- Home >
- News >
- Irish News
Dr Tony Holohan to take up role in UCD after abandoning Trinity job following salary controversy

Dr Tony Holohan
Former HSE Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, is set to take up a new role as a professor at University College Dublin (UCD).
Announcing his new position in a post to LinkedIn, he shared: “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Adjunct Full Professor at University College Dublin.”
In a statement, College Principal Professor Cecily Kelleher said: “The appointment of someone of such high calibre and experience in guiding national policy and response to the Covid-19 pandemic will contribute enormously to our future research, education and planning.”
“I greatly look forward to working with him,” she added.
It has been reported that the role with UCD will be unpaid.
It comes after the former CMO abandoned a new role at Trinity College Dublin following controversy over his salary.
He was due to take up the position of Professor of Public Strategy and Leadership but decided not to take up the job after it was revealed the “open-ended secondment” would come with a salary of €187,000 per year, funded by the Department of Health.
The terms of the position also meant that he would keep his public pension.
READ MORE: Dr Tony Holohan will NOT take up job at Trinity College and is set to leave public service
READ MORE: Dr Tony Holohan says his 'fingerprints' were all over creation of €187k Trinity post
READ MORE: Leo Varadkar hits out at ‘political opponents’ who alleged he broke the law
In a statement issued by the Department of Health, Dr Holohan said: "I have decided not to proceed with my secondment as Professor of Public Health Leadership and Strategy, Trinity College Dublin.”
"I do not wish to see the controversy of the last few days continuing. In particular, I wish to avoid any further unnecessary distraction that this has caused to our senior politicians and civil servants.
"My strong belief is that this was a significant opportunity to work with the university sector to develop much-needed public health capacity and leadership for the future,” he added.
Dr Holohan left his position as CMO at the start of July after 14 years with the HSE.
Today's Headlines
RIP | Former Pop Idol star Darius (41) found dead in his US apartment
abuse allegations | Ex-rugby coach John McClean to stand trial on 49 counts of indecent assault in Dublin school
sore and swollen | Man (26) who suffered horror homophobic attack on Dublin Bus shares injury photos
'Big loss' | Friends and neighbours in Kerry mourn death of ‘smiling lady’ Miriam Burns
Huge Haul | Gardaí arrest woman (50s) as MDMA worth €82K seized in Kildare
Marry-owen | Irish rugby star Josh van der Flier gets married to Sophie De Patoul in Dublin
Charged | ‘Agitated’ Finglas man went to ex-partner's home ‘armed with crossbow, hatchet and sword’
Investigation | Owner of Thai restaurant at centre of ‘gay orgy’ storm denies holding sex party in premises
Truck up | Irish truck driver left receipt for bottle of whiskey next to £3m heroin haul
Flaming fury | Buckfast-swigging bad boy rappers Kneecap thank DUP for publicity after controversial mural unveiled