Derick is Executive Director of PFMD (Patient Focused Medicines Development)– a global collaborative and non-competitive coalition to improve global health by co-designing the future of healthcare for patients WITH patients.  PFMD hosts the annual Made with Patients Awards which recognise the individuals and initiatives shaping what meaningful patient engagement looks like in practice across the global health ecosystem from Medicine Development and MedTech to Digital Health and beyond.

Derick’s background combines patient advocacy, translational research and multi-stakeholder collaboration at the National, Regional and Global levels. He spent a decade (2015-2024) as the Chief Executive of IPPOSI – the Irish Platform for Patients’ Organisations, Science and Industry where he spearheaded a number of collaborative partnerships between patients, government, industry and academic science aimed at putting patients at the heart of health policy and innovation.  He is also a former board member of the European Patients Academy (EUPATI) Foundation, a global initiative which is training patients to become involved in the medicines R&D process.  Derick is an Adjunct Professor in Clinical Research at Trinity College Dublin and holds a PhD in Molecular Medicine from University College Dublin.