Spina Bifida Team

Sara Foley  has worked in Temple Street since 2019 when she joined the Spina Bifida Department. Sara manages the administrative side of the spina bifida department including registering new referrals managing spina bifida clinic appointments, reconciliation of clinics and directing parental queries to the relevant team members.  

Mr Salvatore Cascio MS, FRCSI, FRCS (Paed Surg), FEBPS was appointed as a Consultant Paediatric Surgeon with a special interest in Paediatric Urology to Temple Street Children’s University Hospital and Our Lady’s children’s Hospital in 2016. Before being appointed in Dublin Mr Cascio had worked as a Consultant Paediatric Urologist for eight years at the Royal Hospital for Children, Yorkhill, Glasgow (UK). He joined the Spina Bifida Department as Consultant Paediatric Urologist. He completed his higher surgical training in Paediatric Surgery and Paediatric Urology in Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) and Glasgow. In 2006 he undertook a fellowship in Laparoscopic Surgery at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia.

Mr Cascio spent one year (2000-2001) in research at the Children’s Research Centre (CRC), Dublin under the supervision of Prof Puri on the familial aspect of vesicoureteral reflux. He has been an Examiner and Question Master of the European Board of Paediatric Surgery for eight years and since 2016  is the Chairperson of the Examination Committee of the European Board of Paediatric Surgery (EBPS). He is a regular lecturer to fifth year medical students of the University College Dublin on paediatric urology. His main areas of interest include: neurogenic bladder, minimally invasive surgery, disorders of sex development, bladder and kidney stones.

Mr Connor Green is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Children’s University Hospital (Temple Street) and Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital. He graduated from University College Dublin in 2004. Having undertaken his postgraduate training in Trauma and Orthopaedics on the Irish National Orthopaedic Training Programme, he completed a Paediatric and Adult Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Fellowship at Sinai hospital, Baltimore, USA. He then completed a Paediatric Orthopaedic and Scoliosis Fellowship at the world renowned Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, Dallas, USA. He specializes in all aspects of Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery including foot and ankle, hip and spine. He has a special interest in limb deformity

Dr. Sandra Hayes is a Senior Clinical Psychologist and a Paediatric Clinical Neuropsychologist. She has extensive experience in paediatric psychology and has worked across the three children’s hospitals in Dublin. Dr. Hayes has worked previously with children with cystic fibrous, diabetes, cancer and neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions. She has a keen interest in the impact of chronic medical conditions on a child’s emotional well-being, behaviour and learning. 

Frances Keegan has been an Occupational Therapist on the neuroscience team at Temple Street Children’s University Hospital since August 2015. Frances graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2008. Since graduating Frances has had the opportunity to work in Paediatrics with complex and non-complex disabilities in clinic, community and hospital settings. Frances is currently working on the National Spina Bifida Team and she has a keen interest in service development and research. 

As part of the Spina Bifida Team, Frances’ role is to provide Occupational Therapy to in patients with acute Occupational Therapy needs while they are in Temple Street Children’s University Hospital. Frances consults with local therapists if outpatient concerns arise and reviews clients at the Spina Bifida MDT clinic when an OT need arises.  Frances works collaboratively with children’s primary therapists and families to ensure children use their strengths to overcome areas of difficulty. Frances also consults with voluntary bodies to advocate for the OT needs of children with Spina Bifida.

Dr Irwin Gill (MB BCh BAO MSc (Paediatric Neurodisability) MRCPI) is a Consultant Paediatrician with special interest in Neurodisability. He graduated from University College Dublin in 2009 and completed Basic and Higher Specialist Training in Paediatrics with the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. He completed clinical fellowships in Neurodisability and Rehabilitation in Sydney, Perth and Belfast, and holds an MSc in Paediatric Neurodisability from Sheffield Hallam University. He joined the Spina Bifida Service at Temple Street in 2019. 

Dr Jane Leonard, Consultant Paediatrician joined the Spina Bifida service in 2011. A graduate of UCD, she is a paediatrician with a special interest in Neurodisability, in particular physical disability. Her early post-graduate training was in Ireland, followed by specialist registrar training in Glasgow where she obtained her certificate of completion of specialist training in Paediatric Neurodisability. She spent two further years on fellowship in the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne working in the Departments of Paediatric Rehabilitation and Developmental Medicine. 

