A WOMAN has been appointed master of a Dublin maternity hospital for the first time in the history of the State.
Dr Rhona Mahony’s appointment as master of the National Maternity Hospital on Holles Street was ratified yesterday by the hospital’s board of governors.
She will take over from Dr Michael Robson in a number of months.
Dr Mahony studied medicine at University College Dublin, graduating in 1994.
A highly-respected consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, she will be responsible for a hospital delivering more than 750 babies a month and will have an annual budget of about €43 million.
Her research on a range of issues, including the effect of maternal weight on babies, has been published in a number of leading journals, including the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
The National Maternity Hospital is expected to issue a statement announcing the news of her appointment today.
Last night Dr Mahony said she would wait until after the hospital had issued its statement before commenting.