Brid Seoighe, Medical Director for Johnson and Johnson commercial operations in Ireland, has been announced as a member of the judging panel for the Private Healthcare Awards 2026, bringing a career that spans emergency medicine, pharmaceutical leadership, and healthcare governance to the evaluation of excellence across Ireland's private healthcare sector.

Seoighe began her professional life as a medical doctor specialising in Emergency Medicine before transitioning into the pharmaceutical industry in 2007, joining MSD as Medical Manager. That move marked the beginning of a career in which clinical grounding and commercial strategy have operated in tandem.

At Johnson and Johnson, she leads multiple functions across a diverse portfolio of medicines, working to ensure that the company's medical innovation reaches the thousands of Irish patients who depend on its treatments daily. Her position at the interface of pharmaceutical development and patient access gives her an understanding of how healthcare providers and private hospitals translate innovation into improved patient experience at the point of care.

Her governance and academic contributions are equally substantial. Seoighe served for eight years as Vice Chair of the Association of Pharmaceutical Physicians of Ireland and was a board member of IPPOSI, the Irish Platform for Patient Organisations, Science and Industry.

For several years, she lectured on the postgraduate masters course in pharmaceutical medicine and continues to serve on the board of management and court of examiners committee for that programme through Trinity College Dublin.

She holds a certificate in Strategy and Innovation from the Irish Management Institute and a postgraduate diploma in pharmaceutical medicine, qualifications that reflect a commitment to healthcare leadership and management that extends beyond clinical and commercial practice.

Seoighe joins a panel that includes Karen Charnley of the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care, Claudia McGloin of The Regenerative Expert Nurse, Caroline Moran of Hibernian Healthcare at Home, Richard Morton of MatchMedics, Declan O'Callaghan, retired Medical Director, Vishnu Renjith of RCSI, and John Sweeney of HCI.

The Private Healthcare Awards 2026 gala takes place on 2 October 2026 at the Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport. Entries remain open until 10 July 2026.

Visit the official Private Healthcare Awards website to explore categories, review past winners, and submit your entry. Subscribe to the newsletter for other news related to the awards and the industry.