Rosie Maguire, Senior Physiotherapist 

Rosie graduated from the University of Ulster in 2011 with a BSc Honours in Physiotherapy. Rosie has worked in a number of varied paediatric settings since qualifying including primary care and CDNT’s across Kildare and Kerry . Rosie’s special interest is in Neurodisability . Rosie’s role is to liaise with local teams and their families to identify concerns or questions that they may have . Rosie works with the multidisciplinary team to provide holistic care working towards functional goals for service users and their families as well as helping identifying postural or musculoskeletal concerns .

Regina McCrann, Medical Social Worker graduated from NUI Maynooth in 2006 with a Degree in Social Care in Social Studies and worked in the area of Disability Services and Crisis Intervention Service with young people. Regina graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2011 with a Masters in Social Work. She has worked in the area of Child Protection from 2012 until early 2017. She has worked in the Children’s University Hospital Temple Street since May 2017 in the area of Neonatology and the High Dependency Ward.

Regina joined the Neurosurgery and Spina Bifida Team in July 2018. As part of the spina bifida team Regina’s role is to provide emotional and practical support to parents. The primary focus is the the emotional and social impact of illness and hospitalisation on the lives of our patients and their families. Therefore we offer both practical and emotional support with the aim of minimising these difficulties. 

Ms. Orla McMahon, Spina Bifida (Urology) Nurse specialist , RGN/RCN   H.DIP. (Clinical Practice). Training: Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, Dublin and Royal North Charitable infirmary, Cork. Ms McMahon is the urology nurse responsible for the education, planning and teaching of urological procedures and methods of overcoming urological and bowel problems.

She will co-ordinate your child’s urological  care among all members of the team, working closely with families and children to achieve the best possible outcome regarding bladder and bowel issues. She will be a constant link in your child’s future and will provide assistance and guidance at many stages such as toileting training, starting school, reaching puberty and transition into adult services.

Ms Ciara O’Prey, Spina Bifida( with a special interest in Neurosurgery), RGN/RCN, Bsc in Nursing management. Ciara joined the spine bifida team in October 2018. She previously worked in St. Michael’s b and the neonatal high dependency unit in Temple Street for 12 years as a Senior staff nurse and has a background in adult renal nursing.

Ciara’s role within the multidisciplinary spina bifida team is to provide specialist nursing care to all children and their families   from antenatal to transition with a special interest in neurosurgery and general health needs . She  provides  specialist nursing care to both inpatient and outpatients of the service. She  provides telephone support for the children and their families of the service. Other activities include referrals to other members of the spina bifida team, support and training of nursing staff and participation in audit and research.

Mohammed Sattar has been a Consultant Paediatric Neurosurgeon at CUH, Temple Street, Beaumont Hospital and Our Lady’s Hospital, Crumlin since September 1997. In 1986, he graduated from the University of Karachi and underwent his surgical training in Karachi, Pakistan between 1987 and 1990. His general neurosurgical training was in Dublin, London, Glasgow and Manchester from 1991 to 1998. Mr Sattar then worked as a consultant neurosurgeon in Karachi and Saudi Arabia between 1998 and 2003.

He undertook a fellowship in Spinal Neurosurgery in Beaumont in 2003. Mr Sattar’s sub-specialist interests include: complex spinal problems in children – in particular those with spina bifida. He received an MD from Manchester University in 1998 for work on children with occult spina bifida.

Mohammed Sattar has been a Consultant Paediatric Neurosurgeon at CUH, Temple Street, Beaumont Hospital and Our Lady’s Hospital, Crumlin since September 1997. In 1986, he graduated from the University of Karachi and underwent his surgical training in Karachi, Pakistan between 1987 and 1990. His general neurosurgical training was in Dublin, London, Glasgow and Manchester from 1991 to 1998. Mr Sattar then worked as a consultant neurosurgeon in Karachi and Saudi Arabia between 1998 and 2003.

He undertook a fellowship in Spinal Neurosurgery in Beaumont in 2003. Mr Sattar’s sub-specialist interests include: complex spinal problems in children – in particular those with spina bifida. He received an MD from Manchester University in 1998 for work on children with occult spina bifida.