Dan Smyth, chairman of the Irish Sleep Apnoea Trust.
Personal/family:Married to Maureen with two teenage children, Conor and Lauren.
What figure from the world of medicine or health do you most admire?
Prof Colin Sullivan from the University of Sydney. He developed CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), which is the gold standard in treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea.
What other career might you have chosen?
Law.
If you could grant three wishes for the health service, what would they be?
No longer than a two-week wait to see any medical consultant. No longer than a one-hour wait at any Accident and Emergency department and a hospital bed (and facilities) on demand for all who need it.
What is your greatest fear?
Nuclear war.
Have you ever been a patient and were you a good one?
Yes, and I was a fairly good patient.
When or where are you happiest?
On holidays with my family.
How do you cope with stress?
I stand back, analyse the cause and try to deal with it.
What is the trait that you most admire in yourself?
Pragmatism.
What is the trait that you most dislike in yourself?
Laziness (sometimes).
Do you use alternative or complementary medicine or therapies?
No. I haven't had the need yet, but would not be adverse to them.
Who or what makes you laugh?
Catherine Tate.
What is your motto?
Always look on the bright side of life (Monty Python).
What is your favourite TV or radio programme?
On TV it's Law & Order and on radio the Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show.
What books would you bring to a desert island?
The Bible, The Godfather and all of the Ross O'Carroll Kelly books.
In conversation with Fiona Tyrrell