Professor Sir Michael Oliver McBride is a consultant physician who has served as the Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland since September 2006. McBride attended

St. Malachy's College St Malachy's College, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is the oldest Catholic diocesan college in Ulster. The college's alumni and students are known as Malachians. History The college, founded by Bishop William Crolly, opened on the feast of Sa ...

in North Belfast. He then attended

Queen's University Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

, where he graduated with a MB BCh BAO medical degree, with distinction in Medicine and Surgery, in 1986. In 1991, McBride attained a Research Fellowship at

St Mary's Hospital Medical School St Mary's is the youngest of the constituent schools of Imperial College London, founded in 1854 as part of the new hospital in Paddington. During its existence in the 1980s and 1990s, it was the most popular medical school in the country, wit ...

and

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

, where he conducted research into new drug treatments for

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

. From 1994 to 2006 he worked as an HIV Consultant within the Genitourinary Medicine service at the Royal Group Hospitals Trust. He was appointed Medical Director of the Royal Group of Hospitals in August 2002. In September 2006, the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

appointed him as Northern Ireland's Chief Medical officer. He was appointed acting Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health and Chief Executive of NI Health and Social Care between March and August 2009 at the request of the then Minister. In November 2014, at the request of the then Health Minister, he was appointed as Chief Executive of

Belfast Health and Social Care Trust The Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT) is a health organisation covering Belfast, Northern Ireland. The trust is one of five new trusts which were created on 1 April 2007 by the then Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safe ...

, serving until February 2017 while continuing in his role of Chief Medical Officer (CMO). One of the many issues he has had to deal with during his time as Chief Medical Officer is the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. McBride was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the

2021 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2021 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...

for services to public health in Northern Ireland. He was awarded an honorary Professorship in Public Health Practice from Queen's University Belfast in 2021 for services to Public Health.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Alumni of Queen's University Belfast People associated with Imperial College London Chief Medical Officers for Northern Ireland Knights Bachelor {{doctor-stub