Dr Julie Anne Forbes is Northern Ireland’s first Associate Dean for Specialty, Associate Specialist and Specialist (SAS) doctors, at Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency, appointed in November 2023.

Julie Anne represents Northern Ireland SAS doctors on COPSAS, the SAS sub-committee of the Conference of Postgraduate Medical Deans (UK). A SAS doctor herself for the last 20 years, she is currently Associate Specialist in Gynaecology and SAS Lead in Belfast HSC Trust.

Julie Anne is also Northern Ireland representative to, and co Vice-Chair of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists SAS and Locally Employed doctor committee. She sits on the RCOG Workforce Board, was a contributor to the RCOG Workforce report 2022, lead author of the RCOG “Inclusion of SAS and Locally Employed doctors” document and was a stakeholder in the Safe Staffing in Maternity Tool project. In November 2023 she was awarded the RCOG Distinguished Service Medal.

Julie Anne graduated from the University of Dundee MBChB with commendation having completed a BSc Hons First class in Microbiology and Microbial Genetics.

Ms Catherine Diver is the Deputy Associate Dean for Specialty, Associate Specialists and Specialist (SAS) doctors, at Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency, appointed in October 2024.

Catherine graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 2000. She started working as a specialty doctor in ENT at the Royal Free Hospital in London, moving back to Northern Ireland in 2006 to take up her current post as a specialty doctor in ENT at the Belfast HSC Trust.

Since 2022 she has been a Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh SAS and LED committee member and holds the role of an educational tutor for the college.

In 2024 Catherine joined the Intercollegiate Surgical Education Committee For SAS (ISECSN). Catherine's leadership roles in her Trust include Patient Safety and Clinical Governance lead and Quality Improvement (QI) lead in ENT. In relation to education, she is a member of the Belfast Trust's QI faculty which helps deliver the Specialist Trainees Engaged in Leadership Programme (STEP).

Dr Claire Brady is a specialty Doctor in Cardiology and has been the SAS (Specialty, Associate Specialist and Specialist Doctor) Lead for SHSCT since 2019.

Claire has been a Specialty Doctor in Cardiology since 2018 and was instrumental in setting up the first SAS-Led Aortic Valve Surveillance Clinic in Northern Ireland which won the 24^th NI Healthcare Award for Advancements in Cardiology Management. She was appointed SAS Lead SHSCT in 2019. In her role as SAS Lead she represents SAS at Senior Medical Leads meetings, Strategic M&M meetings, Medical Staff Forum, Local Negotiating Committee and on the Safety and Quality Steering Group to name a few. She has successfully organised the 6^th-8^th SHSCT Regional SAS Conference which has been attended by more than 400 SAS. She facilitates regular teaching sessions for SAS and has produced a SAS Newsletter. In her Trust she has organised several events to promote the role of SAS within the organisation. She has ensured that leadership and education posts advertised in Trust are competency based and so are open to all permanent members of medical staff. Together with the other SAS leads she has designed and commissioned a bespoke leadership course for SAS called Chrysalis which was nominated for a HPMA award in the Innovation category in 2022. In partnership with the other SAS leads she has developed and delivered the SAS Regional Development programme funded by the Department of Health. Claire continues to work in collaboration with the other SAS leads by representing SAS at Department of Health meetings on matters affecting SAS.

Dr Sarah Stirling has worked as a specialty doctor in haematology within the Northern Health and Social Care Trust since 2013.  Sarah graduated from Glasgow University in 2005 and completed foundation training in Scotland prior to returning home to Northern Ireland.  She entered training in palliative medicine before taking a SAS post.   Sarah took up her role of SAS lead for the Trust in 2020. 

As SAS lead she represents SAS doctors at Clinical Council and Local Negotiating Committee.  She has organised events in trust to promote SAS in leadership positions.   Sarah has a special interest in medical education and is an undergraduate educational supervisor as well as an honorary lecturer for Queen’s University Belfast.   She is currently working on achieving recognition to be a postgraduate educational supervisor.   Sarah is a trained appraiser. 

As SAS lead she wants to ensure SAS have equitable access to opportunities for career progression and encourage all SAS doctors to reach their full potential. 

Dr Stephanie Warne was appointed to the role of SAS lead in Western trust in July 2019. Within the trust she has worked hard to improve the recognition for SAS doctors, started a SAS forum and works with the medical director, HR and Med Ed West to represent SAS doctors.  She has also joined the other SAS leads and DOH over the past 4 years to collaboratively  design and deliver a regional training program for SAS doctors.

She graduated from University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff in 1995 and completed Basic surgical Training in South Wales before moving to London. She completed a Clinical Research doctorate at Great Ormond street and Guy’s hospitals London funded by Evelina Children’s foundation.  She completed higher surgical training in Paediatric surgery in Belfast and Edinburgh and is a Fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons of England. After a post CCT fellowship in Paediatric urology she worked as a consultant in Oxford for several years before becoming SAS by choice to accommodate a family caring role.  She currently works with a multi-professional medical and surgical team to provide care for children with Complex needs in Western trust.

She is an elected member of BMA NI SAS doctors committee, BMA NI Council and The Royal College of Surgeons NI Council.

Dr Joanne Younge is an Associate Specialist Old Age Psychiatrist, BABCP Accredited Psychotherapist and SAS Lead in SEHSCT.

She completed formal CBT training (MSc Specialist Cognitive Therapy- distinction) and developed a specialist older adult CBT service (finalist in Trust Chair’s Awards, 2019). She co-authored a CBT textbook, with colleagues from QUB, where she co-ordinated Certificate, Diploma and MSc CBT training for 9 years and has supervised at University College, London.  She is a Clinical Facilitator in NIMDTA. She developed the SAS and Affiliates’ Committee at RCPsych NI and was inaugural Chair. With four other SAS Leads regionally, she shared the role of Interim Associate Dean until 2023, to provide a regional leadership and development programme and representation at COPSAS and DoH for SAS in NI. The bespoke SAS programme was accredited by the FMLM, shortlisted for HPMA Innovation award in 2022 and has facilitated SAS to successfully apply for a number of leadership and educational opportunities, which previously seemed beyond reach. She is generally vocal about SAS issues, advocating and raising the profile for SAS, so is planning to try to effect more change by representation on NI BMA SASC and as founding member of the national SAS Collective.