John Dolan Occupation:Chief executive of the Disability Federation of Ireland.
Personal/family:Married to Liz with one daughter, Ruth.
What figure from the world of medicine or health do you most admire?
Dr Orla Hardiman, consultant neurologist at Beaumont Hospital.
What other career might you have chosen?
Priestly ministry or politics.
If you could grant three wishes for the health service, what would they be?
I would try to make our health service health-focused rather than illness-focused.
I would also see to it that the service operates around the lives of people and I would try to get the message across that, more often than not, health is determined and sustained outside what is generally perceived as the "health service".
What is your greatest fear?
Dying before I have a lot more done.
Have you ever been a patient and were you a good one?
I was a patient when I was younger and I think I was as good as any pubescent young male could have been.
When or where are you happiest?
Listening to Ruth playing her music or watching her dancing.
How do you cope with stress?
I try to avoid it, but I find that being on my own, swimming, massage and DIY are all helpful.
What is the trait you most admire in yourself?
Patience.
What is the trait you most dislike in yourself?
Wasting time and opportunities.
Do you use alternative or complementary medicine or therapies?
Yes, massage.
Who or what makes you laugh?
Ruth, my daughter, mostly.
What is your motto?
"Once down is no defeat."
What is your favourite TV or radio programme?
Sunday Miscellanyon RTÉ Radio 1.
What books would you bring to a desert island?
Not Common Speech, by Davoren Hanna; Patrick Kavanagh's Collected Poems; The Penguin Book of First World War Poetryand the Newmanprayer book.
• In conversation with Fiona Tyrrell