In 2017 she completed her PhD entitled 'The spiralling costs, delays, and emotional burdens of medical negligence litigation: A socio-legal analysis of the current dynamic in Ireland', for which she was awarded a Research Scholarship by the Cluster for Understanding Emotions in Society, University of Limerick. This research encompassed a widespread empirical study involving Barristers, Medical Professional Bodies, and Patient Support Groups.
Before taking up a Lectureship at the School of Law in UCC, Mary held the position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Graduate Entry Medical School, University of Limerick. During this time, Dr Tumelty collaborated with colleagues in the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland and conducted a nationwide survey to investigate the existence and extent of defensive medical practices among surgeons.
In 2018, Dr Tumelty qualified as a mediator with ADR-ODR International. More recently, Mary attended the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School where she completed a certificate in Advanced Mediation: "Mediating Complex Disputes".
In 2019, Dr Tumelty was appointed to the Health and Social Care Professionals Council (CORU) by the Minister for Health.
Mary has presented and published her research nationally and internationally. Her work has also been funded by the Irish Research Council.
Biography
Dr Mary Tumelty LL.B, PhD has research interests in the area of Medical Law, Patient Safety, Law of Torts, Law and Emotion, and ADR. She is also interested in empirical legal research projects.In 2017 she completed her PhD entitled 'The spiralling costs, delays, and emotional burdens of medical negligence litigation: A socio-legal analysis of the current dynamic in Ireland', for which she was awarded a Research Scholarship by the Cluster for Understanding Emotions in Society, University of Limerick. This research encompassed a widespread empirical study involving Barristers, Medical Professional Bodies, and Patient Support Groups.
Before taking up a Lectureship at the School of Law in UCC, Mary held the position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Graduate Entry Medical School, University of Limerick. During this time, Dr Tumelty collaborated with colleagues in the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland and conducted a nationwide survey to investigate the existence and extent of defensive medical practices among surgeons.
In 2018, Dr Tumelty qualified as a mediator with ADR-ODR International. More recently, Mary attended the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School where she completed a certificate in Advanced Mediation: "Mediating Complex Disputes".
In 2019, Dr Tumelty was appointed to the Health and Social Care Professionals Council (CORU) by the Minister for Health.
Mary has presented and published her research nationally and internationally. Her work has also been funded by the Irish Research Council.
Research Interests
Medical Law; Patient Safety; Law of Torts; ADR; Empirical Legal Research.Research Grants
| Project | Funding Body | Start Date | End Date | Award | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal Responsiility for Medical Error | Irish Research Council | 01-MAY-19 | 31-AUG-21 | €4,995.00 | |
| National Forum for Teaching | Higher Education authority | 01-JAN-20 | 31-MAY-21 | €13,789.00 |
Publications
Book Chapters
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2019) | 'Mixed Methods Inquiry in Law: Exploring the Temporal Burdens of Medical Negligence Litigation' Tumelty, ME (2019) 'Mixed Methods Inquiry in Law: Exploring the Temporal Burdens of Medical Negligence Litigation' In: Laura Cahillane and Jennifer Schweppe (eds). Case Studies in Legal Research Methodologies: Reflections on Theory and Practice. Ireland: Clarus Press. [Details] |
Peer Reviewed Journals
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2020) | 'An International Perspective on Definitions and Terminology Used to Describe Serious Reportable Patient Safety Incidents: A Systematic Review' Hegarty J;Flaherty SJ;Saab MM;Goodwin J;Walshe N;Wills T;McCarthy VJC;Murphy S;Cutliffe A;Meehan E;Landers C;Lehane E;Lane A;Landers M;Kilty C;Madden D;Tumelty M;Naughton C; (2020) 'An International Perspective on Definitions and Terminology Used to Describe Serious Reportable Patient Safety Incidents: A Systematic Review'. Journal of Patient Safety, [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2020) | 'Medical Negligence Litigation and Apologies: An Empirical Examination' Tumelty, ME (2020) 'Medical Negligence Litigation and Apologies: An Empirical Examination'. European journal of health law, 27 (4) [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2019) | ''Open Disclosure of Patient Safety Incidents: Legislative Developments in Ireland'' Madden, D and Tumelty, ME (2019) ''Open Disclosure of Patient Safety Incidents: Legislative Developments in Ireland''. Medico-Legal Journal of Ireland, 25 (2) [Details] | |
