IHS Team

Suzanne is passionate about furthering the standards for the training and practice of nutrition and health courses. She graduated from the University of Westminster with a BSc in Health Sciences: Nutritional Therapy. Since qualifying in 2002 she has worked as a therapist and lecturer in Nutritional Therapy at a number of institutes and universities in the UK and Ireland. Suzanne worked on the team at Thames Valley University, successfully developing one of the first degree programmes in Nutritional Therapy in the UK.  

Suzanne regularly contributes articles to magazines, including Natural Health and Wellbeing, My Weekly, Positive Health and Fushi.co.uk. She has been quoted in Cosmopolitan, The Irish Times and The Daily Mail. She also co-presents a twice monthly natural health show on her local radio station, Bay Radio, alongside a Functional Medicine doctor. Suzanne is involved producing a range of nutritional supplements for an international health products retailer, which are currently on sale in throughout Europe.

Laurence has always loved food and has always loved cooking. He has visited many countries, and immersed himself in their cuisine, learning local secrets from a diverse range of cookery experts in Morocco, Thailand and Spain. After spending many years in business, Laurence formalised his cooking training at the renowned Ashburton Cookery School, but continues to indulge his love of international cuisine by attending many short courses in different venues around the globe.

Since meeting Suzanne, Laurence has also become interested in the effects of food on health, attending courses and seminars on cooking for health.

Moira graduated with a Masters degree in Chemistry from Trinity College Dublin before going on to study Nutritional Therapy at the Institute of Optimum Nutrition in London. Whilst studying there she was the manager of a complementary therapy clinic with over 50 therapists. She also has a private practice in Dublin, where her special interest is mental health. Moira also lectures on the Diploma in Nutritional Therapy and acts as a module leader and personal tutor on both the Nutritional Therapy Diploma course and blended learning certificate courses.

Caroline completed a Diploma in Complementary Therapies before embarking upon a career in Nutritional Therapy. She graduated in 2009 with a Diploma in Nutritional Therapy from IHS.



Caroline has spent 12 years in the health food industry and is a senior advisor and a practicing Nutritional Therapist in one of Corks leading health shops. For 6 years, Caroline was involved with inner city community groups promoting health and well being and  co-ordinated and lectured in complementary therapies in 2 esteemed colleges in Cork city before taking up her position as director of Distance Learning Courses with IHS.

Louise completed a diploma in Electronics and Telecommunications before embarking upon a career in Nutritional Therapy. She graduated from the Institute of Health Sciences in 2011. Louise has worked as an educator speaking to different Adult Learning Groups promoting health and the many benefits of good nutrition.

She is currently beginning to take clients for nutritional therapy consultations.

Melissa’s background is in education. She has worked for the last 10 years as a primary and secondary school teacher and now teaches music part-time. She is currently completing her diploma in Nutritional Therapy with IHS and hopes to combine her work on our administrative team with starting her own consultations once she graduates in 2012.

Melissa is passionate about fresh, raw food, having seen the improvements to her own health and energy levels by improving her diet. She is experienced in cooking for food intolerances and enjoys experimenting in the kitchen with alternatives to common allergens.

Fionnula began to pursue her love of science by studying Medicine at Trinity College Dublin, during which time she secured prestigious research posts at the University of Ulster, Regenerative Medicine Institute in Galway, the University of Miami and the illustrious Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. She went on to work in a variety of fields including Orthopaedic Surgery, Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and Psychiatry. However, Fionnula's passion lies in healthcare, how to achieve health, how to maintain health and ultimately how to optimize existing health; health as a positive entity, rather than simply the absence of disease. Enthralled by her studies with the Institute for Functional Medicine, she now runs her own private Functional Medicine Clinic at UltimateFitCrew in Dublin 2. Fionnula certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist in 2012 and now incorporates this knowledge with Functional Medicine to provide a unique service both to patients with chronic diseases and also to athletes in amateur and elite divisions. Plans for the upcoming academic year include embarking on the MSc program in Sports and Exercise Medicine at Trinity College and lecturing in Functional Medicine at NUI, Galway.

Dr Arloski is the founder of Real Balance Global Wellness Services. A founding father of wellness coaching, he is a licensed psychologist and professional certified coach with over thirty years of contribution to the field of wellness. His company has trained thousands of wellness and health coaches. He is the author of Wellness Coaching For Lasting Lifestyle Change - the seminal book of wellness coaching, used by many universities and training schools. Dr Arloski
keynotes, consults and trains on lifestyle improvement and wellness coaching, taking his message of wellness worldwide. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Integrative Health Studies Program at The California Institute for Integral Studies.

