Máirín was appointed Deputy Chief Executive in September 2014. She joined HIQA as Director of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) in September 2007.

Prior to this appointment, Máirín was the Chief 1 Pharmacist at the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics and previously a senior clinical pharmacist at St James’s Hospital in Dublin with responsibility for HIV clinical pharmacy services. She is an Assistant Professor in Pharmacoeconomics at Trinity College and contributes to a number of graduate and postgraduate courses across a range of institutions. She holds a doctorate from Trinity College Dublin as well as postgraduate qualifications in Health Economics and Clinical Pharmacy. Her research interests include: cost data generation in the Irish setting, determinants of health policy decision-making in Ireland, and economic evaluation of HIV interventions in the African setting.

She and her team are responsible for conducting assessments of health technologies including drugs, devices, diagnostics and public health programmes. The assessments help inform safe and effective health policy and health service decisions which are patient centred and deliver value. The team conducts health technology assessments of national screening programmes to inform the work of the National Screening Advisory Committee. In addition, the directorate supports the development of HTA capacity and capability through the Irish health service and the incorporation of HTA methodologies into decision-making.

HIQA also conducts evidence synthesis to support the development of National Clinical Guidelines and National Clinical Audit.