| (2018) | 'The Second Victim: A Contested Term?' Tumelty ME; (2018) 'The Second Victim: A Contested Term?'. Journal of Patient Safety, [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2018) | 'Periodic Payment Orders: A Step Closer to Reform of the Current Dynamic of Medical Negligence Litigation?' Tumelty, ME (2018) 'Periodic Payment Orders: A Step Closer to Reform of the Current Dynamic of Medical Negligence Litigation?'. Medico-Legal Journal of Ireland, 24 (2) [Details] | |
| (2018) | ''Calculating the Cost of Medical Negligence Litigation'' Tumelty, ME (2018) ''Calculating the Cost of Medical Negligence Litigation''. Medico-Legal Journal of Ireland, 24 (1) [DOI] [Details] | |
| (2017) | ''Doctors, Death, and the Irish Criminal Law: Examining the Case for Reform'' Tumelty, ME (2017) ''Doctors, Death, and the Irish Criminal Law: Examining the Case for Reform''. Irish Criminal Law Journal, 27 (4) [Details] | |
| (2017) | ''Book Review: Legal Research Methods - Principles and Practicalities'' Tumelty, ME (2017) ''Book Review: Legal Research Methods - Principles and Practicalities''. The Irish Jurist, 57 [Details] | |
| (2017) | ''The art of money laundering: Insights from Ireland on this hidden currency'' O'Connor, R, and Tumelty, ME (2017) ''The art of money laundering: Insights from Ireland on this hidden currency''. Commercial Law Practitioner, 24 (3) [Details] | |
| (2017) | ''Directors duties under the Companies Act 2014'' Eaton, S, and Tumelty, ME (2017) ''Directors duties under the Companies Act 2014''. Commercial Law Practitioner, 24 (6) [Details] |
Published Reports
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2019) | The collection, collation and reporting of data pertaining to serious patient safety incidents: an international perspective. Hegarty J, Flaherty SJ, Saab M, Goodwin J, Walsh N, Wills T, McCarthy V, Murphy S, Cutliffe A, Lehane E, Lane A, Landers M, Kilty C, McCarthy J, Madden D, Tumelty M, Naughton C (2019) The collection, collation and reporting of data pertaining to serious patient safety incidents: an international perspective. A Report for the Department of Health, Dublin, Ireland, Cork. [Details] |
Newspaper Articles
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2018) | 'Mediation process still has a long way to go'. Tumelty, ME (2018) 'Mediation process still has a long way to go'. Newspaper Articles [Details] | |
| (2018) | 'How periodic payment orders can help medical negligence claimants'. Tumelty, ME (2018) 'How periodic payment orders can help medical negligence claimants'. Newspaper Articles [Details] | |
| (2018) | 'Why saying sorry doesn't have to be the hardest thing'. Tumelty, ME (2018) 'Why saying sorry doesn't have to be the hardest thing'. Newspaper Articles [Details] |
Radio Feature
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2020) | Radio interview with Newstalk on serious reportable incidents, broadcast 4th June 2020. Tumelty, ME (2020) Radio interview with Newstalk on serious reportable incidents, broadcast 4th June 2020. Radio Feature [Details] |
Podcast - Media
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2018) | Dr Mary Tumelty discusses some of the findings of the Scally Report and the need for genuine apologies in cases of medical negligence. Tumelty, ME (2018) Dr Mary Tumelty discusses some of the findings of the Scally Report and the need for genuine apologies in cases of medical negligence. Podcast - Media [Details] |
Professional Activities
Professional Associations
| Association | Function | From / To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Association of Law Teachers | Member | / | |
| Society of Legal Scholars | Member | / |
Conference Contributions
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2020) | Patient Safety and Redress, Tumelty, ME (2020) 'Litigation as a source of harm? A medical negligence case study in the Republic of Ireland'. [Invited Lectures (Workshops)], Patient Safety and Redress, Queen's University Belfast . [Details] | |
| (2019) | Irish Association of Law Teachers, Tumelty, ME (2019) 'Exploring the emotional burdens of medical negligence litigation: Insights from Ireland'. [Oral Presentation], Irish Association of Law Teachers, Limerick, Ireland . [Details] | |
