Bernadette Anne McKenna, (born 20 January 1971) also known as Dr. Pixie McKenna, is an Irish doctor and television personality. She currently runs a clinic in Cork, Ireland and is best known for her work on the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

series ''Embarrassing Illnesses'' and its successor series ''

Embarrassing Bodies ''Embarrassing Bodies'' (formerly ''Embarrassing Illnesses'') is a British BAFTA Award-winning medical reality television programme broadcast by Channel 4 and made by Maverick Television since 2007. In 2011, an hour-long live show was introduc ...

'' and

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...

's ''Freaky Eaters''.

Education and training

Born in Ireland, McKenna attended medical school at

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one o ...

, Ireland graduating in 1995. After qualifying as a general practitioner in 1999, McKenna moved to the UK and practised in

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Ma ...

, London for three years. She then set up a GP practice in Ireland while continuing sessional work at

Harley Street Harley Street is a street in Marylebone, Central London, which has, since the 19th century housed a large number of private specialists in medicine and surgery. It was named after Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer.

. In the public sector, she acts as a clinical assistant in

sexual health Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a field of research, healthcare, and social activism that explores the health of an individual's reproductive system and sexual wellbeing during all stages of their life. The term can also be further de ...

and

dermatology Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medica ...

for the

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

and has worked at a number of London

teaching hospital A teaching hospital is a hospital or medical centre that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities and are often co-located ...

Media: Television and radio career

In 2007 McKenna began to appear on ''Freaky Eaters'', a show which helps individuals overcome eating disorders. That same year she went on to co-present ''Embarrassing Illnesses'', a show which highlights common conditions that people are reluctant to discuss with their doctors, and in 2008 co-presented with

Christian Jessen Christian Spencer Jessen (born 4 March 1977) is a British celebrity doctor, television personality, and writer. He is best known for appearing in the Channel 4 programmes ''Embarrassing Bodies'' (2007–2015) and '' Supersize vs Superskinny'' ( ...

its sister series ''Embarrassing Bodies''. This has, on numerous occasions, led her onto ''

The Ray D'Arcy Show ''The Ray D'Arcy Show'' is the title given to two differing versions of a radio programme hosted by Ray D'Arcy, originally broadcast on Irish commercial radio station Today FM from the late 1990s until 2014 before transferring in February 2015 t ...

'' on

Today FM Today FM is an Irish national commercial FM radio station, owned and operated by Bauer Audio Ireland Limited. Broadcasting since 17 March 1997, it broadcasts mostly music, with a daily news and current affairs programme. Today FM holds a l ...

to discuss the various embarrassing illnesses endured by the programme's listeners.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McKenna, Pixie 1971 births Living people British television presenters Irish general practitioners Radio personalities from the Republic of Ireland Television presenters from the Republic of Ireland The Ray D'Arcy Show Alumni of University College Cork