About us
Meet the team
Behind the PD Wellness Hub is a team of dedicated specialists who are passionate about improving the lives of people living with Parkinson’s Disease. We have expertise that spans music therapy, dance, neurology, education, and movement disorders, and through the Hub, we hope to provide useful tools to support those with PD.
Olwyn Lyons is a professional dance artist and community dance facilitator with over 12 year’s experience. She specialises in developing, directing, and delivering community and dance-for-health arts projects across diverse settings, with a particular focus on working with Parkinson’s Disease.
Achievements of note include receiving The Arts Council’s Artist in the Community Scheme with Create (2023) and being selected as Meath County Council’s Associate Artist (2023/24). She also served as Dance Artist in Residence at Creative Life MISA, St. James Hospital (2023/24), where she collaborated with the hospital’s Parkinson’s department. Furthermore, she regularly facilitated Dance for Parkinson’s with Dance Ireland until 2024.
Currently Olwyn works as a Creative Associate with the Arts Council of Ireland’s Creative Schools Programme.
Eavan McGovern is a Consultant Neurologist at Beaumont Hospital and an Honorary Clinical Associate Professor at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Movement disorders and medical education are her areas of specialist interest. She runs a multi-disciplinary Parkinson’s Disease Clinic at Beaumont Hospital. She is interested in how exercise, in particular dance therapy, can help patients with Parkinson’s Disease.
Dr. Shane Cassidy is the founder and director of Neurolinks, a music therapy service supporting people with neurological conditions, along with their families and carers. A senior music therapist with extensive experience in healthcare and education, he and his team provide one-to-one and group sessions at their clinic in Sandyford, as well as outreach in hospitals, long-term care units and day services.
Shane is a member of the International Academy for Neurologic Music Therapy and completed his PhD at the University of Limerick in 2020, focusing on music therapy in neurorehabilitation for people living with acquired brain injuries. He also holds a first-class Master’s in Music Therapy, a degree in Music and a primary school teaching qualification. Shane draws on his background as a clarinettist and pianist with a genuine passion for using music creatively and purposefully in the therapy space, supporting individuals as they work toward meaningful personal therapeutic goals.
Maeve Bradley is a Movement Disorders Fellow at the Mater Misercordiae University Hospital with a specific focus on Parkinson’s disease. She has recently completed higher specialist training in neurology and is currently undertaking research examining falls risk in Parkinson’s disease. She is passionate about exercise and fitness and interested in using physical activity as a tool to help patients living with Parkinson’s Disease.
Dr Liah McElligott is a Neurology Specialist Registrar and academic with expertise in neurology medical education. She is a PhD candidate at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, where her research focuses on developing multimodal teaching strategies to combat neurophobia. Dr McElligott has held clinical and academic posts at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Beaumont Hospital and Tallaght University Hospital. She formerly served as both a Clinical Lecturer in RCSI and an Oxford University Press author. She is an RCSI Innovation Award recipient and involved in the development of the ANSWER neurology teaching programme, with a commitment to education, research, and neurological care.
Emma is currently working as a candidate Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Parkinson’s disease (PD) in Beaumont Hospital. She trained in Beaumont Hospital and is working in Neurology since 2008. Emma has achieved a masters in Neuroscience nursing along with a diploma in stroke medicine. She previously worked as a clinical nurse specialist in stroke and thrombectomy for nine years prior to taking up her current post. Emma has a particular interest in how music and singing can be beneficial for people living with PD. She has a grade 8 and gold medal in vocal performance with the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