Sally graduated from University College, London with a BSC (Hons) in Physiology and has since qualified as a Nutritional Therapist. She lectures for a number of Irish colleges in physiology, biochemistry and nutritional therapy.

As the founder of Positive Nutrition, Sally runs a busy practice in Dublin as the Irish representative of Dr Marilyn Glenville PhD, the UK’s leading nutritionist for women’s health and fertility.

Sally regularly contributes media articles and speaks on radio on nutrition-related health issues.  Sally has always had a keen interest in the life-enhancing benefits of healthy eating, and continues to explore new recipes and cooking techniques to share with clients and students alike.

Grace graduated from the University of Westminster, London with a BSc (Hons) in Nutritional Therapy and is now established as one of the most successful Nutritional Therapists in Ireland with a busy private practice in Bray Co. Wicklow. Grace lectures and gives talks on Nutritional Therapy to members of the medical profession, businesses and charitable organisations. Grace also contributes to health articles for the RTE Guide, Image magazine and TV 3. Grace is a founder member of the Nutritional Therapists of Ireland (NTOI).

Helen holds an honours psychology degree from Trinity College Dublin, and a first class Masters in health promotion from the National University of Ireland, Galway. Following her passion for natural health alternatives, Helen qualified with a Diploma in Nutritional Therapy from the Institute of Optimum Nutrition.

Helen has an extensive academic background, having previously worked as a health researcher and lecturer in a number of universities, as well as a number of years in health promotion practice. She has a busy nutritional therapy practice in Dublin city centre, as well as working as a lecturer and researcher. She is also a member of the Nutritional Therapists of Ireland (NTOI).

Lin Ducker started practising as a Nutritional Therapist after obtaining a BSc (Hons) in Nutritional Therapy from Westminster University in 2002. She also won the Nutri-Clinical Practice award in the same year. Lin also has a degree in Radiography and after working in the NHS in the UK and Switzerland she became a Clinical Tutor in Radiography at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University before returning to the UK to study Nutritional Therapy.

As an experienced clinician, Lin has worked as a clinical supervisor in Nutritional Therapy at Westminster University as well as running her own private practice in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Lin’s special interests are Gut Ecology and the preparing of nutrient dense foods to optimise health.

Stephanie completed a degree in Biology before embarking upon a career in Natural Medicine. She graduated with a degree in Naturopathy from Perth Academy of Natural Therapies, Australia, and is qualified in the fields of Nutrition, Herbal Medicine and Homoeopathy. Her continued desire for knowledge has led to post graduate training including Sports Nutrition and Homoeopathic Clinical Training.

Stephanie worked as a Senior Lecturer Head and Senior Clinic Supervisor on the Naturopathy degree programme at Westminster University, UK, and is the Director of Herbal Medicine at IHS. She has also worked as a Technical Consultant for health supplement distribution companies in the UK and The Netherlands. Stephanie has now realised her ambition to combine naturopathy with orthodox medicine and is studying for her medical degree.

Joan graduated from University of Westminster with a BSc in Nutritional Therapy and Post-graduate Diploma in Herbal Medicine. She is a member of the British Association of Nutritional Therapists, Nutritional Therapists of Ireland, National Institute of Medical Herbalists and Irish Medical Herbalists Organisation.

Joan now runs a busy Natural Health Practice in Dalkey, Co. Dublin and has a particular interest in the areas of stress and adrenal fatigue and other chronic health problems. Joan, a keen gardener, is interested in growing her own food and using foods from the wild and has inspired many IHS students to people to start their own gardens and grow their own foods.

Jemma graduated from Trinity College Dublin as a pharmaceutical technician before going on to study Nutritional Therapy at IHS from where she graduated in 2010. Jemma also works as a Product Consultant for BioCare and regularly delivery seminars to healthcare professionals from the CPD accredited “Clinical Protocols” programme throughout Ireland as well as advising retailers and practitioners about products, possible drug-nutrient interactions and general nutrient supplementation. She regularly speaks to her local radio station on numerous health and nutrition related topics and runs a busy Nutritional Therapy practice in Waterford city. Jemma is a registered Foresight practitioner and has a special interest in the area of maternal nutrition and its impact on future generations.

Shane has his roots in farming yet his passion for health and well-being and his keen interest in the mind-body connection led him to the study of NeuroLinguistic Programming. He has trained to the highest level in NLP with some of the most respected trainers in the field including John Grinder, Carmen Bostic St.Clair, Michael Carroll and David Shepherd.

He runs a private practice and has been involved with a charity called the Warrior Programme in both the UK and Ireland for several years pioneering a new approach to healing using NLP and other methods to help ex-service personnel transform their lives. Shane is also a final year student in IHS studying Nutritional Therapy.

