Prof Moira O'Brien, Professor Emeritus of Anatomy at Trinity College Dublin and founder and president of the Irish Osteoporosis Society
Personal/family:Married to Tom with four children and seven and a half grandchildren
What figure from the world of medicine or health do you most admire?
Prof David Marsh, an orthopaedic surgeon who has set up a register of hip fractures in the UK and will hopefully do the same in Ireland soon.
What other career might you have chosen?
None. Both my parents were medics and I wanted to be one since I was four. I'd go back and do it all over again.
If you could grant three wishes for the health service, what would they be?
I would secure guaranteed core funding for the Irish Osteoporosis Society. I'd provide free access to Dexa (a bone density machine used to diagnose osteoporosis) to those at risk. I would also institute proper PE in school - at least 30 minutes a day - to prevent osteoporosis, diabetes, coronary heart disease and depression.
What is your greatest fear?
Losing my independence and ending up in a nursing home.
Have you ever been a patient and were you a good one?
Yes, I have been a patient many times and I think I was a good patient. I've a high pain threshold.
When or where are you happiest?
At work, when I am helping people. On a personal level, lying on a beach or swimming.
How do you cope with stress?
I swim or read.
What is the trait you most admire in yourself?
I don't tolerate bullying.
What is the trait you most dislike in yourself?
I tend to say what I think a bit too often.
Do you use alternative or complementary medicine or therapies?
No.
Who or what makes you laugh?
Loads of people, but especially kids enjoying themselves.
What is your motto?
Do what I can to help.
What is your favourite TV or radio programme?
I love murder mysteries and detective series.
What books would you bring to a desert island?
Thrillers.
In conversation with Fiona Tyrrell