| (2019) | Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, Tumelty, ME (2019) ‘Lawyers and Medical Negligence Mediation - Perspectives from Ireland'. [Oral Presentation], Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, Washington D.C . [Details] | |
| (2018) | Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference, Tumelty, ME (2018) 'Understanding plaintiffs aims: time to re-imagine the paradigm of medical negligence litigation?'. [Oral Presentation], Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference, Athlone, Ireland . [Details] | |
| (2018) | Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference, Tumelty, ME (2018) 'Exploring the existence, causes, and impact of delay in medical negligence litigation'. [Oral Presentation], Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference, London, UK . [Details] | |
| (2017) | International Academy of Law and Mental Health Conference, Tumelty, ME (2017) 'Coping with medical negligence: An analysis of the impact of litigation on healthcare professionals'. [Oral Presentation], International Academy of Law and Mental Health Conference, Prague . [Details] | |
| (2016) | Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference, Tumelty, ME (2016) 'Medical negligence mediation and the Irish legal profession: An investigation into attitudes and experiences'. [Oral Presentation], Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference, Waterford, Ireland . [Details] | |
| (2016) | Irish Society of Comparative Law Annual Conference, Tumelty, ME (2016) 'Calculating the true cost of medical negligence litigation: Perspectives from Ireland and the UK'. [Oral Presentation], Irish Society of Comparative Law Annual Conference, Galway, Ireland . [Details] | |
| (2015) | AHSS Postgraduate COnference, Tumelty, ME (2015) 'Expert witnesses': Role, regulation, and responsibilities'. [Poster Presentation], AHSS Postgraduate COnference, Limerick, Ireland . [Details] | |
| (2015) | Edinburgh Postgraduate Law Conference, Tumelty, ME (2015) 'Mediation for medical negligence claims: Opportunities and challenges in Ireland'. [Oral Presentation], Edinburgh Postgraduate Law Conference, Edinburgh, UK . [Details] |
Committees
| Committee | Function | From / To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The European Researchers' Network Working on Second Victims | Member of the Management Committee | 2020 / 2024 | |
| College of Business and Law Teaching and Learning Committee | Committee Member | 2020 / | |
| School of Law Quality Review Committee | Committee Member | 2019 / 2020 | |
| Irish Women Lawyers Association | Committee Member | 2019 / 2020 | |
| Cork University Press | Member of the editorial sub-committee | 2019 / | |
| Teaching and Learning Committee | Member | 2018 / |
Employment
| Employer | Position | From / To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| University College Cork | Lecturer in Law | 15-AUG-18 / | |
| Graduate Entry Medical School, UL | Postdoctoral Research Fellow | 08-JAN-18 / 12-AUG-18 |
Education
| Year | Institution | Qualification | Subject | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | University College Cork | Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education | Teaching and Learning in Higher Education | |
| 2019 | University College Cork | Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education | Higher Education | |
| 2019 | Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School | Certificate in Advanced Mediation | Advanced Mediation | |
| 2018 | University of Limerick | Ph.D | Law | |
| 2014 | University of Limerick | LL.B | Law and Irish |
Consultancy
| Client | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality and Improvement Division, Health Service Executive (HSE) |
Other Activities
| Description | |
|---|---|
I am currently the external examiner for the Health Law and Ethics LLM at Nottingham Trent University, UK. |
Teaching Activities
Teaching Interests
Mary is currently the principal investigator of Experiential Learning in ADR, a project funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. She is interested in approaches to ADR teaching and learning.Modules Taught
| Term (ID)) | Title | Link | Subject | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Commercial Law: The Law of Sale and Agency | LW2205 | Commercial Law: The Law of Sale and Agency | |
| 2021 | Alternative Dispute Resolution | LW6619 | Alternative Dispute Resolution | |
| 2021 | Commercial Law: Intellectual Property Law and Finance | LW2206 | Commercial Law: Intellectual Property Law and Finance |