Catherine graduated with a degree in Microbiology and Biochemistry from UCC before
heading to the Seattle where she worked in the aerospace industry for 5 years. While there
she developed a strong interest in naturopathic and functional medicine and on returning to
Ireland she completed her Nutritional Therapy diploma with IHS.



She now runs a busy practice in Cork and Waterford, dividing her time between private
clients and nutritional consultancy for businesses. She regularly contributes to local radio and newspapers as well as working with community groups to educate people on the
effectiveness of nutrition in promoting good health.

Heather is co-founder and director of Positive Nutrition. She has been a practicing Nutritional Therapist for more than 6 years and jointly runs the Marilyn Glenville clinics and Fat Around The Middle weight management programmes in Ireland. She also provides training on different aspects of nutrition to a number of different businesses and runs cookery classes.

Previous roles in the food industry in the UK, France and Ireland have reinforced Heather’s belief in the fundamental role nutrition and healthy food play in good health and the importance of communicating this simply .

Heather specialises in nutrition for male and female fertility issues, female hormone issues, weight management and nutrition for families.

Aoife graduated with a diploma in Nutritional Therapy from IHS in 2010 and has been working part time as a nutritional therapist since then.

Aoife has worked in the tourism industry for over 15 years. In 2006 she decided to combine her love of helping people with her interest in science and nutrition by going back to study part-time.

She has found this very rewarding, not only to have found a new career but to be able to make informed dietary choices for her own family’s health.

She is delighted to join the IHS team and to help students as they combine part-time study with work or home-life.

Fiona graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree from the Dublin Institute of Technology. She then completed a Diploma in Naturopathy and Herbal Medicine, graduating in 2012. Prior to her Naturopathic Studies, Fiona qualified as a Yoga Teacher with the Chopra Centre in California as well as the Windfire Centre in France. She has been delivering classes, workshops and retreats on stress management and relaxation for the past number of years, using the combination of yoga, nutrition and herbal medicine. She is now thrilled to be apart of the IHS team, working as a tutor for the Certificate in Dietary Counselling.

Dr. Nigel Abraham has more than 20 years experience as an assay development scientist; he has been involved in extensive research in the field of chemical mediators of allergic disease and salivary hormone diagnostics.  He is a graduate in haematology from St. Georges Medical School London and went on to study immunology at the University of Surrey. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Science and a chartered scientist.

As co-founder of IWDL Nigel has been a pioneer of functional laboratory testing in the United Kingdom.  He is responsible for the provision of Genova Diagnostics health education program for the United Kingdom and Europe. He is a lecturer for many of the major education centres for nutritionists and complementary therapists as well as regularly holding seminars and presentations as part of continuing professional development for practitioners. He has been involved many research projects and has published a number of scientific papers as well as actively involved in the promotion of functional medicine to the media.

Dr Gill Hart is a PhD Biochemist with over twenty years experience in the development and validation of diagnostic tests. Gill started her career as a Senior Biochemist at the Hammersmith Hospital, and has subsequently worked for many different companies and clients within the diagnostics industry and the related regulatory environment. Dr. Hart joined YorkTest in 2005, and has applied her scientific and regulatory knowledge to all YorkTest services; including putting in measures of ‘self-regulation’ in the under-regulated ‘diagnostic testing services’ industry.

Gill regularly gives talks and lectures on food intolerance at Universities and Colleges around the UK and for the Institute of Health Sciences. She also provides guidance for those choosing diagnostic tests with her ‘What makes a good diagnostic test’ checklist, and has written many articles. Gill is currently Scientific Director at YorkTest Laboratories Ltd.

Sue McGarrigle is a clinical nutritionist and naturopath and has practiced as a Clinical Nutritionist since graduating from ION in 2001. After graduating, she continued her learning with a three year course in Naturopathy at the London College of Naturopathic Medicine (LCNM).

Sue has worked for BioCare as technical advisor and Product Consultant Manager, managing a team of Nutritional Therapists throughout the country, managing and delivering the continuous professional development seminar programme to healthcare professionals throughout the UK. As Technical Manager of BioNutri, Sue has helped to launch a range of innovative products for practitioner use since joining the company in 2008.

As a lecturer to college and university students to Masters level, Sue has trained hundreds of healthcare and medical practitioners in many aspects of nutritional therapy. She has written specialist nutrition articles for magazines and newspapers and made contributions to books including a new book just published entitled Good Gut Bugs.

Sue continues to advise practitioners about products, clinical protocols and drug nutrient problems. She is currently putting together a new seminar programme for practitioners in line with current legislation, research and thinking. She was privileged to be one of the speakers at the ION 25th Anniversary Conference, the 2010 ARCH conference and spoke on the subject of probiotics.