performing Activism Collective and ROSA Feminist Movement, continuously championing women’s rights and working to end violence against women.