Global Perspectives on Health and Social Care
Collaborative Discussions with Europe and the U.S.
November 18 and 19, 2025

Innovating with Compassion: Transforming Health, Dental, Dementia & End-of-Life Care with Dignity

Tuesday, November 18, 12pm (US-EST) – 17:00pm (GMT) – Topic: Holistic approaches in Health and Social Care and Dental – REGISTER HERE NOW

Wednesday, November 19, 12pm (US-EST) – 17:00pm (GMT) –  Topic: Dying with Dignity – REGISTER HERE NOW

  Meet our Moderators!

Ms. Caroline McKeever is the Northern Ireland Curriculum Hub Manager for Health and Social Care. Having worked in Further and Higher Education for over twenty years, she has accumulated a wealth of management and teaching experience, serving many different roles including curriculum development, lecturing, quality assurance, and technology enhanced learning mentoring. She has managed international and regional projects, that span from augmented reality in care and health, through to designing curriculum for specialisms in dementia, and social housing. She has presented at a multitude of conferences, with particular focus on assistive technologies and living well with complex needs.

Caroline’s passions firmly focus on addressing the skills gaps across Health, Housing, and Social Care sectors, and she is a keen advocate for improving the life chances of individuals through education, skills development, and employment. Formerly, Caroline worked as a Registered Nurse, and a Housing Support Worker.

Ms. Stephanie McGuinness is a dedicated Learning and Teaching Champion at North West Regional College, where she has spent the past 10 years lecturing in Health and Social Care. With a professional background in Psychology and Social Work, Stephanie brings a wealth of practical and academic experience to her teaching. She continues to work in direct care, ensuring her practice remains current and relevant. Passionate about education, Stephanie is committed to delivering best practice and up-to-date knowledge to her students, bridging the gap between theory and real-world application.

Meet our Panelists!

Topic: Holistic approaches in Health and Social Care and Dental 

Ms. Barbara Mulholland is the Program Director of the Dental Hygiene Program at St. Petersburg College in Pinellas Park, Florida. She brings more than 30 years of experience as a clinician, educator, and academic leader in dental hygiene.

Barbara earned her Master of Science in Dental Hygiene Education from the University of Bridgeport, a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene from Vermont Technical College, and an Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene from Westbrook College. She has practiced dental hygiene in both Vermont and New York for over two decades before transitioning into full-time academia.

Her teaching career includes appointments at Vermont Technical College, Thomas Nelson Community College, the University of Bridgeport, and Nova Southeastern University, where she also served as Director of Dental Hygiene Services. At St. Petersburg College, Barbara oversees program administration and teaches courses in clinical dental hygiene and oral pathology.

An active participant in professional development, Barbara has pursued extensive continuing education in oral pathology, periodontology, caries management, medical emergencies, and educational methodology, including curriculum innovation, and clinical assessment calibration.

Ms. Ruth McGilligan is a dedicated and intuitive Life Transformation Coach with a rich background in therapeutic work, particularly with children and young people in care and education. Her early career laid the foundation for a lifelong commitment to healing and empowerment.

Ruth later founded her own business, offering transformative training courses rooted in a holistic model of health for both women and men. She is the creator and host of the Wombynhood Illuminated Podcast, where she shares insights on embodiment, healing, and conscious living.

Her professional toolkit is both diverse and deeply personal, shaped by extensive training and lived experience. Womb Massage Alchemist, energy healer, bodyworker, mentor, and embodiment facilitator. Her approach integrates ancient wisdom with modern therapeutic practices to support profound personal transformation.

Ruth facilitates sacred spaces including men’s and women’s circles, rites of passage, retreats, and workshops.

Ms. Shannon O’Connor is a dental hygiene instructor at St. Petersburg College with over 15 years of clinical experience and 5 years in academia. She is dedicated to preparing future hygienists for success in both clinical practice and community settings, with a strong focus on public health and patient advocacy.

For the past 9 years, Shannon has also worked as a mobile dental hygienist, providing essential oral health care to nursing home residents and homebound individuals. Serving this population requires patience, flexibility, and compassion, qualities she brings to every aspect of her work. She finds great fulfillment in helping vulnerable older adults preserve their oral health, often stepping in as their only advocate. For her, making a positive impact on their comfort, dignity, and quality of life is one of the most meaningful parts of her work.

