Board of HHT Ireland
The Board of HHT Ireland is made up of 7 dedicated Directors, 3 of whom are HHT patients themselves and understand the challenges of living with HHT.
They work tirelessly and endlessly to help raise awareness of HHT and provide support to those families living with HHT.
Read more about our Directors below.
Dara Woods
Dara is an HHT patient and mother of 2 HHT children. Since the loss of her 22yr old son Paul to HHT she has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of this disorder. Advocating for other HHT patients is her main focus in life!
Garret Sheridan
Garret is a Senior Investment Executive at RIT Capital Partners PLC and a member of RIT’s Operational Risk Committee.
Garret’s wider family is affected by HHT and he hopes, through his role on the Board to advance the objectives of HHT Ireland and raise its awareness as a rare disease. With growing interest in rare diseases, he is hugely energised about how HHT Ireland can positively impact the lives of HHT patients throughout Ireland.
Garret is a Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA) and a long-suffering Meath GAA supporter!
Petronella McLoughlin
Petronella was diagnosed in 2018 with HHT. She is now a HHT Ireland board member with a keen interest in raising awareness. Having witnessed her mother suffer HHT without diagnosis Petronella is committed to ensuring that life with HHT is easier for future generations. She is a Finite Scheduler in the biopharmaceutical industry. Petronella serves as one of the Scientific advisors and also co-chairs the HHT CAB.
Marie Ralphs
Marie is from Roscommon and comes from a HHT family. Marie didn’t inherit the HHT gene but is very happy to spend time advocating for those who did.
Marie has a scientific background and helps keep our organisation up-to-date with ongoing research in Europe.
Michael MacGinty
A HHT Patient, Husband, Father, Son, Brother and Salesman. “As a daily bleeder in my 50s HHT has always been a part of living, from the simple inconvenience of constant bleeds to losing family members to the disorder. Happy to be able to support HHT Ireland to create awareness and help other bleeders in some small way.”
David Woods
David is a retired school teacher and husband & father of HHT patients. He knows first-hand the challenges faced by HHT patients & their families.
Dr Elzanne Jansen Van Rensburg
South African born and raised doctor with a passion for HHT and Anaesthesia. Currently working in pursuit of a career towards becoming an Anaesthesiologist at Galway University Hospital. Qualified with an MBChB degree from the University of Stellenbosch and a post graduate diploma in Anaesthesia. Having worked in South Africa where there were no dedicated HHT specific services the need was paramount. As undergraduate student I did a thesis on the diagnosis, management and prognosis of patients with HHT in the low resource setting. Which I presented at The CureHHT Scientific conference as an oral in Croatia in 2017. From there I started as medical officer post my community service year in haematology at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, where I worked to build up the multidisciplinary HHT unit. I am continuing research in South Africa on HHT and strive to advocate for the safe management and diagnosis of HHT patients. I presented numerous lectures on HHT in different areas on both national and international level.
Outside of work I am an HHT family member as well and enjoy rock climbing, sailing and hiking with my husband.