Whether she is teaching in the classroom or providing direct care in the community, Shannon is passionate about spreading oral health awareness and inspiring others to value its connection to overall health. She is proud to be part of a profession that empowers people to live healthier lives while mentoring the next generation of dental hygiene professionals.

Dr. Frances Duffy is passionate about transforming dementia care so that people can live with dignity and meaningful connection at every stage, while maximizing independence. A Consultant Clinical Psychologist, she worked for over 15 years in older people’s mental health, specializing in dementia diagnosis, post-diagnostic support, and rehabilitation for delirium. She is also an NHS Clinical Entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of 6D Dementia Ltd.  

 6D equips staff and families with practical, evidence-based skills to respond with empathy, confidence, and consistency. Its blend of online modules, care planning tools, and leadership support reduces crises, hospital admissions, and use of antipsychotic medication, while helping maintain stable living arrangements. It also strengthens the workforce by lowering stress, absence, and turnover, and by improving confidence and retention. The result is measurable cost savings for organizations and improved quality of life for people with dementia.  

 Frances works with NHS trusts, local authorities, voluntary organizations, and care providers to embed sustainable approaches to dementia care. She has authored best practice guidelines commissioned by the Public Health Agency and the British Psychological Society, contributed to the Northern Ireland Regional Dementia Care Pathway, and supported the Department of Health’s Enhancing Clinical Care in Care Homes project. She also serves on national committees of the British Psychological Society and the Association of Clinical Psychologists, championing innovation and excellence in dementia care.  

Dr. Matthew Doré. Who is he? This is a question long been asked by many, not least of all by himself. He is pretty much bald, he attributes it to stress due to his 12-year-old twins, and a 9-year-old. He has an ever-patient wife called Sharon, who took him to Northern Ireland, and I love it here. He is a past chair of the Palliative Care Congress for 3 years, Co-leads the national clinical ECHO, and is elected to the national APM ethics committee. He writes occasionally semi-useful stuff in the BMJ, UMJ, BMJSPC, and letters in the Telegraph and Times. He is the lead editor of the Oxford Handbook for Palliative Care and most importantly, he is the Honorary Secretary for the Association of Palliative Medicine, the largest representative body of palliative medicine in the UK and Ireland and is representing the clear, sensible statement that assisted suicide/dying should not be part of healthcare or palliative care. Ask him why, and he will give you a passionate, well-reasoned response from a simple doctor who daily looks after those who are dying, who wants to prevent suicide and who wants to affirm and imbue inherent value and worth in his patients.

Dr. Michal Imrovič graduated with a master’s degree in political science from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Constantine the Philosopher in Nitra. He defended his doctorate as the first graduate in the study program Public Policy and Public Administration at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, where he currently works as an associate professor of univiversity and holds the position of director of Institute of Social Work and Social Policy, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava. As part of his scientific work, he focuses on civil society, youth, the third sector in the context of social policy and social work. He is the author of several scientific papers published at home and abroad. He is the author university textbooks and monographs. He actively participates as a solver in national and foreign projects. He is a member of editorial board of the magazine Revue of social services, Internal Quality Assessment Board.

Dr. Peter Slovák started teaching in 2002 at the Faculty of Health and Social Work of the University of Trnava. In 2003 he completed his doctoral studies at the University of Trnava. Since 2004 he has been teaching at the St. Elizabeth University of Health and Social Work in Bratislava, where he habilitated in the field of Social Work in 2017. At the same time, he cooperated methodically with the State Institute of Professional Education. He also worked as a volunteer for Diakonie in Bayern in Germany and on projects of the Slovak Catholic Charity. Currently, the Institute of Social Work and Social Policy the Faculty of Social Sciences University of St. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava is the place of his pedagogical and scientific activities. Its main professional focus is selected methods of social work and issues of social-psychological phenomenon’s in human life in relation to the practice of social work. He is the author of several university textbooks and monographs. He is particularly interested in the psychosocial balance of the social work client in the context of empowerment and spirituality.